A CONSERVATIVE SHIFT IN CULTURE AND POLITICS & DOMESTIC DRIFT AND A NEW WORLD ORDER. By Brandon and Diego

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "A CONSERVATIVE SHIFT IN CULTURE AND POLITICS & DOMESTIC DRIFT AND A NEW WORLD ORDER. By Brandon and Diego"

Magdalene Harmon
5 years ago
Views:

1 A CONSERVATIVE SHIFT IN CULTURE AND POLITICS & DOMESTIC DRIFT AND A NEW WORLD ORDER By Brandon and Diego

2 A CONSERVATIVE SHIFT -ROOTS OF THE CONSERVATIVE TURN AND ELECTION- Conservative shift due to increase of western and southern conservatives; anticommunist and suspicious of "liberal elites"--> led to organization Conservatives gathered around issues like abortion-> no Medicaid coverage Religious conservatives gathered around homosexuality; denouncing it-> violence Political mobilization of of evangelical Protestants greatly influenced the conservative shift; emphasis on strict morality-> TV and radio stations Shift led to election of Ronald Reagan and George Bush as VP in 1980( former gov. of Cali.)--PACs big help in win-- carried south Looked to deregulate market, cut taxes and decrease size of government;his new deal. Supported traditional values, calls for military strength and U.S greatness.

3 A CONSERVATIVE SHIFT -REAGAN ADMINISTRATION- Reaganomics: U.S. economy if unregulated could be prosperous-> tax cuts led to big deficit. Environmental regulations loosened by Sec. of Interior Watt, resigned in Opened up lands and resources for commercial use. Reagan went union busting, PATCO employees fired and barred from being hired. Fed's raising of interest rates lowered inflation, but brought recession. U.S. exports went down, big trade deficit. Cut in social programs hurt the poor(mostly Hispanics and blacks in inner city). Stock market crashed on Oct. 19, 1987, lowered investments after crash. Reagan appointed Sandra Day O'Connor, first female Supreme Court Justice, William Rehnquist moved to Chief Justice, and Antonin Scalia and Anthony Kennedy also appointed

4 A CONSERVATIVE SHIFT -COLD WAR- Reagan almost doubled the pentagon's budget(almost $300 billion by 1985). Buildup included nukes. Started nuclear-war defense plan, for city people. Protests for the End of Nuclear weapons became prominent. States voted for nuclear freeze referenda. Reagan pushed for Strategic Defense Initiative(SDI aka Star Wars), to counter freeze. Reagan began backing certain groups in Latin America that went against communism; backed the government El Salvador(bad people). Began funding an anti-sandinista group(contras) in Nicaragua to battle communism(did this illegally). Took out pro-castro government and installed pro-u.s. gov't in Granada. Reagan funded Mujahideen(Islamic Fighters) in Afghanistan to counter communist forces.

5 A CONSERVATIVE SHIFT -SCANDALS- The Iran-Contra scandal was the actions of selling weapons to insurgents in Iran and using the profits to fund the contras in Nicaragua, during a congressional ban on doing so. A national security council aide Oliver North, was convicted with obstructing a congressional inquiry and destroying and falsifying official documents. And an advisor, John Poindexter, testified that he kept the knowledge of the funding from Reagan. Other Scandals came from attorney general Edwin Meese and Secretary James Watt Cold War relations got better, leading to Gorbachev being more open to western ideas. The two leaders signed the INF treaty, reducing the amount of missiles in Europe.

6 A CONSERVATIVE SHIFT -FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND VIOLENCE- Reagan backed Sadam Hussien's invasion of Iran, as to counter anti-u.s. sentiment. Later U.S. overthrew Hussein. During heated conflicts between Israel and Palestinians ; U.S. gave money for military to Israel, aid to Egypt and Palestinians, and imported oil from Arab countries. Massacre of Palestinian refugees resulted from the shooting of an Israeli ambassador. Reagan sent troops to Lebanon to try to keep peace, many of whom died after a car filled with explosives crashed into U.S. Barracks. Palestinians launched intifada against Israeli occupation as a result, this impeded talks of establishing an independent state for Palestinians. The conflict led to violence such as the bombing of Italian airports and plane and ship hijackings.

7 DOMESTIC DRIFT AND ANEW WORLD ORDER -ELECTION OF George H. W. Bush was a patrician in politics. Son of a Connecticut senator, Yale graduate, and World War II bomber pilot, he entered the Texas oil business, served in Congress, and was a U. N. ambassador and CIA director before becoming Reagan s running mate in Elected president in 1988, Bush reacted decisively to a foreign crisis, but proved less impressive on domestic issues During his campaign, Bush emphasized prosperity and improved Soviet relations, while distancing himself from the Iran-contra scandal. He won, carrying forty states and garnering 54 percent of the vote In July 1991, President Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev signed a treaty reducing their nuclear arsenals by 25 percent. The Soviet Union s collapse, heralded by the opening of the Berlin Wall, proceeded with breathtaking rapidity. East Germany s communist regime imploded. The Baltic republics annexed by Moscow in 1940 (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) declared independence. The other Soviet republics moved toward autonomy as well.

8 DOMESTIC DRIFT AND A NEW WORLD ORDER -GULF WAR- On August 2, 1990, Iraq invaded neighboring Kuwait. Iraq s dictator, Saddam Hussein, viewed Kuwait s ruling sheiks as Western puppets and asserted Iraq s historic claims to Kuwait s vast oil fields. When Saddam ignored a UN resolution demanding Iraq s withdrawal by January 15, 1991, both houses of Congress endorsed military action. For Bush, the Persian Gulf War proved that Americans were prepared to use force to pursue national interests and brought back military domination. Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990: supported by Bush, this law barred discrimination against disabled persons in hiring or education.

9 DOMESTIC DRIFT AND A NEW WORLD ORDER -RECESSION- The collapse of the savings- and- loan (S&L) industry, provider of home loans and a modest but secure return to depositors. In the late 1970s, as inflation had pushed up interest rates, the S& Ls had offered higher interest to retain investors, even though the S& L s assets were mostly in fixed-rate mortgages. Meanwhile, the federal deficits mounted, thanks in part to Reagan s tax cuts and military spending. In 1990, Bush agreed to a deficit- reduction plan involving spending cuts and tax increases. Bush s retreat from his no new taxes pledge angered voters. Despite this plan, the 1992 deficit neared $300 billion, thanks to the Persian Gulf War, S& L bailout, and soaring welfare and Medicare payments. The recession worsened inner-city poverty and despair. In April 1992, an outbreak of arson and looting in Watts, the predominantly black district of Los Angeles and scene of rioting in 1965, left forty persons dead and millions in property damage.

10 DOMESTIC DRIFT AND A NEW WORLD ORDER -ELECTION OF Environmental worries increased during Bush s presidency. In March 1989, a giant oil tanker, the Exxon Valdez, ran aground in Alaska s Prince William Sound, spilling more than 10 million gallons of oil. The accident affected coastal habitats, killed thousands of sea otters and shore birds, and jeopardized Alaska s fisheries. Bush deplored the spill, but insisted that U.S' energy- hungry economy required ever more oil, coal, and natural gas. Apart from the Persian Gulf War, President Bush s single term proved unmemorable. Given President Bush s popularity after the Gulf War, many top Democrats opted out of the 1992 presidential race. But Arkansas Governor William Jefferson ( Bill) Clinton took the plunge. Fending off reports of marital infidelity, Clinton won the nomination. As his running mate, he chose Tennessee senator Albert ( Al) Gore, Jr. While Bush promised more attention to domestic issues in a second term, Clinton hammered on the recession and the problems of the middle class. Clinton won 43 percent of the vote to Bush s 38 percent

netw rks Reading Essentials and Study Guide The Resurgence of Conservatism, Lesson 2 The Reagan Years

netw rks Reading Essentials and Study Guide The Resurgence of Conservatism, Lesson 2 The Reagan Years and Study Guide Lesson 2 The Reagan Years ESSENTIAL QUESTION How do you think the resurgence of conservative ideas has changed society? Reading HELPDESK Content Vocabulary supply-side economics economic