Chapter 33 Lecture Outline A Conservative Realignment: 1977 1990 2013 W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.
Modern Conservative Movement http://wwnorton.com/college/history/america9/full/ch/33/author-video.aspx
The Carter Presidency The Camp David Accords Carter would broker a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt in 1978 in which Egypt recognized Israel s right to exist and Israel returned to Egypt all the land it had taken in the Sinai Peninsula. Egyptian president Anwar el-sadat (left), Jimmy Carter (center), and Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin (right) at the announcement of the Camp David Accords, September 1978.
Mounting Troubles The Carter Presidency Carter s greatest failure was the mismanagement of the economy. When he left office, inflation averaged 13% per year. He signed the second Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT II) negotiated by Gerald Ford.
Iran The Carter Presidency The Iranian Revolution erupted in 1979 when fundamentalist Muslims joined to overthrow the pro-american shah. They were led by Ayatollah Khomeini, and would take the U.S. embassy there, holding the fifty-two diplomats and staff as hostages. Carter appealed to the United Nations, but Khomeini refused to listen. The president would launch two rescue attempts, but both failed due to helicopter problems. Eventually they would be released, but only after Carter had been defeated and Reagan had been elected, in 1980.
The Carter Presidency The Election of 1980 The downturn in the economy that had grown worse under Carter and the foreign affair debacle with the Iranian hostage crisis led Reagan in 1980 to win the presidency
The Reagan Revolution The Making of a President Reagan was a movie star before running for governor of CA. He would run against Ford in 1976, but would lose in the Republican primary. The Rise of the New Right Reagan benefited from a shifting of population to Florida, California, and Texas, which shifted those states from liberal to conservative. The Moral Majority NRA Reagan s chances for the presidency corresponded with a national revival of evangelical Christians. (Rev. Jerry Falwell) The so-called religious right would back Reagan even though Jimmy Carter was a Baptist who openly practiced his faith. Gun Control Act of 1968 Heritage Foundation Conservative think tank, non-profit lobbying group that attempts to influence legislators
Anti-Feminist Backlash The Reagan Revolution Another factor in the rebirth of the conservative movement was a reactionary movement of women opposed to the dramatic changes feminists were demanding. Women who relished their roles as homemakers and mothers opposed what they considered a bunch of bitter women seeking a constitutional cure for their personal problems. Promoting Conservative Ideas Conservatism had become engrained in the business world in the 1970s, and due to the issues that compounded the miseries of that time period, caused business leaders to invest heavily in Reagan s campaign
The Reagan Revolution Anti-abortion movement Anti-abortion demonstrators pass the Washington Monument on their way to the Capitol.
Reaganomics supply-side economics Reagan s First Term Reagan's economic advisers concentrated on supply. By reducing taxes and business regulations, they hoped to make it easier to produce more goods. They reasoned this larger supply of goods would drive down prices and stop inflation. It would also lead to fuller employment. Some called this new strategy "Reaganomics." By 1983, the economy began to come out of recession. Reagan's tax cuts, deregulation and military spending encouraged greater business activity, while new supplies of oil from Alaska and the North Sea stabilized oil prices. Budget Cuts In addition, the federal government s budget was cut in areas that were deemed not for the truly needy.
Reagan s First Term
Reagan s Anti-Liberalism Reagan s First Term In 1981, the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization went on strike, which was against federal law. Reagan fired all of the members of this union and provided replacements from the military. Sandra Day O'Connor: In 1981, President Reagan nominated Sandra Day O'Connor as the first woman Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. Born in El Paso, Texas, she studied in California before moving to Arizona. O'Connor had served as Arizona's Assistant Attorney General, State Senator, and a Superior Court Judge. During her early years on the U.S. Supreme Court she was a conservative who preferred "judicial restraint." She emerged in the late 1990s as a swing vote between the conservative and liberal groups on the Court.
Reagan s First Term The Federal Deficit and the National Debt: The federal deficit is the amount of money that the federal government spends beyond what it collects in taxes. Reagan had promised a budget in which government spending would be limited to the amount of taxes it raised. But because of military spending, the federal deficit actually increased greatly, and the national debt more than doubled. The Trade Imbalance: During the Reagan years, Americans bought more goods and services from abroad than they sold overseas. This imbalance led to the loss of millions of jobs, the closing of steel mills and auto plants, and a drop in the disposable income of many Americans. Immigration Policy: President Reagan introduced new changes to our immigration laws. To deal with the problem of illegal immigration, the Mazzoli-Simpson Act (1986) "legalized" illegal aliens who had lived continuously in the United States since 1981.
Reagan s First Term A Massive Defense Buildup Reagan charged that most of the trouble in the world politically lay at the hands of the Soviet Union in Moscow. Labeling the Soviets an evil empire, he initiated a dramatic buildup of nuclear and conventional weapons and announced the creation of the Strategic Defense Initiative, a spacebased anti-weapons platform. Reagan strongly believed in a policy of Peace through Strength -"Let he who desires peace prepare for war."
Reagan s First Term Strategic Defense Initiative President Reagan addresses the nation on March 23, 1983, about the development of a space-age shield to intercept Soviet missiles.
The Americas Reagan s First Term Central America was rife with communist activity, such as El Salvador, where communist-supported forces had been attempting to overthrow the government since 1980. Reagan send advisors and aid but the revolutionaries used this to their advantage and won control of the nation. In Nicaragua, Reagan would empower the CIA to train and supply anticommunist rebels to fight against the Soviet- and Cuban-armed govt.
Reagan s First Term The Middle East Wracked by an Islamic civil war between the Iran and Iraq. Afghanistan invaded by the Soviets, who were bogged down in their own version of Vietnam. Israeli troops pushed Palestine Liberation Organization s forces from Lebanon, and U.S. troops sent in as peacekeepers. In October 1983, an Islamic suicide bomber would kill 241 marines, leading Reagan to withdraw all forces from the area.
Grenada Also in 1983, Reagan would respond to pleas from neighboring nations of Grenada to depose a communist government there that had overthrown the previous regime. Reagan s First Term In 1985, Reagan announced the Reagan Doctrine. He stated that the United States would not simply confine itself to the containment of Communism. It would also attempt to "rollback" Communism by aiding anti-communist ''freedom fighters" in Afghanistan, Angola, Nicaragua, and Cambodia.
Reagan s First Term
The Election of 1984 Reagan s Second Term
Domestic Challenges Reagan s Second Term Using his election as a mandate to continue his previous term s goals, he would sign the Tax Reform Act, which reduced the number of tax brackets and lowered rates once again.
The Iran-Contra Affair Reagan s Second Term For the last two years in office, Reagan faced an opposition Congress. Reports would begin circulating about illicit arms sales to Iran in exchange for Iran working to secure American hostages in Lebanon. Money from these sales would in turn be used to fund the Contra forces fighting in Nicaragua.
Reagan s Second Term
The Changing Social Landscape The Computer Revolution The invention of the silicon chip in 1971 led to the computer age. Led by Bill Gates the personal computer revolution would transform the marketplace and the economy. Debt and Stock Market Plunge During Reagan s administration, the federal debt tripled, savings among Americans were at an all-time low, and on October 19, 1987, the stock market crashed. Although it was worse than the 1929 crash, automatic safeguards enacted since then prevented the worst from occurring.
The Changing Social Landscape The Poor, the Homeless, and the Victims of AIDS The government had given up on building new public housing for low-income families, and urban renewal programs were not required to locate new homes for those whom it displaced. As a result, the number of homeless rose during the 1980s.
The Changing Social Landscape The computer age Beginning with the cumbersome electronic numerical integrator and computer (ENIAC), pictured here in 1946, computer technology flourished, leading to the development of personal computers in the 1980s and the popularization of the Internet in the 1990s.
The Changing Social Landscape A Historic Treaty Under the new Soviet premier, Mikhail Gorbachev, the Russians would pursue détente to focus on their domestic problems. Gorbachev would meet with Reagan and sign a treaty that would cause both sides to reduce the number of nuclear warheads they had in their possession. Reagan s Legacy During his administration, Reagan was able to redefine the role of the government and promote a more active engagement with the Soviets in an attempt to win, or at least end, the Cold War. Tear down this wall: https://youtu.be/ytydjbpbk6a
The Changing Social Landscape
The Changing Social Landscape The Election of 1988
Domestic Initiatives The H.W. Bush Administration Bush s biggest domestic problem was the size of the national debt, which had grown to three times what it had been in 1980. He would also wage war on illegal drugs, and would appoint William Bennett as drug czar.
The H.W. Bush Administration The Democracy Movement Abroad In communist nations where a strong leader who had the power to hold the system together was lacking, revolutionary movements took root. Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Hungary, and eventually East Germany Although he was globally popular, Mikhail Gorbachev faced a coup back home and was removed from power. He was replaced by Boris Yeltsin. Bush and Yeltsin would both agree to a dramatic reduction in the numbers of nuclear stockpiles.
The H.W. Bush Administration Dissolution of the Soviet Empire West Germans hacking away at the Berlin Wall on November 11, 1989, two days after all crossings between East Germany and West Germany were opened.
The H.W. Bush Administration Action against Gorbachev In August 1991, one day after Mikhail Gorbachev was placed under house arrest by Communists planning a coup, Russian president Boris Yeltsin (holding papers) makes a speech criticizing the plotters.
Panama The H.W. Bush Administration Bush would send troops into Panama in 1989 to overthrow Manuel Noriega, who in 1983 had taken the de facto leadership position of Panama. He would use his connections to run drugs and arms into the United States. Within a day, Noriega had been captured.
The Gulf War The H.W. Bush Administration On August 2, 1990, Iraqi forces invaded Kuwait. Bush would send troops into Saudi Arabia to defend that nation from a similar attack. After deadlines expired in January 1991, a coalition force made up of thirty nations would attack Iraq and drive it out of Kuwait. After six weeks of fighting, the war ended.
The H.W. Bush Administration The Gulf War U.S. soldiers adapt to desert conditions during Operation Desert Shield, December 1990.