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Chapter 40: The Resurgence of Conservatism (1980-1992)

Page history last edited by PBworks 15 years, 11 months ago

Chapter 40: The Resurgence of Conservatism (1980-1992)

 

Introduction:

 

The Election of Ronald Reagan, 1980

Ronald Reagan vs. Jimmy Carter

-Reagans policies were against intervention in local affairs by fed. gov't., favortism of minorities, and arrogan bureaucracies.

-Ideas were based on the neoconservatives, which supported free-market capitalism, questioning liberal wel fare programs and affirmative action polices, and called for traditional values at home of the individual and family.

-Reagan won the election of 1980. 489-49

-Jimmy Carter wasn't very successful as pres. but later gained fame through humanitarism and human rights activites. 2002 won the Nobel Peace Prize.

 

The Reagan Revolution(Laura)

  • Reagan believed that "Government is the problem" and tried to reverse the political policies
    • proposed a budget that cut $35 billion, mostly in social programs
    • Reagan convinced a group of Democrats (bool weevils) to follow his lead
  • federal spending had risen from 18% to 23% in two decades
  • CA tax revolt - in 1978 Proposition 13 cut taxes and gov. services
  • March 6, 1981 Reagan was shot, but he recovered rapidly and returned to work 12 days after the attack

 

The Battle of the Budget(Brittan)

  • 2nd part of Regans economic program called for deep tax cuts, amounting to 25 percent across the board reduction over three years
  •   tax reforms lowering individual tax rates, reduced federal estate taxes, and created new tax-free savings plans for small investors
  • reagan's "supply-side" economic advisers assured him that the combination of budgetary discipline and taz reduction would stimulate new incestment, boost productivity, foster dramatic economic growth, and eventually even reduce the federal deficit.
  • at first "supply-side" economics seemed to be a good theory bugged by facts and the economy slid into its deepest recession since the 30's
  • unemployement reached nearly 11 percent in 1982, busniness folded, and several bank failures jolted nations financial system
  • auto industry fell
  • poor got poorer and rich got richer
  • emergence of "yuppies" or young, urban professionals
  • federal budget deficits topped $100 billion in 1982 and govt books were nearly $200 billion out of balance

 

Reagan Renews the Cold War (Chad)

  • Reagan's strategy for dealing with the Soviet Union was simple:  by largely expanding U.S. military capabilities, he could threaten the Soviets with an expensive new round in the arms race.  The American economy could handle this new financial burden better than the Soviet system could.

  • In March 1983, Reagan announced his intention to pursue a high-technology missile-defense system called the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), also known as Star Wars.  The plan called for orbiting battle stations in space that could fire laser beams to explode intercontinental missiles on liftoff.
  • In 1983, a Korean passenger airliner was shot down when it flew into Soviet airspace.  By the end of 1983, all arms-control negotiations were broken, and the Cold War was intensified.

 

 

 

Troubles Abroad(Brittan)

  • Israel and  U.S. friendships were strained by the settlements of Jordan River's West Bank
  • in 1982 Israel invaded Lebanon Reagan sent troops to Lebanon in 1983 as apart of an international peacekeeping force, but presence did not bring peace
  • Nicaragua in 1979 known as "Sandinistas"
  • Forward base for Sovietya nd Cuban military over South America
  • Reagan sent military "advisers" to prop El Salcador
  • Provided aid including the CIA

 

 

 

Round Two For Reagan

  • While shrinking the federal government and producing tax cuts during his first term. Foreign policy was his second term goal.
  • Gorbachev, because of the falling economy, created two policies:

                                     1) Glasnost- introduced freedom of speech

                                     2) Perestroika- free market practices

  • Those two policies required the SU to shrink their military machine and redirect energies to fix the economy.
  • Reagan and Gorbachev meet at a series of four summit meetings:

                                    1) cease to depoy intermediate range nuclear forces (INF) targeted on Europe

                                    2) stalemate, and nothing was agreed upon

                                    3) INF treaty banning them from Europe

                                    4) brought the Cold War to an end

 

 

 

 

 

The Iran-Contra Imbroglio(Dan)

 

 

Reagan's Economic Legacy (Chad)

  • Ronald Reagan had taken office vowing to stimulate the American economy by rolling back government regulations, lowering taxes, and balancing the budget. 

  • By appearing to make new social spending both practically and politically impossible for the foreseeable future, though, the economic deficits served their purpose, they achieved Reagan's highest political objective:  the containment of the welfare state. 
  • In the early 1990s, median household income actually declined.

 

 

The Religious Right(hill)

-Evangelical and conservative Christians

-they used T.V. and radio to spread their conservative causes

-sometimes called "movement conservatives" and it reaflected the sixties radicalism

-declared themselves Christian and pro-life voters

-However, scandals were revealed that leaders were involved with prostitutes and trysts, also financial and sexual misconduct

 

 

Conservatism in the Courts(hill)

-Reagan appointed conservative judges including Sandra Day O'Connor

-Needed to deal with affirmative action and abortion

In affirmative action cases it made it harder to prove racial discrimination and made it easier for whites to protest about reverse discrimination

In abortion cases, it prohibited states from interferring with womens choice to abortion and they didn't have to let anybody know

 

Referendum on Reaganism in 1988 (Brittany)

  • Republicans lost control of the Senate in the off-year elections of 1986; which gave Democrats a chance to show their power.
  • Democrats were given the chance to make political hay out of the Iran-contra scandal and the allegedly unethical behavior that tainted an unusually large number of Reagan's "offical family."
  • Many were near failure and in need of federal assistance during this time.
  • A cold spasm of fear struck the money markets on "Black Monday," October 19,1987, when teh leading stock-market index pluged 508 points.
  •  Democratic presidential candidate, Gary Hart, was forced to drop out of the race in May 1987 after charges of sexual misconduct.
  • African American candidate Jesse Jackson replaced Hart as the front-runner; but the Democratic nomination in the end went to Massachusetts governor Michael Dukakis.
  • The Republican nomination went to Reagan's vice president, George H. W. Bush, who ended up winning the election by a count of 426-111 Electoral College votes.

 

 

George H.W. Bush and the End of the Cold War(Dan)

  • Tiananmen square-- Chinese prodemocracy people adored the "Godess of Democracy" modeled like the statue of liberty in the spring of 1989.
  • The prodemocracy movement didnt last long though as tanks rolled through the crowd and protesters were shot. (June of 1989).
  • Changes that rolled over communism; Mikhail Gorbachev's policies of glasnot and perestroika.
  • Rebels tried to overthrow gorbachev in  coup but he foiled the plan and would eventually resign in december of 1991.
  • After four decades of nuclear tension between the U.S and the soviets, the soviets would eventually dismantle itself.
  • Bush then confidently stated that democracy would reign and diplomacy would outweigh weaponry.

 

The Persian Gulf Crisis (Jordan)

  • 1989 President Bush sent airbourne troops to capture the Panama dictator Manuel Noriega.
  • On August 2, 1990 Iraq's dictator Saddam Hussein sent his army to overrun the tiny country of Kuwait for its oil rich desert.
  • Saddam needed the oild to pay the huge war bills.  He wanted to gain control of all the Middle East and wipe out the Arabs enemy Israel.
  • Saddam was supplied due to the Americans so Iraq could handle Iran back in the 1980's.
  • The U.S. contributed 539,000 troops to the cause and there were 270,000 troops from eight other countries added on to that.
  • On February 23, 1991 the land war began in "Operation Desert Storm" and lasted four days.
  • On February 27, 1991 Saddam accepted a cease-fire, and Kuwait was liberated.

 

Bush on the Home Front(Jordan)

  • President Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990 which prohibited discrimination against U.S. citizens with physical and mental dishibilities. Watch him sign. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUp0dygS3LE
  • In 1992 he signed a major water projects bill which reformed the distribution of subsidized federal water to the West.  It made more water available to the West's thirsty cities.
  • Appointed  Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court.
  • His 1990 Tax and Budget package broke his 1988 promise of no new Taxes.

Bonus Found on Youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ervjj_qRXXQ

 

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