Transcript 1945 and Beyond-5 - Grosse Pointe Public School System

1945 and Beyond-5
Carter
Reagan
Bush
Election 1976
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Democrats: Jimmy Carter (Governor of
Georgia) little political experience; an outsider.
Proved to be an advantage. 297
Republicans: Gerald Ford 240
Independent Republicans: Ronald Reagan was
unhappy with Nixon’s wage-price-rent controls
and his Détente with the Soviets, visit to China
was Laissez-Faire and did not want to negotiate
with communists
Carter
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Born-again Christian
Surrounded himself with Georgians= some
resentment by other Democrats
Human Rights was big with Carter and his Sec.
of State: Cyrus Vance
Carter Doctrine: Any country attempting to take
the Persian Gulf would be repelled by any force
necessary (note: NOT about containment)
Carter’s Successes
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Camp David Accords: Brought a measure of
peace to the Middle East
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Won Carter the Nobel Peace Prize
Begin (Israel) returned territory to Egypt
Sadat (Egypt) gave recognition to Israel and was
assassinated when he returned home
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Carter
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Established formal diplomatic relations with
China (Deng Xiaoping) Mao gone since 1976
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Panama Canal Treaty: To return canal to
Panama (most of our ships getting too big
anyway) BUT big objections by the New Right
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Worked on SALT II with Soviets (Brezhnev)
Carter: Economic Problems
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Highest interest rates in U.S. history (20%)
Unemployment
Inflation soared (up 14%)..much due to OPEC
and increased energy costs
1979 Accident at Three Mile Island: 100,000
evacuated. Radioactive cloud released!
1979 Afghanistan
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1979 Soviets invaded Afghanistan
Carter saw it as a violation of Human Rights
U.S. boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics
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Many Americans VERY angry
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The Hostage Crisis
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Remember in the 50’s…
The U.S. Placed the Shah of Iran in Power
He modernized and westernized and earned the
hatred of his people
1979…a revolution in Iran
The Shah was ousted
The Ayatollah Khomeini took power
The Shah and his family fled to Mexico
The Hostage Crisis
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In Mexico, the Shah was diagnosed with cancer
He wanted to come to the U.S. for treatment
Carter said OK
The Ayatollah demanded that the U.S. turn over
the Shah
Carter refused
Nov 4, 1979 The U.S. embassy in Tehran took
U.S. diplomats (53) hostage for 444 days
The Hostage Crisis
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Attempted rescue was a disaster
Carter froze all Iranian assets in the U.S.
The hostages were released when Reagan was
inaugurated
Though one of Carter’s last acts as President
was to unfreeze Iranian assets. (They needed the
$ for their war with Iraq: The Persian Gulf War
1980-1988)
Rise of the New Right
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A new conservatism in California, Texas,
California
Wanted to downsize the government
Sagebrush Rebellion: Opposed to
environmentalism and conservation laws
Born-again Christian televangelists: Billy
Graham, Oral Roberts, Jerry Falwell
The New Right
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New Religions: Church of Scientology,
Unification Church, People’s Temple
Pro: Prayer in School, traditional families
Denounced: abortion, divorce, feminism,
homosexuality
The Sunbelt and the South resented liberalism
and government restrictions
The Tax Revolt
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1978 in California: Howard Jarvis: referendum
to roll back property tax rates (a limit on
property taxes)
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Attacking taxes = attacking government
programs, SCHOOL FUNDING
Election 1980
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Republicans: Reagan (the New Right) 489
Democrats: Carter 49
Opposition to the Panama Canal Treaty
contributed to Reagan’s popularity
Laissez-Faire
1981 assassination attempt (Pope too)
Reaganomics
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Also called Supply-side economics: tax cuts to
the wealthy (hopefully they would spend what
was not going to pay taxes to stimulate the
economy)
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Was called VOODOO economics by VP
George Bush…later
The Economy
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Drastic budget cuts
Gold drain (too many imports; not enough
exports)
Deregulation of environmental agencies, Civil
Rights Division of the Justice Department, SEC
Believed that getting rid of big government
would speed economic revival
The Economy
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1982 Severe recession
Federal Reserve Board high interest rates
Raised the value of the Dollar
11% unemployment
Some recovery after 1982 BUT
Reagan promised a balanced budget BUT
1980 $907 Billion in debt; 1991 $3.5 Trillion!
Economics
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Reaction to debt: cut programs to the poor
Major increase in Social Security taxes
NOTE: inflation NOT a problem during
Reagan years
Big military spending
Cold war tensions heightened
Star Wars (SDI) Strategic Defense Initiative:
too expensive; congress did not pass
Reagan Doctrine:
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To oppose communism anywhere in the world
whether it was associated with the Soviets or not
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Troops and help to groups opposing
communism and Marxism in L.A.
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Global movement to nuclear freeze. 1982 one
million demonstrated in Central Park
Iran-Contra Scandal
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In Iran the Ayatollah Khomeini was calling on
Muslims of the Middle East to overthrow their
government and establish theocracies
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1979 Saddam Hussein rose to power in Iraq.
He went to war with Iran for the sake of all
Muslim governments in the Middle East and
because Khomeini provided the Kurds with
weapons to use against Iraq
The Persian Gulf War 1980-88
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Many Middle Eastern countries loaned or gave
money to Iraq
The U.S. Supported Iraq (publically) as we
considered Hussein to be the lesser of the 2 evils
U.S. was really concerned with maintaining a
balance of power in the Middle East…avoid the
emergence of a superpower
In the meantime
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In Nicaragua, a Marxist regime led by the
Sandinistas had taken power
The Contras (who Reagan called Freedom
Fighter) were fighting the Sandinistas
The U.S> was sending aid to the Contras
THEN the American press reported that the
Contras were committing more atrocities on the
population than the Sandinistas
The Contras
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The American People made it clear we did not
want to aid rapists, murderers
The Boland Amendment (congress): The U.S.
would not give military aid to the Contras
This frustrated Reagan and SOMEONE in his
administration began to sell weapons to Iran (so
they could fight Iraq!) and funnel the $ to the
Contras secretly =
The Iran-Contra Scandal
The Teflon President
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Reagan denied knowledge
Charges never stuck to Reagan (Teflon)
Lt. Oliver North took the blame
BUT Saddam Hussein KNEW that U.S.
weapons were being used against him.
The Persian Gulf War ended with no winner.
Both Iran and Iraq were exhausted.
Election 1984
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Republicans: Reagan (Bush) 525
Democrats: Mondale (Ferraro) 13 (first woman
VP candidate for a major party)
NOTE: Reagan named first woman to the
Supreme Court: Sandra Day O’Connor
The End of the Soviet Union
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Gorbachev Berlin Wall Down
Glasnost: a new openness (freedom of speech,
etc)
Peristroika: economic reform (did not work
out)
1989 Eastern European nations to
independence
By 1991 the Soviet Union broke apart
Savings and Loan Scandal
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Deregulation = collapse of Savings and Loan
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Also largest single day drop in stock market in history
Sec. of Labor indicted for racketeering
Others resigned: questionable transactions
HUD mususe of funds
Over 100 members of the Reagan administration found
guilty of wrongdoing (unethical or illegal behavior)
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Election of 1988
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Republicans: George Bush 426
Democrats: Dukakis 112
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Bush was elected largely due to Reagan’s success
in promoting conservatism over liberalism
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Bush Big on Drug Problem: Just say no
Operation Just Cause in Panama
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Went after drug kingpin Noreiga..only killed
3,000 Panamanians to do it
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Desert Storm: After Gulf War, Saddam Hussein
broke
Went to the Middle Eastern countries who had
loaned him $ and asked for the dbts to be
forgiven…most did…not Kuwait (very wealthy)
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The Gulf War
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Hussein went home to sell oil so he could pay
his debts.
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Kuwait flooded the marked with oil and drove
down the price
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Made it impossible for Hussein
So Hussein attacked Kuwait
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The Gulf War
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The UN and U.S. Gave Hussein a deadline for
getting out of Kuwait
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Desert Shield: the Saudis asked for help just in
case
Hussein ignored deadline
UN attacked (really U.S. (mostly) and other
international troops)
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The Gulf War
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Hussein left Kuwait setting oil fields on fire on
the way out…ecological disaster
War was quick…18 hours huge success
Iraqi losses: 70,000
U.S. losses: 150
Bush very popular
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The war a great success
THEN Severe recession 1991
Lost popularity allowing Clinton to win in 1992
BUSH: a thousand points of light: to inspire
volunteerism
BUSH: Read my lips (said that he would not
raise taxes but he did)
Clinton
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Whitewater(gate): real estate deal gone bad.
Clinton’s partners sent to jail (Kenneth Starr)
NAFTA: North American Free-trade
Agreement (US Canada, Mexico)
Oslo Accords: Israel and PLO for Palistinians
to settle on the Gaza Strip and West Bank)
Impeachment over whitewater but about
Monica Lewinski