Transcript The Reagan Revolution - Mr. Longacre`s US History Website

The Reagan Revolution
1) With the exception of the Eisenhower (1952-58) and Nixon/Ford
Administrations (1968-1976) the Democratic Party virtually
controlled the executive branch from 1932-1980. However,
Jimmy Carter’s inability to address runaway inflation, an oil
crisis, U.S. hostages held in Iran, and general public mistrust of
government led to a conservative resurgence in the election of
1980.
The Reagan Revolution
2) Despite a significant primary challenge
from Ted Kennedy, Jimmy Carter
gained the Democratic nomination
and ran for re-election in 1980.
Carter’s Republican opponent was a
former actor, a onetime spokesperson
for the General Electric Corporation,
and the former Governor of
California. Ronald Reagan ran as a
fiscal conservative that also espoused
social conservative stances by
denouncing abortion, homosexuality,
feminism, and affirmative action.
Reagan won the election of 1980 in an
electoral landslide.
3) The Reagan Revolution:
A) The Devolution Revolution –
President Regan countered the
“Big Government” of Franklin
Roosevelt’s New Deal Revolution
by cutting taxes, government
spending, and transferring many
federal responsibilities to state
governments. He declared,
“Government is not the solution to
our problem. Government is the
problem.”
3) The Reagan Revolution:
B) Reaganomics – President Reagan
supported a form of “supply-side”
economics that cut income taxes
as a means of generating
economic growth. His polices
seemed to stimulate the
economy, but his across-theboard tax cuts obviously
benefitted high-income earners
the most. Reagan’s policies did
stimulate economic growth, but
also resulted in an increasing gap
between the rich and poor.
3) The Reagan Revolution:
C) Judicial Appointments – The
Constitution gives the President the
power to nominate the judges to the
federal courts as well as the justices
of the Supreme Court. Reagan
appointed judges/justices that
exercised “judicial restraint”.
Advocates of “judicial restraint”
enforce existing laws according to
strict wording of the Constitution.
They rarely overturn previous
decisions and they defer to the
legislative branch to make policies.
3) The Reagan Revolution:
D) Deregulation – Reagan cut government spending
by greatly reducing the number and scope of
many government programs. Reagan believed
that government regulation unnecessarily
hampered productivity and limited economic
growth.
3) The Reagan Revolution:
E) Defense Spending – Regan dramatically increased defense
spending as a result of his aggressive foreign policy during the
latter years of the Cold War. He sought to strengthen the
American military by expanding the nuclear arsenal and funding
various programs like the missile defense system known as the
“Strategic Defense Initiative” (SDI). Reagan later negotiated with
Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev in order to significantly
decrease the nuclear stockpiles of the two superpowers.
A “Center-Right” Nation
3) The popular election of Reagan’s
Vice President, George H.W. Bush,
gave further evidence that Reagan
Revolution had resulted in a
broad political realignment that
would impact future elections.
Consequently, moderate
Democrats became more viable
candidates than the left-wing
liberals of the FDR mold. For
example, Bill Clinton was a
centrist Democrat that endorsed
conservative stances like welfare
reform, reducing government
spending, and balancing the
federal budget.
A “Center-Right” Nation
4) Bill Clinton’s Democratic victory
in 1992 also resulted in a 1994
midterm election where the
Republican Party regained
control of the House of
Representatives. The Clinton
impeachment scandal also
helped build further
momentum for the Republican
campaign of conservative
Republican George W. Bush in
the 2000 election.
President George H. W. Bush
A) Fall of communism in Eastern Europe – The “Satellite
States” behind the Iron Curtain increasingly resisted
Soviet rule during the 1980s. For example, the prowestern “Solidarity Movement” in Poland resulted in
the election of a non-communist leader in 1989.
President George H. W. Bush
B) Reunification of Germany – The independence of
many Eastern European countries in 1989 and the
subsequent collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991
led to the reunification of Eastern and Western
Germany.
President George H. W. Bush
C) Collapse of Yugoslavia – Yugoslavia was a collection of
various ethnicities, religions, and nationalities that
had been foolishly lumped together by the Treaty of
Versailles (1918).
President George H. W. Bush
D) Breakup of the Soviet state – the Soviet Union
collapsed in 1991 and Communism was abandoned
as an economic policy.
E) Persian Gulf War
1) President George H.W. Bush
employed U.S. military forces in
the Middle East in order to
defend the oil-rich country of
Kuwait from an invasion by
neighboring Iraq. Plagued by
war-debts from an eight-year
war with Iran, Iraqi leader
Saddam Hussein attempted to
increase his nation’s wealth
and power by expanding his
control of Middle Eastern oil
supplies.
E) Persian Gulf War
2) United Nations (U.N.) quickly condemned the action
and pledged to use military force to remove the Iraqi
forces. The United States represented the bulk of the
forces, but over 270,000 troops from 28 other
countries united in the U.N. coalition against Iraq.
3) Operation Desert Storm
A) After months of negations and economic sanctions
against Iraq, the U.S. and its U.N. allies launched a
series of air strikes for 37 days against targets in
occupied-Kuwait and Iraq. Saddam Hussein
responded by launching missile strikes against U.S.
allies, Saudi Arabia and Israel.
3) Operation Desert Storm
B) “Operation Desert Storm” was the
codename given to the massive
invasion of U.S. and U.N. ground
troops into Iraq. They completely
overwhelmed the enemy and
outflanked the Iraqi occupation
forces in Kuwait and prevented
them from reinforcing the Iraqi
forces on the homefront. This
precise and cunning battle plan
was developed and executed by
Generals Norman Schwarzkopf
and Colin Powell.
3) Operation Desert Storm
C) Saddam Hussein accepted a ceasefire on February
27th, 1991 and Kuwait was liberated. Regime change
was not an objective of this war and U.S. forces were
evacuated from Iraq after the armistice was signed.
3) Operation Desert Storm
D) This was also the first war where American
women participated in combat.
President William J. Clinton
1) Bill Clinton governed
over the most
prosperous period in
American history as ecommerce through the
internet greatly
expanded the U.S.
economy. In 1998,
Clinton became the only
President in the last
three decades to produce
a balanced federal
budget.
2) Clinton’s Achievements
A) North American Free Trade
Agreement (NAFTA) – NAFTA was
an international economic
agreement that established free
trade between the United States,
Mexico, and Canada in 1993.
This illustrated Clinton’s centrist
economic views because many
labor union advocates within his
own party strongly opposed
free-trade policies that would
send many domestic
manufacturing jobs south of the
border.
2) Clinton’s Achievements
B) Vietnam – Despite the
tangled and
contentious history of
U.S relations with
Vietnam, President
Clinton established full
diplomatic relations
with the Communist
nation of Southeast
Asia.
2) Clinton’s Achievements
C) South Africa – Clinton
normalized relations
with South Africa
when the
predominantly-white
government ended
the policy of
apartheid that had
been enforced against
the indigenous black
population.
2) Clinton’s Achievements
D) Yugoslavia – The end of the Cold
War produced severe ethnic and
religious strife in Yugoslavia
during the 1990s. Yugoslavia was
a collection of various states in
the Balkans region of
Southeastern Europe. When the
Yugoslav state of Serbia
attempted to carry out a violent
“ethnic cleansing” campaign
against Bosnians and ethnic
Albanians, Clinton convinced
NATO allies to initiate air strikes
against Serbia. This was followed
by a NATO peace-keeping force
that prevented a wholesale
genocide.
President George W. Bush
1) The Clinton years resulted in
a vibrant economy, but
continued allegations like
the Whitewater
investigation and the
Monica Lewinsky scandal
distracted from Clinton’s
record and tarnished his
legacy. The impeachment
process completely
preoccupied the nation for
months and made the
public weary of the
incumbent party.
President George W. Bush
2) The 2000 election was one of the closest in history. Many still
dispute the results because of a contentious battle over a Florida
recount that ended because of a Supreme Court ruling. Despite
receiving 500,000 less popular votes, Texas Governor, George W.
Bush was able to achieve an electoral majority over Democratic
Vice President, Al Gore.
President George W. Bush
3) 9/11/2001 – The terrorist attacks of September
11th against the World Trade Center and the
Pentagon irrevocably redefined U.S. foreign policy.
President George W. Bush
4) The Afghan War – The U.S.
declared war on Afghanistan
in October of 2011 in order to
remove a government of
Muslim extremist-sect known
as the Taliban. The Taliban
had given shelter to a radical
terrorist organization led by
Osama Bin Laden known as
“Al Qaeda.” U.S. troops
quickly overran the Taliban
and secured a pro-Western
government led by Hamid
Karzai.
President George W. Bush
5) War in Iraq – The Bush administration
widened its military involvement in
the Middle East by launching an
invasion of Iraq in May of 2003. Many
members of the Bush Administration
claimed that Saddam Hussein was
attempting to acquire nuclear
weapons, but little evidence of this
was discovered in the wake of the
U.S. invasion. Much like the first
Persian Gulf War, ground forces easily
overwhelmed Iraqi forces, but the
overthrow of Saddam Hussein’s
regime compelled U.S. forces to
occupy Iraq. A violent insurgency
developed as Shia and Sunni factions
struggled to form a coalition
government.
United States responses to terrorism
A) Heightened security at home (Patriot Act)
B) Diplomatic and military initiatives (Iraq and
Afghanistan)
The Supreme Court
1) The membership of the United States Supreme
Court has included women and minorities, such as
Sandra Day O’Connor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and
Clarence Thomas.
The Supreme Court
2) The civil rights movement of the 1940s, 1950s, and
1960s provided a model that other groups have used
to extend civil rights and promote equal justice.
The Supreme Court
3) The United States Supreme Court protects the
individual rights enumerated in the Constitution
of the United States.
The Supreme Court
4) The United States Supreme Court identifies a
constitutional basis for a right to privacy that is
protected from government interference.
The Supreme Court
5) The United States Supreme Court invalidates
legislative acts and executive actions that the
justices agree exceed the authority granted to
government officials by the Constitution of the
United States.
MODERN IMMIGRATION
1) New and increasing immigration to the United
States has been taking place from many diverse
countries, especially Asian and Latin American
countries.
A) Reasons for immigration
• Political freedom
• Economic opportunity
B) Effects of immigration
• Bilingual education/English as a Second
Language (ESL) courses
• Effects on public policy (Cuban Americans and
policy toward Cuba)
• Politics/voting
C) Issues related to immigration policy
• Strain on government
services
• Filling low-paying jobs in
the United States
• Border issues
• Pathway to citizenship
• Bilingual education (ESL
and ELL)
• Increasing cultural
diversity
D) Contributions of immigrants
• Diversity in music, the visual arts, and literature
• Roles in the labor force: achievements in science,
engineering, and other fields
THE MODERN REVOLUTION IN
TECHNOLOGY
1) In the early 1960s, President John
Kennedy pledged increased
support for the American space
program. The race to the moon
continued through the 1960s.
U.S. astronaut John Glenn was
the first American to orbit the
Earth. In 1969, American
astronaut Neil Armstrong was
the first person to step onto the
moon’s surface. He proclaimed,
“That’s one small step for a man,
one giant leap for mankind.”
THE MODERN REVOLUTION IN
TECHNOLOGY
2) In 1983, Sally Ride became the first female
American astronaut.
THE MODERN REVOLUTION IN
TECHNOLOGY
3) Over the past three decades improved
technology and media have brought about
better access to communication and
information for rural areas, businesses, and
individual consumers. As a result, many
more Americans have access to global
information and viewpoints.
Examples of technological advances
A) Space exploration
• Space shuttle
• Mars rover
• Voyager missions
• Hubble telescope
B) Communications
• Satellites
• Global positioning system (GPS)
• Personal communications devices
C) Robotics
Changes in work, school, and health
care in recent decades
• Telecommuting
• Online course work
• Growth of service industries
• Breakthroughs in medical
research, including
improved medical
diagnostic and imaging
technologies
• Outsourcing and offshoring