Transcript Society, Politics, and World Events

Chapter 30
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1960s Mood: Personal Preoccupations
and New Activists energies
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TV
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Watergate shatters republicans
Hippies replaced with yuppies
Viewing increases
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New left fragments
Prime-time soaps: Dallas
TV Sitcoms: Brady Bunch
Disneyworld 1982
Movies
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MLB, NFL, NBA
Music
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“Jaws”
“Star Wars”
Saturday Night Fever
Protest mood survives
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Vietnam shatters liberals
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Environmental movement
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VCRs
CDs
Computers
Built of Rachel Carson 1960s
Greenpeace
Targets Nuc-industry
Women’s Rights
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Lasting effects of 1960s
 NOW= 50,000
 Gloria Steinem, Ms. magazine
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National Women’s Political Caucus
1971
 Promoted feminist agenda
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Roe v. Wade
Splintered movement
 Radical v. conservative
 Struggle to define movement
Consumer electronics
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Bruce Springsteen (working class)
Bob Dylan (celebrated outlaws)
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Changes
 Increase of working women
 Still in mainly “female” jobs
 Social effects
 Delaying marriage for education
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Changing Patterns
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1969- Police raid Stonewall Inn, NYC –
sparks movement
Loosening Taboos
 Increased co-habitation
 “Coming out” increase
 1970s homosexuality no longer a mental
illness
 Federal ban dropped on employment
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STDs
 AIDS 1981
 New “safe sex” attitude
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Conservative Backlash
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Roe v. Wade
 “right to life” groups
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Homosexuals
 Jerry Farwell, Anita Bryant
 Milk assassination 1978
 Donna Sumner 1980
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Religious Questioning
 “Born-Again” Christians
 Right to life- Catholic movement
 Rise of Evangelicals
 Jerry Fewell, Anita Bryant, Pat Robertson
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Decline of the Family Farm
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Historic “backbone”
Growth of agribusiness
Cultural importance
 Willie Nelson’s “Farm Aid” 1985
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Two worlds of Black America
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1st world
 Significant upward mobility
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 Unmarried
 60% of black births
 Welfare cycle of dependence
 Thanks to civil rights movement
 “Cosby Show”, College
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2nd world
 ½ never finished high school
 Jobless rate 60%, unskilled
 Cocaine, drugs, violence
 LA Bloods v. Crips
 400 killings 1987
 Drug Abuse Act 1970
 Affected society on ALL levels
but biggest impact on inner cities
Women
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Affirmative Action
 Buildings, education
 Bakke V. U.S. 1978
 Overthrew Affirmative Action
in California with Medical
School
 Affected by conservative
backlash
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Native Americans
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Shaped by 1960s
Brighter prospects
 AIM occupied Alcatraz Island,
Trading Post at Wounded Knee
 Indian Self-determination Act of
1974
 Fed programs for reservations
 Gave natives control over internal
programs, education, and law
enforcement
 Business Ventures successful
 Culture
 “Little Big Horn” 1970
 “Dances with Wolves” 1990
 Improvement on stereotypes of
the 1950s
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Immigration
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Western Hemisphere 45%
Asia 30%
 Thanks to Eisenhower
suspending National Origin Act
of 1924
 Immigration Act of 1965 ended
ethnic quotas
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Gerald Ford 1974-1976
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August 9, 1974
 Former congressman, VP
 Conveyed likeable decency
 “the caretaker” President
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Problems
 Pardoned Nixon
 Lost public’s good will
 Lots of conservative vetoes on
environment, social welfare
 Overrode by a democratic
congress
 Had CIA investigated for
engineering foreign
assassinations
 Headed by George H.W. Bush
 Economic
 1973 oil – OPEC
 Oil embargo
 Soaring costs
 “Whip Inflation Now”
 Fed raised interest rates
 Curbing energy use
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National Morale
 S. Vietnam fell April 1975
 Evacuations of US embassy
 Marked low point of American
prestige overseas
 Cambodia 1975
 US- supported government fell to
Khmer Rouge
 Genocide killed over 1 million
 Ford ordered attack
 Saved 39, 41 U.S. servicemen died
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Election of 1976
 Carter vs. Reagan
Actor, ex. Governor of Cali
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 Environment
 Alaska Lands Act
 Major victory for environmental
movement
 100 million acres for parks, etc.
 Niagara Falls 1978
 Love Canal Disaster
1977-1980
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The “outsider”
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Peanut farmer from GA
Won because of lack of connection to D.C.
Democratic Nominee
 Both liberal and conservative
 Best at focusing on specific problems
No clear political philosophy
 Domestic Policy
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 Congress ignored Carter’s attempts at
Civil Service reform, national health care
or welfare reform
 Stopped recession with tax cut
 Unemployment drops to 5%
 Sensed nation’s lack of sympathy for
government programs
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Foreign
 Attention to human rights
 Latin America
 Treaty to transfer Panama canal back to
Panama in 2000
 Camp David Accords 1978
 Peace settlement b/w Egypt and Israel
 Cold War
 Continued Détente
 SALT Treaty II
 Delayed, Soviets invade Afghanistan
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Troubles and Frustrations
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2nd oil crisis 1979
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OPEC boosted prices
$1 a gallon
Inflation prices increased
FED raised interest rates
 “stagflation”
 Drew attention to Conservation
 Created Dept. of Energy 1977
 Called for higher oil and gas taxes,
tax credit for conservation,
research
 Watered down version passed
1978
 Approval Ratings
 Down to 26% summer of 1979
 Isolated himself
 Blamed Americans on TV!!!!!
 Legacy
 Identified key issues
 Lacked political skills to accomplish
anything
 Known more today for international
conflict and humanitarian work
 Won Nobel Peace Prize in 2002
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1979 Iranian Revolution
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American-backed
government overthrown by
the Ayatollah Khomeini
U.S. admits former Shah of
Iran into U.S. for cancer
treatment
Protests/riots in Iran
 U.S. Embassy seized
 50 hostages
 Lasted 444 days
 Botched rescue attempt
 Sec. of State resigns
 Failure for Carter
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Rise of Conservatism
Started with Goldwater in 1964
Loose coalition of political conservatives,
religious fundamentals and political action
committees (PAC)
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Background
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Appeal
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Movie/ T.V. star , handsome
Master of Media
 Are you better off now than 4 years ago”
 Used “misery index”
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Solution to “Stagflation” a tax cut
Tributes to private enterprise
Called for military strength, patriotism
Embraced “New Right”
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Clear cut traditional and moral values
“moral majority”
Election
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Issue
 Taxpayer’s revolt, moral revival, reverse
discrimination
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Reagan 51%, Carter 41%
Reagan won 91% of electoral votes
 Pop increase in Conservative states
 Republicans gained control of senate
 Only black voters democratic
Day of Inauguration
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Iranian hostages released
Assassination attempt made him
more popular
Reaganomics
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Economic program
 Belief in US capitalism
 No heavy taxes and government
regulation
 Believed tax cuts would fuel spending
 1st budget cut proposed 50%
 1981 5%
 1982, 1983 20%
 Government programs cut
 Food stamps, student loans, mass
transportation
 Compared to FDR’s 1st 100 days
 Not b/c of programs but how
quickly government shifted gears
 Drastic cutbacks in business regulation
 Restrictions eased
 To help auto industry regulations on
emissions and auto safety reduced
 Banking, transportation, and
communication
 Fed increased interest rates
 Added with drop in oil prices = a
decrease in inflation
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Recession
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High interest rates
1982 unemployment 10%
 Worst since 1930s
 As “reaganomics” took hold, economy
improved
 Inner-cities suffered
 Falling exports, dollar rose
 US trade deficit tripled
 Because of tax cuts and less returns
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Individual heartland hurt
 Slumping exports
 Foreign competition
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Problems
 1982 Democrats gain 57 seats
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Boom Times
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Stock-market upturn
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Like 1920s, wall street “celebrities”
Corruption, market crash 1987
Great Bull Market
1983 rebound
 Downside
 Economic gap persisted, widened
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Confronting the “Evil Empire”
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Military build-up
 Defense budget
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1981- $171 billion
1985- $300 billion
Tensions
 Korean plane shot down by Russians
Sept. 1983
 Killed 269 people
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Anti-communist administrations
 El Salvador
 Backed Salvadoran military junta against
Castro
 Sent $5 million to government
 Nicaragua
 Carter gave money to Sandinista
revolution 1979
 Reagan reversed policy
 1982 financed Contras
 Opposed by Congress
 Obsession with Latin America
 Grenada
 1983 coup installed left government
 2,000 marines sent in 1983
 Set up pro-US government
 Success
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Goals
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Slow the spread of Islamic
fundamentalism
 US support of Saddam Hussein against
Iran
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Iraq/ Iran War
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U.S. supported Iraq
Israel
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Deep US bond, emotional
Unable to achieve peace because of
conflicting pressures
 Israel invaded Lebanon to stop PLO in
1982
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Lebanon
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PLO
Problems
 Extremists shots Israeli Ambassador
 Israel invades Lebanon
 Reagan sends peacekeepers 1982
 Suicide bombing of barracks 1983
 Killed 239 Marines
 Withdraws troops 1984
 Reagan ineffective in Middle East
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Reagan’s Critics
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Runaway military spending
Democrat challenge
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 “Star Wars” project
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 Gary Hart, Jesse Jackson
Strategic Defense Initiative
 Jackson first African- American to
make a strong run, “rainbow
coalition”
Cold war belligerence
Massive budget deficits
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 Cuts in social programs
 Assault of government regulatory
spending
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Attacked big government
Tough on USSR
Solid achievements
 Booming economy
 Ended inflation
 Personal popularity
 Nominated Sandra Day O’Connor
1981
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Fulfilled 1980 promises
Nominee
 Walter Mondale
 Former Vice President
 Won backing from labor unions,
party bigwigs, various interest
groups
 VP NY congresswoman Geraldine
Ferraro (1st female VP nominee)
Supporters
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Hopefuls
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Election Results
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Reagan/Bush 59%
Democrats
 Retain Congress
 Try to reorganize
 Clinton, Gore, Lieberman
 Formed Democratic Leadership
Conference
 More centrist party position
 Wanted to reverse image as “big
government” and “tax-and-spend”
party
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Budget Deficits and Trade
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Legislative achievements
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Iran-Contra Affair
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 Arose from efforts to control
 Immigration reform and
events in L.A.
control act of 1986
 Tax-reform law
 1986 Beirut Newspaper
reported that US gave Iran
missiles in 1985
 Claimed it was to encourage
moderates and gain release
of hostages
 Eliminated deductions
 Established uniform rates
 Removed 6 million lowincome from tax rolls
 Lt. Col. Oliver North
 Reshaped Supreme Court
 Took money for Nicaraguan
Contras
 Destroyed evidence
 Aid forbidden by Congress
 Reagan denied knowledge
 conservative
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Sky-high federal deficit
 Tax cuts + increase in
military spending = DEBT
 Debt tripled during Reagan
years
 Increased trade gap
 Tax cuts increased
consumption, especially of
foreign goods!!
Worst scandal
 1987 Senate Investigations on
T.V.
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Other scandals
 Bribery, government
influence
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Warming of US-Soviet Relations
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1985
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Tensions in the Middle East
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 New Soviet leader
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 Revived stalled arms-control policies
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1987 signed Intermediate-range
Nuclear Forces Treaty
 Removed 2500 missiles from Europe
 Also pulled troops from Afghanistan
1988
 Eliminated class of weapons
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 1987 Palestinians in Gaza and West
Bank rise up
 Sec. of State George Shultz
Mikhail Gorbachev
 Revived arms-control talks
 Glasnost-openness to end political
repression
 Perestroika- restructuring of Soviet
Economy
Meetings in Switzerland 1985,
Iceland 1986
Moscow 1988
 Historic visit
 Made some Reagan supporters upset
 Marked beginning of the End
Situation dire
 Tried to start talks = failed
 Plan for Palestinian autonomy
 PLO rejects and wanted full
statehood
 Israel built more settlements
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Violence
 Rise of terrorists
 Freedom Fighters
 1985 bombing of Vienna and Rome
 TWA flight held hostage, ships
hijacked
 Reagan blames Libya
 Muammar Quadaffi
 U.S. bombs Libya
 Pan Am Flight 103
 259 killed
 Libyans charged
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Restored stability and continuity in
US politics
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Domestically
 Inflation tamed
 Economy up after 1983
 Deficit soared
 Ignored social issues
 Challenger Explosion 1986
 Sally Ride- 1st woman astronaut
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Internationally
 Restored national pride
 Aggressive anti-communist policy
 Shadow of world terrorism
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Supporters
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Wanted a third term!
Critics
 Deficit soared
 Ignored social issues, environmental
concerns, and long-term economic
issues