Transcript Reagan/Bush Years

The Bush Years
Does George Bush continue the “Reagan Revolution”?
1988 Election
1988: Election between VP George Bush and Massachusetts
Gov. Michael Dukakis
Critics say Bush to “weak” to follow in Reagan’s footsteps
Dukakis argues Reagan ran up debt, Bush has no plan
Bush promises a kinder, gentler nation and a no new tax pledge
• Bush goes on the attack in
campaign commercials
• Makes Dukakis seem weak on
defense and crime
http://www.livingroomcandidate.or
g/commercials/1988
Q: What negatives are said about
Dukakis in each commercial?
The Bush Presidency
Nov 1988: Bush easily wins the election
1991: Soviet Union collapses, becomes Russia and 14
independent republics
Bush/Russian president Boris Yeltsin declare end to Cold War
Bush & Yeltsin sign START, which will reduce nuclear weapons
by 2/3 – Bush improves relations w/ other E. European nations
Panama
•Panama’s president Manuel
Noriega of drug trafficking
•Bush sends army into Panama
to capture Noriega
The Persian Gulf War
•1990: Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein
invades Kuwait
•1991: Bush puts together a multi-nation
UN coalition and launches “Desert Storm”
•Gen Schwarzkopf & allies win decisive
victory of Saddam
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2.
3.
Map page 854
What major targets do Iraqi missles hits?
From what country did the UN coalition invade Iraq & Kuwait?
Where were US naval forces located?
•Despite winning the war, years of deficit spending were hurting
economy, less defense jobs due to end of Cold War
•Bush must raise taxes to pay off debt – costs him 1992 election