Chapters 39 and 40 and 41 Flashcards
Ronald Reagan
Reagan was well suited to lead the crusade of the “New Right” bc he sided with the New Right on social issues, disliked big gov, condemned favoritism for minorities, and seemed to champion the cause of the common man while favoring the wealthy.
He was the 40th president from 1981 to 1989. He ran in 1980 against Jimmy Carter and won, and then ran again in 1984 against Walter Mondale and won.
“New Right”
The conservative “new right” movement was a response to the liberalism of the 1960s.
Evangelical Christian groups such as the Moral Majority (Jerry Falwell) and the Cristian Coalition (Pat Robertson) led the charge
Interest lay in countering social issues such as abortion, pornography homosexuality, feminism, and affirmative action
Reagan was well suited to lead the crusade bc he sided with the New Right on social issues, disliked big gov, condemned favoritism for minorities, and seemed to champion the cause of the common man while favoring the wealthy.
“Reagan Revolution”
THE ELECTION OF 1980 “THE REAGAN REVOLUTION”
Ronald Reagan (R) vs Jimmy Carter (D)
Reagan had been an actor, head of the Screen Writers Guild, and Gov of CA
Carter had been a Senator, then Governor of GA
The ABC movement called for “Anybody But Carter”
Carter only won 49 electoral votes.
Senator Ted Kennedy (MA) was a potential rival for the Democratic nomination but the Chappaquiddick incident (1969) harmed his reputation. It was when he and a female friend were in the car while drunk. He drove into the river and while he got out, she didn’t. This looked really bad on him
John Hinckley, Jr.
March 6, 1981: John Hinckley Jr (who was in love with Jodie Foster and wanted to rule the US but the Reagans were in the way) shot the president, press secretary Jim Brady, and two others as they were leaving a Washington Hotel
Reagan was hit with a .22 bullet in one of his lungs but walked out of the hospital 12 days later.
Hinckley was released from the psychiatric hospital he had been in for 30 years in Sept 2016.
supply-side economics (“Reaganomics”)
REAGANOMICS
Supply-side economics theory: budgetary discipline and tax reduction will stimulate new investment, boost productivity, foster dramatic economic growth, and reduce the federal deficit.
Many conservative Republicans were wary of this plan
George H. W. Bush called Reagan’s plan “voodoo economics” while running against Reagan for the Republican nomination. (he had to change his tune after becoming Reagan’s VP lol)
Components of the plan
Cut tax rates 25% across the board (largest tax cut in history). The idea behind this is them more investment, more jobs, more people paying taxes(but taxes went up in 1982 and 1984)
Cut Social program funding 10% and regulate corporations (reagan wrote in his diary what he was trying to undo LBJ’s Great Society
Spend more on the military (this may account for the upturn in the economy after 1983) (34 million dollars an hour was spent on the military.)
The Reality:
By 1982, the economy slid into the deepest recession since the 1930s
Reagan’s approval rating fell to 35% in Jan 1983
Unemployment was 11% by 1982
The Budget defected reached $200 billion a year
The national debt increased from $900 billion to $2 trillion in the fist five years of Reasons admission
The foreign trade decift increased. The US started borrowing heavily.
Banks and business failed
It clearly failed lol
the Strategic Defense Initiative (“Star Wars”)
The Strategic Defense Initiative (nicknamed “Star Wars”) called for orbiting battle stations in space that could fire laser beams or other forms of energy to vaporize ICBMs on liftoff
Reagan wanted to negotiate with the Soviets but only from the positon of overwhelming strength
SDI emphasized defense rather than offense, many were skeptical about it
The Freeze Movement (1982): 1 million people gathered in Central Park to support the freezing of the development of nuclear weapons
Walter Mondale
THE ELECTION OF 1984
Reagan ran against Walter Mondale (D).
Monalda’s running gate was Geraldine Ferrero (NY Rep and the first women to appear on a national presidential ticket)
Mondale was tainted bc he had been Carter’s VP. He only got 13 electoral votes despite Reagan’s “bombing Russia” gaff on an open mike (instead of saying “testing testing” like a normal guy he said “we’ll begin bombing Russia in 10 minutes” and it went live) and Reagan’s bumbling 1st debate with Mondale where it was like he Didnt know what he was talking about
Mondale said he would negotiate with the Soviets and raise taxes to fight the deceit
Age was an issue in the campaign. Reagan was 73. Reagan during the 2nd debate with Mondale: “Im not going to make age an issue… I will not exploit my opponent’s youth and inexperience”
Reagan won, thanks to an improving economy in 1983
Mikhail Gorbachev
REAGAN AND GORBACHEV
The two leaders met at the Geneva (1985), Reykjavik (1986), Washington DC (1987) and Moscow (1988) summits
General Sec. Milhail Forbachew (1985) introduced the policy of Glasnost (openness) and Perestokia (restructuring) to make the Socier economy open to free-market practices. Both of these necessitated bringing an end to the cold war
The INF Treaty (1987) banned all intermediate-range nuclear missiles from Europe
Reagsn goal was “zero option” disarmament (no nuclear missiles)
The end to the cold war was in sight
Gorbachev resigned in late 1991 (hard-liners had tried to oust him in a coup)
Glasnost
russian word for openness
Perestroika
russian word for restructuring
INF Treaty
The INF Treaty (1987) banned all intermediate-range nuclear missiles from Europe
Iran-Contra Affair
Congress refused to send direct aid to the Contras in Nicargaua.
In 1895, despite Iran being under an arms embargo, American diplomats secretly arranged arms sales to the Iranians in return for Iranian help in freeing American hostages in Beirut, Lebanon.
Money from the arms sales was diverted to the Contras in Nicaragua.
When the news broke, Reagan initially claimed that he was innocent. Months, later he went live and said that he lied.
All of those indicted were either pardoned or had their guilty verdicts reserved on appeal
The communists were ultimately toppled from power in free elections
Immigration Reform & Control Act (1986)
The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 required employers to attest to their employee’s immigration status, made it illegal to hire or recruit illegal immigrants knowingly, legalized certain seasonal agricultural workers, legalize illegal immigrants who entered the US before Jan 1, 1982, and had resided here continuously (with the penalty of a fine, back taxes due, and admission of guilt)
In practice, the IRCA had very little effect on decreasing the number of illegal immigrants
Sandra Day O’Connor
Reagan put the first woman on the Supreme Court, Sandra Day O’Conner.
Reagan Doctrine
The Reagan Doctrine: combat the influence of the USSR
George H.W. Bush
George H. W. Bush called Reagan’s plan “voodoo economics” while running against Reagan for the Republican nomination. (he had to change his tune after becoming Reagan’s VP lol)
He was the 41st pres from 1989 to 1993)
START
Bush and Gorbachev signed the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) accord in 1991
START II
Bush and Yeltsin signed START II in 1993, committing both powers to reducing their long-range nuclear arsenals (MIRVs banned on ICBMS)
“Operation Desert Storm”
“Operation Desert Storm”- 37 days of bombing, followed by 4 days of fighting. General Norman Schwarzkopf led the Allied forces (US, France, British)
Americans w/Disabilities Act (1990)
H. W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990. This prohibits discrimination against people with physical or mental disabilities.
Bill Clinton
THE ELECTION OF 1992
George Rush (R) vs Bill Clinton (D) and H.Ross Perot (Reform Party)
Clinton won with only 43% of the popular vote but Democrats had a clear majority in Congress
Clinton was charming but unprepared for the presidency. Meetings were endless, as he wanted to be part of every discussion. Many hated the Clintons- people found Hillary “icy”
The media focused on potential abuses of power: like “Travelgate” (firing of Bush-era members of the travel office) and also “Hairgate” (2 of LAX’s 4 runways shut down so Clinton could
get a $200 haircut)
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A FALSE START FOR REFORM
Clinton focused on being fiscally conservative and rescuing the budget rather than reducing taxes and helping the middle class (his campaign promises)
Clinton’s quest to fix the economy was derailed by the issue of homosexuals the military. He address this with the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” compromise (don’t ask about sexuality, and don’t tell about it) (began in 1993 and ended in 2011)
Clinton’s attempt to reform healthcare in 1994 turned into a fiasco.
Hillary (head of the task force) was doused with abuse. Insurance companies fought back against “big govt” which Americans had been trained to find suspects during the Reagan-Bush eras. The bill died before it came up for vote.
Clinton nominated Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the Supreme Court in 1993.
Clinton pleaded to defend affirmative action, fight big tobacco, and support gun control
Ross Perot
H. Ross Perot (Reform Party) harped on the problem of the federal deficit and won no electoral college votes. He ran in 1992 and 1996.
“It’s the economy, stupid”
“It’s the economy, stupid” is Clinton’s campaign slogan
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”
Clinton’s quest to fix the economy was derailed by the issue of homosexuals the military. He addressed this with the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” compromise (don’t ask about sexuality, and dont tell about it)
(began in 1993 and ended in 2011)
Clinton’s attempt to reform healthcare in 1994 turned into a fiasco.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed
Bombing of the NY World Trade Center (1993): 6 killed, over 1k injured.
This was funded by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (held at Gitmo). 6 people were convicted of carrying out the bombing
He is also considered the principal architect of the 9/11 attacks.
Ruby Ridge standoff
Ruby Ridge (1992): White supremacist Randy Weaver and his family fought the FBI in a siege in northern Idaho over Weaver’s weapons violations (secret cache suspected) and connections to the Aryan Nation
Weaver’s wife and young son were killed in the standoff. He surrendered and spent 18 months in jail. The family was awarded over 3 million dollars in damages (remember this guy as hes connected to other terrorists)
Waco standoff
The Branch Davidians (David Koresh); Waco, TX standoff (1993)
Radical offshoot of the Seventh Day Adventists (from the Second Great Awakening) The ATF tried to raid the ranch bc the group was suspected of weapons violations. Four agents were killed and the FBI held the compound under siege for 51 days.
An incendiary device (set off by the church members) started the fire that killed Koresh, 54 adults, and 21 children
Reminiscent of Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple, Guyana (1978)- Congressman Leo Ryan and 4 others were killed. Johnes had his followers drink cyanide-laced fruit punch
