Download 1980-1990 Overview

Politics, World Events, Culture, & Sports
US Politics
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Presidential Election of 1980
Jimmy Carter v. Ronald Reagan
Reagan ran a campaign focused on lowering
taxes to stimulate the economy, less government
interference, state’s rights, and stronger national
defense.
Reagan won the 1980 election 489 electoral votes
to Carter’s 49
Reagan was 69 years old when he took office
In his inaugural address he said, “In this present
crisis, government is not the solution to our
problem; government is the problem.
Assassination Attempt
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69 days into Reagan’s first term there was
an assassination attempt by John Hinckley
outside the Washington Hilton Hotel and
Reagan, his press secretary and a
Washington police officer were all shot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6CNRl
QG0mg
Reagan was close to death but was
stabilized at the hospital and had surgery.
He was released 12 days later
His approval ratings went up to 73%
His assassin was charged not guilty by
reason of insanity
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1Jid5u
RFo4
Reaganomics
Unemployment rate went from 7.5%
down to 5.4%
 GDP growth of almost 8%
 Inflation was 12.5 when Reagan took
office and when he left it was 4.4%
 He supported a free-market system
 Cut taxes to help stimulate the economy”trickle down” theory
 He froze min. wage, cut govt. assistance
programs, and cut rent subsidies in half.
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Reagan cont.
Built up US armed forces
 Appointed the first female Supreme
Court justice
 Cold War-predicted Communism
would collapse
 Korean Air Lines Flight 007
 Reagan Doctrine
 Strategic Defense Initiative
 Election of 1984 v. Walter Mondale
 Reagan won 49 of the 50 states
 Immigration-Immigration Reform
and Control Act
 War on Drugs
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George H.W. Bush
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Election of 1988
George H.W. Bush v.
Michael Dukakis
Bush won 426 to 111
Berlin Wall and collapse of Soviet Union
Debt problem
Panama
(we’ll talk more about
him in the next section)
Foreign Affairs
Lebanese Civil War 1983
 Operation Urgent Fury (Grenada) 1983
 Challenger Explosion
 Libya bombing
 Iran-Contra affair
 Berlin Wall torn down 1989-end of Cold
War
 Panama
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Technology
Arcade games and video
games growing in popularity
 Nintendo
 Personal computers-Windows
 Walkman and Boomboxes
 VHS
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Entertainment
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80s film
 E.T., The Breakfast Club, Dirty Dancing,
Footloose, The Terminator, Rambo, Top
Gun
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TV
 Cable tv became much more popular
 Talk shows gained popularity (The
Tonight Show)
 Cosby Show, The Facts of Life, Star
Trek, Saved by the Bell, The Simpsons
Music
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MTV launched and music videos took off
Popular Artists of the 80s
 Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Prince, Madonna,
Queen, Guns N’Roses, AC/DC
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Rock and Heavy Metal Popular
Techno dance music took off
Hip Hop emerged
 Run DMC, LL Cool J, The Fresh Prince, Beastie Boys,
Public Enemy etc.
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Musical Deaths
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John Lennon assassinated in 1980
Marvin Gaye shot
Bon Scott (AC/DC) alcohol poisoning
Bob Marley from Melanoma
Fashion
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Fashion trends
 teased hair, perms, flat
tops, and mullets
 ripped jeans, neon
clothes, shoulder pads,
jumpsuits, jean jackets,
leg warmers, off the
shoulder shirts etc.
 Headbands, Aviators, slap
bracelets
Sports
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1984 Olympics in L.A. were
boycotted by the Soviet Union
Michael Jordan enters the NBA
scene
Mike Tyson became the
youngest boxing heavyweight
champion at 20
San Francisco 49s won the
Super Bowl 4 times in the 80s
led by Joe Montana
Pete Rose breaks record for
most career hits in MLB but in
1989 is banned from baseball for
gambling
Magic Johnson and Larry Bird
Other Events
Mt. St. Helen’s erupted killing 57 people
 Earthquake struck San Francisco Bay
during the World Series 65 killed
 Titanic was discovered on the bottom of
the North Atlantic floor
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