Download The Resurgence of Conservatism

The Resurgence
of Conservatism
1980-1996
Late ‘70s Racial Issues
Milliken
School
v. Bradley
busing issue
Bakke
v. University of
California
Reverse
discrimination vs.
affirmative action
1980 Election
By
1980, many
Americans frustrated with
Carter’s mismanagement:
Inflation
High
interest rates
Hostages in Iran
Democrats
ABC
Movement: “Anyone
But Carter”
Ted Kennedy rises to
challenge Carter
Chappaquidick affair
killed his candidacy
Republicans
Ronald
Reagan from
California gets nomination
Ronald Reagan
Former
governor, Bmovie actor, & Screen
Actor’s Guild President
Darling of “right wing” &
neo-conservatives (“new
right”)
Anti- Counterculture,
New Deal & Great Society
Became
the champion of
the “forgotten man”
Spoke out against the
evils of federal
intervention in local
affairs
Reagan
wins with 51% of
popular vote but 489 to
49 in electoral votes
Republicans gain control
st
of Senate for 1 time in
25 years
Inauguration sweetened
by release of hostages
Reagan’s
Domestic Policies
Reagan Revolution
Cabinet
composed on the
“Best & the Rightest”
“Government is the
problem”
smaller gov’t
Less “tax & spend”
Welcomed by Americans
Promoted
Proposition
13 spurred a
tax revolt
Reagan worked with
Senate & “boll weevils”
to cut $35 billion in
federal social programs
Reagan Shot
March
30, 1981: John
Hinckley shot Reagan
12 days later, 69 year old
Reagan walked out of
hospital & received huge
public sympathy
Hinckley found not guilty
by reason of insanity
Reaganomics
“Supply-side
economics”
Reagan cut taxes on the
“trickle down” idea that if
people had more $$$$,
they would invest instead
of spend on consumer
goods
Reagan Tax Cut
1981:
Congress granted
his 25% across-the-board
reduction in taxes over 3
years
Reagan Budget
Gets
Congress to agree
to $695 billion budget
that increased defense
spending, made cuts in
domestic programs, &
created a $38 billion
deficit
Reagan Recession (1982)
Unemployment
hits 11%
Businesses & banks
folded
Auto industry hit hardest
Democrats charge
Reagan cuts hurt poorest
Americans hardest
“Tight
money” policy
under Carter really the
cause
1983: Economy turns
around & “Reaganomics”
vindicated
st
1980s saw 1 increases
in gaps between rich &
poor
YUPPIES
Young
Urban
Professionals
Symbolic of increasing
wealth of upper classes
& pursuit of wealth of
1980s culture
Rolex watches & BMWs
Defense Spending
Many
argue that the real
growth in GNP of the
1980s resulted by the
nearly $2 trillion of
defense spending
Caused budget deficits of
nearly $200 billion a year
in the 1980s
Rising Interest Rates
Government
borrowing
kept interest rates high
Elevated the value of the
US dollar
Helped some but hurt
American exporters
Trade deficit reached
record high in 1987
S & L Bailout
1982:
Reagan pushes
deregulation of savings &
loan industry
Allowed riskier loans
Loans not repaid leaving
heavy debts
1989: Gov’t forced to bail
them out ($500 billion)
Reagan &
The Cold War
“The Evil Empire”
Reagan
condemned
USSR as “the focus of
evil in the modern world”
Believed in negotiating
from a position of
strength
Embarked
on a new arms
race with Soviets to
expand the US military
capabilities
Soviets would be forced
to compete
Our economy could do
this, theirs could not
Star Wars
SDI:
Strategic Defense
Initiative
Space-based
missile
shield & laser defense
system
Viability
of program
limited funds, but an
effective diplomatic tool
Poland 1982: Solidarity
Rising
labor movement
Put down by Soviets &
Polish Communists
Reagan imposes
sanctions on USSR &
Poland
KAL Flight 007
September
1983: Soviets
blow up Korean airliner
killing 269 civilians
By end of 1983, all arms
control negotiations
broken off
1984: Soviets boycott LA
Olympics
Middle East Troubles
Lebanon
1982:
Invaded by Israel
1983: Reagan sent
Marines
October 23, 1983: Suicide
bomber crashed truck into
Marine barracks killing 241
Reagan
withdraws &
suffers no political
damage
Labeled the “Teflon
President”
Libya
1986:
Reagan orders
bombing of Qaddafi HQ
Iran-Iraq
War
Latin America
Nicaragua
Leftist
Sandinistas
controlled country
Reagan begins support of
“contra” rebels against
Sandinistas
Grenada
1983:
Military coup
brought Marxist regime to
power
Reagan sends 6000 troops
to overrun tiny island
End of the Cold War
Mikhail
1985:
Gorbachev
Began instituting
radical reforms
Glasnost: “openness”
allowed freedom of speech
& ended secretiveness of
Soviet bureacracy
“restructuring”
reorganized the Soviet
economy to allow free
market practices
Perestroika:
Required
a shrinking of
Soviet defense budget
1985-87: INF Treaty
Soviets
cease deploying
Intermediate Range Nuclear
Forces in Europe
Iron Curtain Falls
Political
& economic cost
of maintaining Soviet
sphere of influence too
great
1989:
August:
Solidarity prevails
in Poland
October: Hungary
November:
Berlin Wall falls
November: Bulgaria
December: Romania &
Czechoslovakia
President
Bush &
Gorbachev reduce ICBMs
Dec 1991: Soviet Union
falls ending Cold War
1984 Election
Democrats
nominate
Walter Mondale &
Geraldine Ferraro
Republicans renominate
Reagan & Bush
Reagan wins 525 to 13
with 60% of popular vote
Iran-Contra Scandal
1985:
National security &
intelligence operatives
begin selling arms to Iran
to pressure release of
hostages
Money diverted to aid
Nicaraguan “Contras”
despite Congress’s
refusal
Senate
investigation
televised condemning
Reagan’s actions
Oliver North, Admiral
John Poindexter, &
Defense Secretary Caspar
Weinberger all indicted &
convicted
Tarnished
Reagan’s
reputation by making him
seem lazy & a mental
lightweight
Reagan’s Legacy
Despite
scandal,
remained popular
Economically, left US a
debtor nation & made
government social
spending practically &
politically impossible
1988 Election
Democrats
“Seven
Dwarfs” give way
to Michael Dukakis
Republicans
Reagan’s
Bush’s
VP George Bush
promise of “no
new taxes” = victory