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20 th Century U.S. History Since World War II. Unit 8 – Carter Administration (1977-1981). Jimmy Carter (1977-1981). The Unknown Candidate. Carter played on public distrust of professional politicians He managed to get elected by portraying himself as an outsider - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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20th Century U.S. History Since World War II
Unit 8 – Carter Administration (1977-1981)
Jimmy Carter (1977-1981)
The Unknown Candidate Carter played on public distrust of professional
politicians He managed to get elected by portraying himself as
an outsider He had no discernible political philosophy
He brought an end to many White House traditions: Discontinued the use of “Hail to the Chief” Ended all state dinners and balls Sold the presidential yacht Reduced the limousine service Reduced the number of staff working in the White
House
The Unknown Candidate Over the course of his administration, his
outsider status hampered his effectiveness He was unable to work with Congress This is even considering that both houses had
Democrat majorities Many of his bills that did pass did not look like the
original versions When Carter took office, the country was
stuck in an economic stagnation coupled with massive inflation Was known as “stagflation”
“Stagflation” This was exacerbated by
A growing national debt Federal deficit that would continue throughout his
administration Rising inflation
In January 1977, inflation was at 5.22% By January 1978, it was at 6.84% By January 1979, 9.28% By January 1980, it was at 13.91%
U.S. productivity was at an all time low Growth was only reaching an annual rate of 1% This is compared to 3.2% during the 1960s
“Stagflation” One of the hardest hit areas was the automotive
industry This was to be coupled by rising gas prices and the
Japanese creation of small, energy efficient cars The northeast “rust belt” was plagued with factories
shutting down Chrysler shut down 13 plants and terminated 31,000
Carter also asked the Federal Reserve Board to increase interest rates to curb inflation By December 1980, prime rate hit 21.5%
The federal deficit grew to an all-time high of $66 billion
“Stagflation” Congress did pass two bills in 1977 to boost
the economy Public Works Employment Bill provided $4 billion
in funding for public works projects Estimated to create 300,000 jobs
Economic Stimulus Appropriations Bill $20 billion in general revenue sharing funds
Humphrey-Hawkins Act (1978) Called for unemployment of no more than 4% Growth of production Inflation rates no higher than 4% Balance of trade and budget
Paul Volcker Chairman of the
Federal Reserve (1979-1987)
Carter’s Energy Policy During the course of his administration
skyrocketing energy prices was a main concern By 1977, Americans were consuming more energy
than every before Carter warned the country that the energy crisis was
“a clear and present danger to our nation” Energy industry lobbied for increasing the supply
Would include deregulation of the price of natural gas and oil
Instead Carter wanted greater conservation of energy In 1977, created the U.S. Department of Energy
Purpose was to help the country conserve energy Due to a severe winter in 1977, there was a
shortage of natural gas
Carter’s Energy Policy Another main concern was oil
Between 1973 and 1977, oil went from $6 to $12 a barrel U.S. dependency on foreign oil when from 35% to 50% This led to greater inflation and negatively affected
economic growth In April 1977, Carter introduced the National Energy
Program 113 provisions Included “gas guzzler” taxes Set up efficiency standards for buildings and appliances Solar tax credits were given for alternative forms of
energy Required federal facilities to turn down thermostats
Carter’s Energy Policy National Energy Act of 1978
Very different from the original bill Carter wanted Stressed deregulation of the oil industry Did not include Carter’s plan to push conservation
through taxation Designed to encourage conservation of energy Promoted development of alternative forms of
energy Carter’s personal actions
Placed solar panels on the roof of the White House Put a wood stove in his living quarters
Carter’s Energy Policy 1979 Oil Crisis
Occurred because of the Iranian Revolution Iran reduced the amount of oil produced from 6 million
barrels a day to 1.5 million OPEC responded by increasing the price of oil
In April 1979, it was $15.85 a barrel In April 1980, it was $39.50 a barrel
Gas rationing (“odd-even”) went into effect in many states
Carter responded by deregulating oil production With the oil crisis, there was a push for alternative
sources of energy One that showed the most promise was nuclear energy However, many criticized the safety of using such
energy
Line at a Maryland gas station (June 15, 1979)
Three Mile Island Three Mile Island Accident (March 28, 1979)
Near meltdown of the nuclear reactor in Unit 2 of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generation Station in Pennsylvania
Radioactive gases, including iodine were released into the atmosphere
Due to large amounts of coolant escaping from the reactor
Mainly due to human error and design flaws Sparked numerous anti-nuclear power protests
throughout the country Ironically, the movie The China Syndrome had
been released 12 days prior to the incident
Carter leaving Three Mile Island (April 1, 1979)
Environmental Policies The environment was another main concern
for both Carter and the American public Over the course of his administration, Carter:
Strengthened the EPA Made clean water and air regulations tougher
Love Canal Neighborhood in Niagara Falls, NY that had been
built upon a chemical waste dump Investigations into the site began in 1976 with a
large rise in miscarriages and birth defects In 1978, Carter called the site a federal health
emergency and called for the federal government to clean up the site
Environmental Policies Valley of Drums
Massive chemical waste dump site near Louisville, KY First caught media attention in 1966 after the site
caught fire In 1979, Carter ordered the EPA to do an emergency
clean up of the site However, discovered the site was in worse shape than
realized Comprehensive Environmental Response
Compensation and Liability Act (1980) Also known as the Superfund Act Set up a $1.6 billion fund to help with the cleanup of
toxic pollution on so-called Superfund Sites
Valley of Drums (c. 1980)
Other Domestic Policies Carter’s other domestic policies included:
Created the Department of Education Pardoning all men who evaded the Vietnam draft Refused to approve development of a neutron bomb
and a B-1 bomber Critics argued that Carter was being “too soft” on
defensive issues Carter was slightly more successful with his
foreign policy Focused on humanitarianism and human rights Wanted to downplay the anticommunist movement Spoke out publically on behalf of political prisoners Reduced foreign aid to most dictatorships
Carter and Omar Torrijos shaking hands after the signing of the Torrijos-Carter Treaty (September 7, 1977)
Carter’s Foreign Policy Torrijos-Carter Treaty (September 7, 1977)
In 1977, he reworked the old 1903 Panama Canal treaty Old treaty gave a perpetual lease to the Canal Zone to
the U.S. New treaty was to Panama complete control on
December 31, 1999 It was ratified by April 18, 1979
Mixed reactions to the treaty Some conservatives believed the U.S. was negotiating
with a hostile government California Governor Ronald Reagan called it
“appeasement” Sen. S.I. Hayakawa said “It’s ours; we stole it fair and
square” Even a motion to declare it “null and void” but failed
Camp David Accords Carter’s biggest success was the Camp David
Accords He wanted to bring about Middle East peace
Overtures had already been made to Israel by Egyptian president Anwar Sadat He visited Jerusalem in November 1977 Sadat was already frustrated with the Geneva track peace
process and had been looking towards peace with Israel Meeting between Carter, Sadat, and Israeli prime
minister Menachem Begin at Camp David Met for 13 days Brokered an unprecedented peace agreement between
Egypt and Israel on March 26, 1979
Camp David Accords Camp David Accords
Israel would return the Sinai peninsula to Egypt Egypt and Israel would begin negotiations of
Palestinian autonomy of the West Bank and Gaza Strip The Israeli Knesset voted to approve of the
Accords Started the Middle East peace talks Still two main problems:
Timetable for Israeli withdrawal from the Sinai Did not occur until 1982
Future of the West Bank and Gaza Strip Would not be rectified until the 1990s
Sadat, Carter, and Begin at Camp David
Relations with China Carter continued the policy of détente with
China In 1978, he sent his National Security Advisor,
Zbigniew Brzezinski, to China Set down the groundwork for diplomatic and trade
agreements between the two countries Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of
Diplomatic Relations (January 1, 1979) Officially recognized the People’s Republic of China
Taiwan Relations Act (April 10, 1979) Authorized relations with the Republic of China
government on Taiwan Agreements made prior to 1979 were still valid
Deng Xiaoping and Jimmy Carter at the signing ceremony of the Joint Communiqué (January 31, 1979)
Relations with the Soviets Carter hoped to continue the policy of détente
with the Soviet Union On the first day in office, he ordered all nuclear
weapons removed from South Korea Many criticized him for weakening the U.S. defenses
in Asia SALT II
Carter began negotiations with Leonid Brezhnev in 1977 to limit the manufacture of nuclear weapons
Final treaty was signed in Vienna in June 1979 Reduced the number of delivery systems Pushed the Soviets to not arm their 3rd generation
ICBMs Was not ratified by the Senate
Carter and Brezhnev signing the SALT II treaty (June 18, 1979)
Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan Until 1973, the government of Afghanistan was a
monarchy under control of Mohammad Zahir Shah Set up a two chamber legislature in 1964 to give some
semblance of a democracy Allowed radical groups to rise up in predominance
This included the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA)
In 1973, Prime Minister Sardar Mohammad Daoud seized control of the government through a military coup Received support because of the hard economic times the
country was going through and corruption of the old regime
However, was unable to bring about the necessary reforms the country needed
Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan On April 27, 1978, the People’s Democratic Party
of Afghanistan (PDPA) instigated a coup d’état A new communist government was set up under Nur
Muhammad Taraki, Secretary General of the PDPA Brought in a series of brutal reforms during its first 18
months Many were tortured, killed, or exiled Many Afghani traditions were abolished, including religious
traditions
The Soviet Union had signed an assistance treaty with the new Afghani government in December 1978
A strong resistance movement grew against the PDPA
Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan In the summer of 1979, revolts broke out in
eastern Afghanistan Started a strong counter-insurgency movement
In September 1979, Hafizullah Amin seized control of the PDPA Plagued by political instability for the next two
months By December, the PDPA was greatly weakened
The Soviets quickly became dissatisfied with the Amin government
Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan On December 24, 1979, Soviet forces landed in
Kabul They overthrew Amin and replaced him with Babrak
Karmal The new government had the support of 120,000
Soviet troops However, it did not have the support of the majority of
the people Counter-Insurgents
Made up as much as 80% of the countryside Most Afghanis were against the new Marxist regime The fought either actively—as mujahideen—or
passively
U.S. Response to the Invasion V.P. Mondale responded to the invasion:
“I cannot understand—it just baffles me—why the Soviets these last few years have behaved as they have. Maybe we have made some mistakes with them. Why did they have to build up all these arms? Why did they have to go into Afghanistan? Why can't they relax just a little bit about Eastern Europe? Why do they try every door to see if it is locked?”
U.S. response Increased U.S. military forces Embargo on trade of wheat and technology to the
Soviets Convinced the U.S. Olympic Committee to ban the 1980
Olympics in Moscow Also convinced the Senate not to ratify the SALT II
agreement
U.S. Response to the Invasion Operation Cyclone
The CIA began to supply the mujahideen with arms Done through Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence In total, the U.S. spent approximately $20 billion in
training and supplies There was additional training of insurgents in Pakistan
Carter Doctrine (January 1980) Carter was fearful that the Soviets were going to
invade Iran Stated that any interference with U.S. oil interests in
the Persian Gulf would be equivalent of an attack on the U.S.
Referred to the crisis as the “moral equivalent of war”
Caravan after an attack by Soviet helicopters
Trouble in Iran Prior to 1979, Iran had been a key ally to the
U.S. in the Middle East Carter even praised the then ruler, Shah
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, as a great and wise leader in the east
Not all Iranians were enamored with the Shah or his ties to the west Growing Islam revival during this time Many were resentful of the U.S.’s role in
reinstating the Shah back in 1953 It was a CIA backed coup d’état that ousted a
democratically elected Prime Minister to restore the Shah
Trouble in Iran Starting in late 1977, demonstrations against
the Shah broke out in Iran Wanted return to traditional Islamic values and
end all ties with the west Also wanted to get rid of the Shah
Rise of Ayatollah Khomeini Iranian Shi’ite religious leader and politician Openly protested the Shah’s westernization of Iran Was forced into exile in 1964 During his exile, he continued to speak out against
the Shah and made calls for clerical rule
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (1900-1989)
Trouble in Iran Throughout 1978, the amount of protests escalated
The country was rapidly destabilizing On September 8, 1978, security forces shot at
protesters in Tehran Anywhere between 88 and several hundred people were
killed In Jaleh Square alone, 64 people were killed including two
women This became known as Black Friday
Another major protest occurred on December 2 2 million people protested in Shahyad Square Demanded removal of the Shah
A week later upwards of 9 million participated in protests Roughly 10% of the population
Black Friday at Jaleh Square (September 8, 1978)
Iranian Revolution On January 16, 1979, the Shah and his wife left
Iran On February 1, Ayatollah Khomeini returned to
Tehran On March 30 and 31, a referendum was held
To decide if the monarchy should be replaced with an “Islam Republic”
98.2% voted in favor The U.S. did try to work out a new relationship
with the new Iranian government On October 22, 1979, the U.S. allowed the Shah to
come to the U.S. to receive medical treatment This was against the wishes of Khomeini and the
current regime
Iran Hostage Crisis On November 4, 1979, students laid siege to
the U.S. embassy in Tehran Took 52 embassy personnel as hostages Six managed to escape by going to the Canadian
embassy The demands:
Return the Shah to Iran for trial Giving the Shah’s wealth to the Iranian people Admission of guilt and apology for the U.S.’s past
actions against Iran A promise that the U.S. would not ever again
interfere in Iranian affairs
Iran Hostage Crisis Executive Order 12170 (November 14, 1979)
Carter froze the assets of the Iranian government in the U.S.
Was approximately $8 billion Was to be used as a bargaining chip
Carter also terminated Iranian oil imports Impact on the U.S.
Surge of U.S. patriotism and anti-Iranian feelings Demonstrations took place throughout the U.S. Even the culture of the time was affected
Beach Boys’ song “Barbara Ann” was parodied as “Bomb, Bomb Iran”
Popular bumper stickers included Mickey Mouse “giving the finger” to Iran
Iran Hostage Crisis Operation Eagle Claw (April 24, 1980)
Failed U.S. military attempt to free the hostages First Delta Force mission Part of it had to do with damage to the helicopters
from sand clouds Mission had to be aborted before it was able to take
the hostages The hostages would remain in Iran for 444 days
Conditions were not terrible for the hostages Worst was being placed in solitary confinement Hostages were allowed to write letters, read, and
communicate with foreign officials However, there was the constant fear of trial and
execution
Iran Hostage Crisis Carter continued negotiations through the
remainder of his administration In 1980, things started to work out for the U.S.
The Shah died in Egypt on July 27 Iraq invaded Iran in September
Algiers Accords (January 19, 1981) U.S. accepted all three of Iran’s demands with the
exception of the apology U.S. would unfreeze $7.9 billion in Iranian assets One key point that was not listed was that the
hostages would not be released until Carter was out of office
Protester in Washington D.C. (November 9, 1979)
U.S. and Latin America In 1979, the U.S. refused aid to Nicaraguan
government against Sandinistas Nicaragua was ruled by dictator Anatasio Somoza
Debayle The Sandinistas were a socialist party This was a change in U.S. policy The Sandinistas took control with the Nicaraguan
Revolution of 1979 Carter also assisted El Salvador against Marxist
rebels However, that regime fell on October 15, 1979 This began a civil war that would plague the country
for 12 years
Election of 1980
1980 Elections Turmoil of the 1960s and economic problems
of 1970s made a conservative turn inevitable Watergate bought Democrats more time
Carter’s troubles High inflation and high unemployment Hostage crisis and Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
made Carter look naïve and helpless Democratic National Convention
Battle between Carter and Edward Kennedy Some even opted for Muskie to be the nominee to
break the stalemate In the end, Carter did win the nomination
Election of 1980 Ronald Reagan easily won the Republican
party nomination He was the attractive candidate Republicans
needed to assure decisive victory Strong conservative
John Bayard Anderson ran as an independent He was technically a Republican but lost the
nomination Pushed for more moderate Republicanism
Carter’s troubles High inflation and high unemployment Hostage crisis and Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
made Carter look naïve and helpless
Election of 1980 Reagan’s platform included:
Increasing the nation’s military Calling for supply-side economics to fix the economy
Includes lowering taxes and reducing regulation Hope was to provide greater number of goods at lower prices
An end to Carter’s “windfall profit tax” on oil companies Regan:
“A recession is when your neighbor loses his job. A depression is when you lose yours. And recovery is when Jimmy Carter loses his.”
“Are you better off now than you were 4 years ago?”
Election of 1980 The debates
The most famous was the second one Carter made the mistake of claiming he consulted with
his 12-year old daughter, Amy, on national policy Reagan used his charisma and rhetoric to win the
debate Shifted the balance in favor of Reagan
Reagan won in a landslide Won all Southern states but Georgia Received 50.7% of the votes and 489 electoral
votes Carter received 41% and 49 Anderson received 6.6%
Republicans also retook the Senate
Election of 1980