Ch 39 – The Resurgence of Conservatism

Essential Questions:•What were the reasons for the

resurgence of conservative values?•What were the major goals of the

New Right?•What was the New Coalition?•What was the Reagan

Revolution?

Goals of the Conservative Movement

• Shrink the size of the Federal Government and reduce spending• Promote family values and patriotic

ideas• Stimulate business by reducing

government regulations and lowering taxes• Strengthen the national defense

Sunbelt & Suburban Conservatism• Americans in the sunbelt opposed high taxes and

regulations• Westerners resented regulations• Middle class voters supported tax cuts

The New Right •Pro- Life• School Prayer•Anti-Affirmative

Action/Reverse Discrimination•Blocked the ERA•Personal Responsibility

The Conservative Coalition• An Alliance of:–Business Leaders–Middle class voters–Disaffected Democrats–Fundamentalist Christian

Groups/Evangelical Christians

Ronald Reagan• Pres. Screen Actors Guild/

Friendly Witness (HUAC)• Elected CA Governor 1966• Election of 1980 elected Pres• Attempted Assassination 1981• Re-Elected in 1984

Reagan Road the White House• Pres. Screen Actors Guild/ Friendly

Witness (HUAC)• Movie Actor 1940’s• MC for the opening of Disney land

1955• Elected CA Governor 1966• Election of 1980 elected Pres• Attempted Assassination 1981

Reaganomics- Supply side Economics

Essential Questions• What was Reaganomics?• What changes occurred on the

Supreme Court?• What were the results of

deregulation in the Savings and Loan industry?• Who supported Conservatives

Reagan and Bush in the 1984 and 1988 elections?

Reaganomics Takes Over• Reagan wanted to reduce the size and influence of

the Federal Government• Deep Cuts in Social Programs – Urban Mass

Transit, Food Stamps, welfare benefits, job-training, Medicaid, school lunches and student loans.

• Supply-side economics – Tax cuts by 25 %, money saved would be reinvested to improve business and productivity, lowering price.

• Increased Defense Spending – MX Missile, B-1 Bomber, and SDI (Strategic Defense Initiative)

Recession, Recovery, and the National Debt

• Severe Recession – July 1981- Nov. 1982• Tax Cuts and the 1983 Consumer Spending

Spree sparked the economy• Stocks surged, unemployment declined, and

GNP went up 10%. • ( Stocks crash 1987 then rebounded)• Federal Spending still exceeded Federal

revenue due to the tax cuts. By 1984 the National Debt almost doubled.

Deregulating the Economy• Deregulation – The cutting back of

Federal regulation of industry. • ( Increased competition and resulted in

lower prices for consumers) Savings and Loan Scandal• Budget Cuts for the EPA resulted in more

mining, logging of forests and more oil and gas drilling. Environmental risk?

Conservative Coalition 1984/88• Businesspeople – wanted a deregulated

econ.• Southerners – Welcomed limits of

Federal Power + Fundamentalist Christian Groups• Westerners – resented federal controls

on mining and grazing• Reagan Democrats- agreed with limited

gov. and felt the Democratic party had drifted too far left.

Conservative Supreme Court• Sandra Day O’Connor, Antonin Scalia, Anthony M.

Kennedy, Clarence Thomas, and a new Chief Justice William Rehnquist

Reagan Renews the Cold War

Essential Questions:• What changed in the Communist world

that ended the Cold War?• What did the US do to influence Central

American and Caribbean affairs?• What was the Iran-Contra Scandal?• How and Why was the US involved in

the Persian Gulf War?

The Cold War Ends• March 1985 – Mikhail

Gorbachev became General Secretary of the USSR

• Glasnost – “Openness”– Criticism of the USSR– Freedom of the Press– Perestrokia –

Restructuring of The Soviet Economy

Relations with the US• Summits with President Reagan• INF Treaty –Intermediate-Range Nuclear

Forces Treaty)• Eliminated two classes of weapon and

allowed on site inspections

Troubles Abroad - Peace through Strength• Reagan Doctrine- The US should support

guerrilla groups who were fighting to overthrow Communist governments. (1.5 trillon dollars in Military Build-up)

• Libya• Afghanistan• Nicaragua• Grenada

Nicaragua• US Marines left in 1933, but left a dictator

Anastasio Somoza in power• Between 1977-79 The Sandinistas take

control• Reagan viewed the Sandinistas as a

communist threat• The US supported the Contras with CIA

training and weapons• The Boland Amendment banned aid to the

Contras for two years

Grenada• In 1983 Reagan sent in 2,000 US Marines

to overthrow a Pro-Cuban government and rescue US citizens• 18 US solders were killed

Round 2 for Reagan Election of 1984• Reagan (R) vs. Walter Mondale (D) VP

under Carter• Landslide for Reagan• Geraldine Ferraro of NY Mondale’s VP

candidate was the first women on a major party’s Presidential ticket.

Iran-Contra Scandal• In 1985 seven Americans were taken hostage

in Lebanon by Pro- Iranian group• President Reagan approved the sale of arms

to Iran in exchange for the hostages release• National Security Council Aid Colonel Oliver

North had diverted millions in profits from the arms sale to the Anti- communist Contras fighting in Nicaragua

•Oliver North – American Dad to explain the Iran Contra Scandal

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbLD2JyFAlE

The Moral Majority• Televangelist Preachers

Life in the Eighties• Yuppies• Wall-Mart• Cable TV• Sony Walkman, Heavy Metal, Rap• CD• VCR• Pong, Pac-Man, Space Invaders

Life in the 1980’s – Social Concerns

• AIDS• Drug Abuse• Abortion• Education

Essential Questions:• What were the national concerns

about education, drug use, health issues and urban problems?• What political, economic, and social

gains were achieved by women?• How did conservative policies affect

minority groups?

Health Issues 1980’s• AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency

Syndrome)• Abortion – Roe v Wade 1973–Pro-life–Pro-choice–Webster v Reproductive Health Care

Services(States had the right to impose restrictions on abortion.)

Drug Abuse• War on Drugs• Nancy Reagan’s anti- drug campaign

“Just Say no!” to drugs“This is your brain on drugs.”

Education 1980’s• A Federal Commission issued a

report in 1983 called A Nation at Risk• 23 million Americans could fill out

a job application or follow an instruction manual• School Vouchers were introduced

“America 2000”

Urban Crisis• Flight to the suburbs hurt the inner city• High Unemployment• Homelessness• Crumbling Infrastructure• Lack of health services• Deteriorating Schools• Drugs (Crack)• Gangs (Crips & Bloods)

LA Riots 1992• Rodney King was beaten by four white police

officers after a car chase• Officers were found not guilty• South Central rioted for five days, 53 killed

Equal Rights 1980’s• ERA failed ratification in 1982• 47 women were elected to the HOR in 1992• 6 women in the US Senate• 2 women in Reagan’s cabinet• Pay Equality was fought for by women’s

organizations

Fight for Rights• African American Mayors of many big cities– (Ex. Philadelphia –Mayor Wilson Goode)–1992 L. Douglas Wilder became the Governor of

VA– Jesse Jackson ran for President in 1984 and 1988

Gains for Latinos• 1988 Lauro Cavazos was appointed Sec.

of Ed.• 1990 Dr. Antonia Coello Novello was

appointed Surgeon General

Native Americans Speak Out• Aid was slashed to Native Americans for

health, education and other services• Native American campaigned for gambling

casinos as a source of revenue

Asian American Population• They were the second fastest growing

minority population in the US• By 1992 the Asian American Population

was 8.3 million.

Advances in Gay Rights• In the 1980’s gay rights groups fought for civil

rights• Direct Action groups called for an end to anti-

gay discrimination.• By 1993, 7 states and 110 communities

outlawed anti-gay discrimination

Election of 1988• George HW Bush (R) vs. Michael Dukakis ( D)• Moral Majority, comfortable economy, no

reason to change.• Bush “Read my Lips: no new Taxes!”

Collapse of Communisim• Nov. 9th , 1989 East Germany opened the

Berlin Wall• Oct., 1990 Germany united• Czechoslovakia divided, Latvia, Estonia, and

Lithuania became independent• Hungary, Bulgaria, and Romania transitioned

from communism• Yugoslavia collapsed, igniting a brutal war

among Muslims, Orthodox Serbs, and Catholic Croats

Decline of the USSR• In Dec. 1991 14 republics declared

independence from the USSR• Gorbachev lost power , the USSR ended• CIS (Common Wealth of Independent States)

was established• Boris Yeltsin new leader of Russia, START II

signed

Tiananmen Square• Student in China demanded freedom of

speech and a voice in gov.• April 1989, Students held marches in Beijing

and other cities• The PLA under the order of Li Peng crushed

the protestors

Panama• In 1989 Pres. Bush sent 20,000 soilders to

overthrow and arrest General Manuel Noriega on charges of international drug-trafficking

The Persian Gulf War• On Aug. 2nd, 1990 Iraq led by Saddam Hussein

invaded the oil rich nation of Kuwait• Saddam then looked to Saudi Arabia• Pres. Bush organized an international coalition and

with the support of the UN and Congress launched Operation Desert Storm

• On Jan 16th, 1991 the air war began, in February the ground war began

• Kuwait was liberated, Iraq was weakened• Less than 400 American casualties, but Gulf War

Syndrome?

Domestic Challenges for HW Bush #41

• The Economy Slows- Cold war ended, and some companies downsized

• Gridlock in Government – capital gains tax was perceived to help the rich and was defeated by Congress

• “It’s the economy stupid…” James Carville 1992. ( Aid to Bill Clinton)