The Resurgence of Conservatism

Election of 1980

• Ronald Reagan chosen by Republicans to face Carter

• Reagan attacked Carter’s failings

• Reagan called on the Moral Majority and “neoconservatives” to speak out

• Reagan won in a landslide

Moral Majority

• Started by evangelical Christian leaders• Sparked the conservative movement of

the 1980’s• The answer to the liberal movement of

the 1960’s• Sought to take back America (think 20th

century Great Awakening)

Reagan and Conservatism

• Reagan began to cut spending on social program, but not defense

• Many New Deal and Great Society programs were cut

• Employed “supply side economics” which lowered taxes in hopes of increasing jobs

Yuppies

• Young Urban Professionals

• The gap between the “haves” and “have nots” widened in the 1980’s

Reagan and the Cold War

• Reagan took on the Soviet Union in an arms race

• Plan was to force the Soviets into spending themselves into bankruptcy

• Proposed the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) which would use lasers to shoot down Soviet Missiles

Political Quiz-Right or Left?

• http://www.isidewith.com/political-quiz

• Once you are done, summarize your results (political parties and ideology on back of paper)

• List 5 interesting facts for the Left and the Right

• Then check off the table based off the information you learned

Mikhail Gorbachev

• Soviet leader who introduced a more open Soviet Union

• Negotiated decrease in nuclear weapons

• Slowly opened the Soviet Union to capitalist ventures

Iran-Contra Affair

• U.S. profits from secretly selling arms to Iran

• U.S. uses profits to fund Nicaraguan Contra rebels to overthrow regime

Sandra Day O’Connor

• Became the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court

• Ushered in an era of conservatism in the court

George H.W. Bush

• Reagan’s Vice-President

• Wins the 1988 election

• Only half of the eligible voters turned out to vote

Texas v. Johnson

• Supreme Court case that said flag burning was protected under the First Amendment

Berlin Wall

• November, 1989, Berlin Wall is torn down and begins the reunification of Germany

• This symbolizes the beginning to the end of the Cold War

First Gulf War

• 1990, Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein invades Kuwait

First Gulf War

• 1991, U.S. leads a coalition of United Nations forces to drive Iraq out of Kuwait

• This became known as “Operation Desert Storm”

Bill Clinton

• Wins the 1992 election, and becomes the first baby boomer generation President

NAFTA

• North American Free Trade Agreement

• Lowered tariffs

• Created a free trade zone with U.S., Canada, and Mexico

Brady Bill

• Issued tougher gun laws

• Called for more background checks before someone could purchase a gun

Dot Com Boom

• Personal computers became more affordable

• Internet became an important tool for communication and information

Family Medical Leave Act

• Allowed people to take time from work for medical issues without fear of losing their jobs

Bosnia

• U.S. leads a NATO coalition to help stop fighting in Bosnia