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From the “Age of Limits” to the Age of Reagan
By: Kevin Gamarra, Armida Villalon, Jeremy Tayag
The Ford Custodianship
● President Ford tried to rebuild confidence among the masses after the Watergate Scandals.
● He granted Richard Nixon pardon for any crimes he had committed during his presidency.
● The Ford Administration was not as successful, he sought to curb inflation.
● He dealt with a recession in 1974-1975.
● SALT II, President Ford met with Soviet premier and signed an arms control.
The Election of 1976
The Trials of Jimmy Carter● He entered his presidency during a
recession.● His agenda included major reforms of
the tax and welfare systems.● He sought to reduce unemployment by
raising public spending and cutting federal taxes.
● By 1980, interest rates had exceeded 20%.
● He then delivered the "malaise speech," which in turn fueled charges that the president was blaming problems on the American people.
Human Rights and National Interests
● President Carter called for the defense of “human rights” in order to replace the pursuit of “selfish interest.”
● Carter was able to arrange a peace treaty with Egypt and Israel.
● On March 26, 1979, Egyptian President, Anwar Sadat and Israeli prime minister, Menachem Begin signed the Camp David Accords.
● In 1979, Carter was able to draft the new SALT II arms control agreement, which limited the number missiles, bombers, etc...
Iranian Revolution● Iranians despised the Shah's
autocratic rule.● In Jan. 1979, the Shah fled
Iran.● In Nov. 4, a mob invaded
the American embassy in Tehran.
● After the Hostage capture, Soviets invaded Afghanistan.
● "The gravest threat to world peace since WWII."
The Rise of the New American
Right
The Sunbelt and it's Politics
● Sunbelt: the Southeast (Florida), the Southwest (Texas), and California
● Produced a change in the political climate
● Westerners embraced "rugged individualism"
● Sagebush Rebellion: Occurred in the late 1970s, conservatives opposed environmental laws and restrictions.
● Portrayed the West as a victim of government control.
Religious Politics● A religious revival
occurred which was more powerful than the 2nd Great Awakening.
● Revival of evangelical Christianity
● Christian evangelicals became active in political and cultural right.
● Roe v. Wade: issue with abortion
The New Right
● New Right: a movement that believed environmental pursuits were hurting international business - 1970s right-wing think tanks, consulting firms,
schools, etc. ● Ronald Reagan supported this movement after
his second marriage, to Nancy Davis. ● 1966, Reagan won the first two terms as
governor of CA● Presidency of Gerald Ford
- Nelson Rockefeller (vice president)
The Tax Revolt
● 1978, Howard Jarvis launched the first successful citizen's tax revolt
● Resolved the struggle to stop and reverse the growth of the federal government-directly attacking gov't did not attract much
support-Large and expensive programs: Social Security,
Medicare
The Campaign of 1980
● Jimmy Carter had political trouble● Senator Edward Kennedy challenged Jimmy
Carter● Republican Party supported Ronald Reagan
- link campaign with tax revolts and restoration ● Election day 1980, Reagan won
- Republican Party won control for Senate● Reagan's inauguration
- American hostages in Iran...released after the 444-day ordeal
The Campaign of 1980 cont.
The "Reagan Revolution"
The Reagan Coalition
● Powerful coalition of conservative groups helped Reagan's election- Corporate Elites
~wealthy Americans - Neo-conservatives
~intellectuals, "opinion leaders"● CE and NC joined an alliance in 1980 with the
New Right- differentiated with the distrust of the "eastern
establishment"
Reagan in the White House
● Reagan had a sharp public image
● Ronald Reagan was the oldest man to serve as president-1981, assassination attempt
● Not very involved with day-to-day affairs-administrators insulated him
"Supply-Side" Economics
● Supply-side economics/Reaganomics-worked towards troubles of the American economy.-solution:
Reduce taxes Reduces gov't revenues Reduce gov't expenses● First proposed $40 billion in budget reduction● Getting government out of the way promised to ensure economic
revival (Reagan officials)● 1982- severe recession but by late 1983 economy recovered● Recovery led to the result of many things
- Tight money policies by FRB helped lower inflation- Lowered interest rates by late 1983
The Fiscal Crisis
● Mid-1980s, fiscal crisis became a central issue in American politics
● Enormous deficit had many causes- Budget suffered from large increases in the costs of "entitlement"
programs- 1981 tax cuts - Massive increase in military spending
● Administration's answer- further cuts in "discretionary" domestic spending- Reduction in funding for food- Major cut in federal grant for low-income housing
Reagan and the World
● Determined to restore American pride and prestige
● Soviet Regime - "evil empire"● Strategic Defense Initiative
(SDI) - use of lasers and satellites- provide an effective shield against
incoming missiles● Nuclear Freeze ● Reagan Doctrine - a new
American activism in the Third World
Reagan and the World Cont.
● October 1982, administration sent troops into the Caribbean island of Grenada
● Nicaragua, pro-American dictatorship had fallen to the revolutionary "Sandinistas" (1979)- Reagan administration supports contras
● June 1982, Israeli army invades Lebanon - Changes the character of Third World struggles
- increase reliance on terrorism
The Election of 1984
● Republican Candidate: Ronald Reagan● Democratic Candidate: Walter Mondale● Geraldine Ferraro: first female candidate to be on
a national ticket.● Reagan won but Democrats still controlled the
House of Representatives.
The Election of 1984 cont.
The Fall of the Soviet Union
● Mikhail Gorbachev:○ glasnost(openness): called for
increased openness and transparency in government institutions and activities in the Soviet Union
○ perestroika (reform): an effort to restructure the Soviet economy with elements of Capitalism.
● By 1989, every communist state in Europe was able to free itself from communism.
● Massacre in Tiananmen Square, Beijing● South African government began to
repeal apartheid laws in 1990.● Gorbachev resigned on August
19,1991.
Reagan and Gorbachev
● Gorbachev proposed to reduce the nuclear arsenals of both sides by 50 percent or more in a summit meeting with Reagan in 1986.
● They signed a treaty eliminating American and Soviet intermediate-range nuclear forces (INF) from Europe in 1988.
● Gorbachev ended Soviet Union military involvement in Afghanistan.
The Fading of the Reagan Revolution
● There were revelations of illegality, corruption, and ethical lapses in departments handled by the Reagan administration.
● In November 1986, the White House conceded that it sold weapons to the revolutionary government of Iran.
● Some of the money from the arms deal with Iran was revealed to have been illegally funneled into a fund to aid the contras in Nicaragua.
The Election of 1988
The Election of 1988 Cont.
● Democrats regained control of Senate in 1986.● Democrat Candidate: Michael Dukakis● Republican Candidate: George Bush● Bush used a verbal attack on Dukakis to spark
public enthusiasm.● Bush wins!
The Bush Presidency
● Inherited the debt and federal deficit that had been growing for nearly a decade
● Bush signed off on a significant tax increase in 1990.
● The Recession began in 1990 and caused many bankruptcies.
The First Gulf War
● The administration ordered an invasion of Panama in 1989.
● Iraqi forces overwhelmed Kuwait on August 2,1990.
● U.S. and its allies began sending military forces to the border between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
● U.S. began bombing Iraqi forces and using ground troops.
● Iraq accepted terms for the cease-fire.
The Election of 1992
The Election of 1992 Cont.
● Not many people wanted to be the Democratic candidate.
● Ross Perot was a popular independent candidate, but dropped out for some time.
● Clinton won the election with 43 percent of the vote.
● Democrats still in control of both houses of Congress.