CHAPTER 30 Essays - United States, Conservatism In The United States

CHAPTER 30 Essays - United States, Conservatism In The United States CHAPTER 30 UNCERTAIN TIMES, 1974 - 1992 Chapter Outline I.Searching for Direction, 1974-1980 A.A Faltering Economy B.Welfare and Energy Initiatives C.Negotiation and Confrontation in Foreign Policy D.The New Right II.The Reagan Revolution, 1981-1992 A.The Election of 1980 B.Supply-Side Economics C.Curtailing Unions, Regulations, and Welfare D.Reagan to Bush III.Renewing and Ending the Cold War A.The Defense Buildup B.Deploying Military Power C.The Iran-Contra Controversy D.The Cold War Eases E.Post-Cold War Policy and the Persian Gulf War F.The Election of 1992 IV.The Politics of Social Movements A.Women's Issues B.Sexual Politics C.Activism among African Americans D.Activism among American Indians E.Activism in Spanish-Speaking Communities F.Activism among Asian Americans G.Anti-Government Activism Chronology 1974Nixon resigns and Ford becomes president; Ford soon pardons Nixon 1975South Vietnam falls to North Vietnam; Ford asserts U.S. power in Mayaguez incident 1976Jimmy Carter elected president; OPEC sharply raises oil prices. 1978Carter helps negotiate Camp David peace accords on Middle East 1979Soviet Union invades Afghanistan; Sandinistas come to power in Nicaragua; U.S. hostages seized in Iran 1980Ronald Reagan elected president; U.S. hostages in Iran released 1981Reagan tax cut passed 1983U.S. troops removed from Lebanon; Reagan announces SDI ("Star Wars") program 1984Reagan defeats Walter Mondale 1986Reagan administration rocked by revelation of Iran-Contra affair 1988George H.W. Bush defeats Michael Dukakis in presidential election; Congress enacts Indian Gaming Regulation Act 1989Communist regimes in Eastern Europe collapse; Berlin Wall falls; Cold War, in effect, ends 1990Bush angers conservative Republicans by agreeing to a tax increase 1991Bush orchestrates Persian Gulf War against Iraq, 1992Bill Clinton defeats Bush Lecture Outline 1.In the aftermath of the turmoil of the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal the nation was searching for direction, 1974-1980. The presidency of Gerald Ford suffered from popular impressions that he was a weak, indecisive, "caretaker" president. a.Ford was undermined by a faltering economy and his effort to "Whip" inflation was both ineffective and a public relations failure. Under Jimmy Carter, the economy only seemed to worsen with rising unemployment and soaring inflation. b.Carter pushed hard for both welfare and energy initiatives; although he could not forge an agreement for welfare, he used the new Department of Energy to "declare war" on the nation's reliance on fossil fuels. c.The U.S. foreign policy of containment played itself out in Southeast Asia as a long U.S. war in Vietnam ended under Ford with the fall of Saigon. Carter infused his approach with more negotiation than confrontation and a respect for human rights. Though his results were mixed, they did yield the Camp David agreement between Israel and Egypt. d.There appeared a new right on the American political landscape that was as deeply interested in advancing a conservative social agenda as they were for political and economic issues. 2.Ronald Reagan emerged as the brightest star and best hope for the new right. His defeat of Carter in the election of 1980 signified the beginning of what came to be called the Reagan Revolution, 1981-1992. a.Offering a sunny persona and more optimistic outlook than the comparative gloom of Carter, Reagan swept to a convincing electoral victory in the election of 1980. b.Reagan embraced a theory of "supply-side" economics, which held that tax reductions would stimulate investment and thereby create economic growth. These changes in government policy did create wealth, though it was uneven, favored the rich, and led to soaring national debt. c.Another part of Reagan's agenda was the curtailing of government support of union and the cutting of regulations and welfare measures. d.The Republicans Party kept control of the presidency as the personal appeal of Reagan helped his vice-president, George H.W. Bush, gain victory despite the new right's lack of enthusiasm for his candidacy. 3.Reagan's promise to reverse the post-Vietnam "passivity" by the nation on the world stage led to both his renewing and ending the Cold War with an aggressive American foreign policy. a.Reagan supported a dramatic defense build-up with massive increases in military spending, most visibly in the failed Strategic Defense Initiative. b.The Reagan administration proved eager to deploy military power in numerous confrontations. c.The Iran-Contra controversy, the illegal selling of arms to Iran to fund a military effort to overthrow the government of Nicaragua, proved the biggest scandal of the Reagan administration. d.Mikhail Gorbachev, the new Soviet leader, played a vital role as the Cold War eased via his policies of glasnost ("openness") and perestroika ("economic liberalization") until the collapse of the Soviet Union