Conservatives Win Political Power
Ronald Reagan
->Republican-elected President-1980
->Former movie actor
->Former governor of Californoa
->George Bush (Sr.) is vice president
->Elected by a conservative coalition:
*Big business leaders
*Fundamentalist Christians
*Frustrated middle class Americans and Democrats
Goals of the Conservative Movement
- and Ronald Reagan
->Less government spending
*On entitlement programs
*Less money spent on the poor, minorities and the environment
->Promoting traditional moral values
* "Families"--not gay rights or women's liberation
*Opposed lgel abortions
->Less government regulation of businesses
*Fewer environmental restrictions
*Fewer restrictions in investment
->Lower taxes
*On businesses and investment
*For most well off Americans
->Strong Defense
*Tough on Communism-the "Evil Empire"
*Increased military spending
*More contracts for big weapons manufacturers
"Reaganomics"-Supply-side Economics
ERTA-Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981
*No cuts in social programs for wealthy and middle-class Americans (social security, Medicare)'
*Tax cuts-On business investment
-for most Americans
-especially wealthiest Americans
*Less government regulation of business
Big businesses & wealthiest Americans get wealthier right away
More investment will create
-more businesses
-new products
More jobs
More income for everyone
More tax revenue paid to the U.S. government Even though tax rates are lower
Trickle Down Theory
Supply-side economics:If the wealthy and big businesses have more money they will invest it in new businesses which will create more jobs->eventually everyone will have more money including the poor.
->Social programs cut:Welfare, job-trainingm school lunches
->No big tax cuts for the poor
->No significant increase in jobs for poor Americans
The government never gets more revenue from taxes
National Debt 1981-1989
The national debt increases dramatically.
Domestic Issues Under President Reagan
The Supreme Court
->Becomes more conservative
*Reagan appoints Sandra Day O'Connor-first woman Supreme Court Justice
*She was conservative
*Reagan also appoints conservative Justices Scalia and Kennedy
*Reagan appoints conservative Justice William Rehnquist as Chief Justice
*President Bush appoints conservative justices David Souter and Clarence Thomas
*Now the court has more conservative justices:
*1989-Ct. restricts a woman's right to abortion
*new restrictions on Civil Rights laws
*1990-91-Narrowed rights of arrested persons
Savings and Loan Scandal
->Reagan deregulates Savings and Loan bank
*Allows banks to make more risky investment
*U.S. government still insures customer accounts
*Charles Keating and other bank presidencies lose billions of dollars of customer's money
*The federal government (and taxpayers) must pay over $187 billion to make up for losses
The Environment
*Reagan appointed administrators of the EPA who supported business
*Encouraged timber cutting in national forests
*Fired hundreds of inspectors
Domestic Problems 1980-1992
Abortion
->Supreme Court rules that government clinics for the poor do not have to provide abortions
Drug Abuse
->Unemployed youth sell crack cocaine and other drugs on city streets. Gang violence increases
*Bush and Reagan call for a "War on drugs"
*Nancy Reagan starts "Just say no!" to drugs
Education
->U.S. students test scores are lower than other countries. Many 17 year old Americans can not read. Drop out rate increases
Urban Violence
->(1992) Violence erupts in L.A. after police who were videotaped beating Rodney King are aquitted of wrong doing by a mostly white jury. 51 people killed; $1 billion in damage
African Americans
->(1980s) Many African American mayors of large cities; governor of Virginia. Jesse Jackson runs for president in 1984, 1988.
Latino Americans
->(1980s) Latino governor of New Mexico and Florida; mayors of several large cities. Lauro Cavazos-Secretary of Education;Dr. Antonia Coello Novello-Surgeon General
Native Americans
Allowed to open casinos on tribal land. New monry for jobs to end poverty.
Asian Americans
->Second fastest growing minority
Daniel Inouye
->U.S. Senator from Hawaii
Gays and Lesbians
->Become more vocal seeking funding for AIDS research;end to hate crimes;end to discrimination in hiring
Iran-Contra Scandal
1983-Iranian terrorist group takes U.S. citizens hostage in Lebanon.
Reagan tells U.S. allies not to sell arms to Contras
Reagan secretly sells arms to Iran in exchange for hostages
The Boland Amendment passed by the U.S. Congress says military aid to Contras is prohibited.
Money from Iranian arms sale goes to fund Contras who were fighting Communism in Nicaragua.
Contras
Backed by the C.I.A.
Did Reagan know about this?? Should he be impeached??
Mikhail Gorbachev Reforms the Soviet Union
Gorbachev
->Becomes the Soviet Union's new, young leader in 1985.
Gorbachev's New Policies
--Glasnost
(1985)-"Free flow of ideas and information"
*Churches open
*People who criticized the govt. are freed from prison
*Newspapers can criticize the govt.
--Perestroika
-Greater freedom in the economy: (1985)
*More local control of farms and factories
*Some people allowed to make money in private businesses
Democratization
(1987)-People can elect the legislative body
Foreign policy
->Diplomatic/talking not force
ARMS CONTROL/INF Treaty
Collapse of the Soviet Union
March 1990
->Lithuiania declares its independence from the Soviet Union
January 1991
->Gorbachev cracks down on the rebellion-kills 14 in Lithuiana
Gorbachev loses popularity
->Poor economy assault on Lithuiana
June 1991
->Boris Yeltsin elected president of Russia
August 18, 1991
->Hard-line communists send tanks to take over Moscow in a coup
->Yeltsin climbs on a tank-soldiers side with Yeltsin and protesters
August 1991
->Soviet Communist Party Collapse
Dec. 15, 1991
->15 republics declare their independence
Dec 25, 1991
->Gorbachev resigns. Yeltsin and 11 republics form CIS-Commonwealth of Independent States