The Conservative Resurgence

Reagan Wins Presidency Rise of the “New Right,” “Moral Majority,” and Fundamentalist Christianity Rustbelt – north predominantly liberal, moving to the south and suburbs= conservative Opposed: Roe v. Wade and Engel v. Vitale Carter was known for stagflation, Iranian Hostage Crisis Reagan wins 1980 election- 50.6 % of popular vote, but 489 electoral votes (carter got 49)

Reaganomics Supply-side economics Economic Recovery Act of 1981 Reduce taxes- people will have more money to spend, causing economy to grow Economic Recovery Act of 1981 Reduce taxes 25% over 3 years- wealthy received the highest tax cuts Effects- 1982- recession, but 1983 economy begins to grow Immigration- good economy=more immigration Cut 40 billion dollars from the budget mainly by cutting spending for social programs Effects 1980-1982: Recession, unemployment 10% in 1982 Paul Volcker- during the 70s head of the federal reserve Early 1983- economy begins to grow and inflation will fall Inflation fell 13.5% to 3.2% Unemployment went from 10.8% to 5.3% Throughout the rest of his presidency economy continues on this path Immigration- good economy=more immigration 7.3 million legal immigrants and hundreds of thousand of illegal immigrants Low paying jobs, struggled

Foreign Affairs Iran-Iraq war Anti-Communist affairs Mujahedeen- Afghani fighters against Soviet Union Contras- Nicaragua, fighting pro-communist Sandinista government El Salvador- supported right wing government fighting leftist rebels Grenada- US Invaded, in order to keep pro-communist Cuba out Effect of the growth of military on the economy? Budget deficit Iran Iraq war- Reagan used the navy to escort oil tankers in and out of the Persian Gulf- to keep oil prices down

Domestic Affairs Reelected in 1984- democrats kept control of house of representatives Supreme Court Sandra Day O’Connor, Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy (still on supreme court) Election of 1988 Reagan supported Bush- promised to not raise taxes Democrats won both houses Social Security Education Vouchers AIDS PATCO- Air traffic control strike- Reagan fired them, federal employees not allowed to strike Social Security- a lot of old people, raised the minimum retirement age and increased taxes Education- standardized tests “showed” schools were “failing” Vouchers AIDS- Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome HIV- Human Immunodeficiency Virus No cure, by 1994 killed more then 250,000 Americans HW Bush- research funding, today it can be “managed”

Ending The Cold War Gorbachev- Soviet President 1985-1991 Glasnost= new openness, Perestroika= reforming soviet system of economy 3 years from Reagan’s speech- Berlin Wall cam down Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary had democratic elections Soviet Union Disintegrated- 15 independent republics- 1991 Economy was awful!!!! Met with Reagan 4 times between 1985-1989- Reagan was building up arms, SU could not compete Reagan gives speech to Moscow students about benefit of free enterprise START I treaty- reduce nuclear weapons

Foreign Policy After Cold War Latin America Fall of SU effect on Latin America? War on Drugs China Tiananmen Square- 1989- Chinese tanks came in and took over killing hundreds South Africa Apartheid- economic sanctions from US Nelson Mandela- released in 1990, first free elections 1994 Fall of SU effect on Latin America? War on Drugs Eduardo Martinez Romero- Columbian Drug Cartel Panama’s Dictator- Manuel Noriega, 12,000 troops sent in to arrest him convicted to 40 years

Foreign Policy After Cold War Peacekeeping missions Yugoslavia- Bosnia, 150,000 civilians died before US involvement Somalia- cease fire between warlords and food to starving people Persian “Gulf War” Saddam Hussein invades Kuwait- controlled 20% of the worlds oil Operation Desert Storm- Liberated Kuwait First successful major military operation since Vietnam Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait (oil) Control 20% of oil produced in the world Saudi Arabia could be next Operation Desert Storm 700,000 UN troops in Saudi Arabia- 500,000 Americans Jan 16, 1991- February 23, 1991- 25,000 Iraqi Soldiers dead 148 Americans Liberated Kuwait, but would not invade Iraq- Hussein remains in power Bush: “We’ve kicked the Vietnam syndrome once and for all.”