President Jimmy Carter

E. America Enters World War II (1945-Present) g. Analyze the origins of the Cold War, foreign policy developments, and major events of the administrations from Truman to present

2.Changes at Home a. Analyze major domestic issues and responses of the administrations from Truman to present c. Identify the events and influential individuals of the civil rights, human rights, and counterculture movements and assess their impact d. Evaluate the impact of changes in the national economy on contemporary American society e. Identify the major contemporary social, environmental, and political issues (e.g., immigration, global warming, terrorism), the groups involved, and the controversies engendered by those issues f. Assess increasing global interdependence, the potential for conflict, and the U.S. role in world events in the present and future

Not only had Nixon, who was elected President in 1968, become entangled with the Watergate Scandal, in which men under his leadership broke in to the Democrat Headquarters, in the Watergate building, to steal information, he also possessed hours upon hours of recorded meetings, on tape, that had the potential to link him to other forms of illegal activity.

Though many went to jail for Watergate and other related scandals, Nixon was pardoned by President Gerald Ford, who was his Vice President while Nixon was in office.

Nixon of all crimes. These circumstances contributed to Ford The Republicans nominated Ford to run in the Election of 1976. However, the economy was struggling and many were angry that he pardoned Nixon of all crimes. These circumstances contributed to Ford losing the Election of 1976 to a Democrat, Jimmy Carter.

President Ford Faces Obstacles The Watergate Scandal created massive tension in the USA. President Nixon had resigned office and his Vice President, Gerald Ford, pardoned him of all crimes connected to various scandals. Ford’s initial action as President was divisive. Many felt that, if others went to prison for scandals like Watergate, Nixon should as well. The economy was also facing growing inflation and unemployment. These factors led to Ford’s defeat to a Democrat, Jimmy Carter, in the Election of 1976. Copyright, USHistoryTeachers.com All Rights Reserved.

After WW II, when the Communists took over China, the USA reduced cooperation with the nation to protest their government system. Richard Nixon challenged that approach. He asserted that it was in the best interest of the USA to trade with China, since China was such a large nation. This policy was called Realpolitik. To the left is a picture of Nixon standing on The Great Wall of China.

President Richard Nixon shaking hands with the Communist leader of China, Mao Zedong.

and Henry Kissinger, the Secretary of State. Ford continued the policy of Realpolitik and continued interactions with China, despite the fact that China was Communist. Pictured above, The Communist dictator, Mao Zedong, meets with President Ford and Henry Kissinger, the Secretary of State.

Human Rights and Realpolitik While Nixon and Ford entered into unprecedented cooperation with Communist nations, such as the USSR and China, Carter took a different approach. Nixon and Ford believed you had to “face reality.” China and the USSR were too influential to ignore. Therefore, they pursued dialogs with these Communist nations. This policy was called Realpolitik. President Jimmy Carter had a different approach. He only wanted to cooperate with nations that would protect Human Rights, such as the freedoms of religion, speech, the right to petition, and so on. Copyright, USHistoryTeachers.com All Rights Reserved.

Dictatorships and Human Rights Since the Cold War began, the USA supported various nations that had dictatorships, such as in Nicaragua and other Latin American countries. The reason the USA supported these countries was because, while they were dictatorships, they opposed Communism and were viewed as Allies in the Cold War against the USSR. Carter felt this was inconsistent of the USA. Carter insisted that he would only fully cooperate with nations that protected Human Rights. He ceased the broad cooperation that nations like Nicaragua had received in the past. Copyright, USHistoryTeachers.com All Rights Reserved.

Carter’s Human Rights Approach Faces Criticism While many respected the goal of Carter to see other nations pursue Human Rights, they also felt his policy was naïve and unrealistic. These critics felt that Carter had to work with oppressive nations, such as Nicaragua, to ensure that these nations did not fall to Communism. Not only that, but the USA had reduced tension with the USSR under Nixon and Ford. Yet, the USSR denied many citizens Human Rights and Carter reduced cooperation with the Soviet Union. Many felt this would escalate Cold War hostilities again and felt Carter needed to cooperate more the USSR. Copyright, USHistoryTeachers.com All Rights Reserved.

any further into the world. This policy failed. Back in the 1940s, President Truman’s goal of “Containment” was simply to keep Communism from spreading any further into the world. This policy failed.

Vietnam Communism expanded to China, North Korea, Cuba, and Vietnam from the 1940s to the 1960s.

Nicaragua, highlighted to the left, had an oppressive dictatorship Nicaragua, highlighted to the left, had an oppressive dictatorship. Yet, they opposed Communism. Many in the USA felt they had to cooperate with Nicaragua, despite their dictatorship, to ensure that Nicaragua never fell to Communism. Carter disagreed. He reduced cooperation with the nation because they violated the Human Rights of the Nicaraguans.

Carter and the Struggling Economy The USA had become radically dependent of foreign oil and Carter asserted this contributed to the bad economy. He claimed the USA must reduce its dependence on foreign oil. Carter pursued energy saving measures, such as encouraging car companies to cease making “gas guzzlers” that used fuel quickly while running. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) increased oil prices again. Inflation radically increased and the economy grew worse. The worsening economy damaged Carter’s popularity. Copyright, USHistoryTeachers.com All Rights Reserved.

While President, Carter faced many obstacles in the Middle East.

While President, Carter had to address tensions between Israel and Egypt, Americans being taken hostage in Iran, and the USSR’s invasion of Afghanistan.

Israel vs. Egypt Religious tension between Jews and Muslims, disputed fights over land claims, and other factors contributed to many battles between Egypt and Israel, since Israel became a nation in 1948. At the Camp David accords, in 1978, Carter persuaded the President of Egypt, Anwar El Sadat and the Israeli Prime minister, Menachem Begin, to sign a peace treaty and cease fighting. This was a major victory for Carter. Israel gave land back to Egypt and Egypt recognized Israel as a nation. Egypt was the first Muslim nation to recognize Israel as a country. Copyright, USHistoryTeachers.com All Rights Reserved.

President Carter, the President of Egypt, Anwar El Sadat, and the Israeli Prime minister, Menachem Begin, meet to reach a peace agreement between Egypt and Israel at the Camp David Accords.

American Hostages in Iran Iran had been an ally of the USA that had supported the West during the Cold War. Iran was led by Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran. In 1979, extremist Shi’ite Muslims, led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Mostafavi Moosavi Khomeini, took over Iran and implemented a theocracy based on their interpretation of Islam. During the Iran hostage crisis, extremists took American hostages in the USA embassy in Iran. The Americans remained hostages for 444 days. Carter could not secure their release. The next President, Ronald Reagan, was able to get Iran to release the hostages. Copyright, USHistoryTeachers.com All Rights Reserved.

became the theocratic leader of Iran. In the late 1970s, the leader of Iran, who supported the USA, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, pictured to the left, experienced a rebellion against his leadership. Pahlavi fled into exile and Ayatollah Ruhollah Mostafavi Moosavi Khomeini, pictured to the right, became the theocratic leader of Iran.

Iran experienced an extremist takeover by Shi’ite Muslims Iran experienced an extremist takeover by Shi’ite Muslims. Under Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, the USA experienced a great deal of cooperation. When he fell from power, the USA began to have massive hostilities with Iran.

Pictured above are some of those hostages. When the USA allowed the Shah of Iran to get cancer treatment in the USA, many extremists in Iran were angry that the USA was helping their overthrown, former leader. They charged into the US embassy and took 52 Americans hostage. They remained hostages for 444 days. Pictured above are some of those hostages.

Another crisis that occurred while Carter was President was that the USSR invaded Afghanistan.

Fearing that an extremists, Muslim takeover would threaten their influence, the USSR invaded Afghanistan.

The USSR’s War in Afghanistan: 1979-1989 Loosely connected rebel, Muslim groups in Afghanistan, called the Mujahedeen, pursued Jihad, or Holy War, against the Communist, Soviet influence in their region. Foreigners also arrived to fight in Afghanistan against the USSR. Notorious among them was a Saudi named Osama bin Laden, whose group eventually evolved into Al-Qaeda, the group who attacked the USA on 9/11/2001. Yet, in this time period, the USA gave aid to the rebels in Afghanistan, which included people like Osama bin Laden. While many in the USA opposed the theocracy of Muslim extremists, they wanted to take a stand against their main Cold War rival, the USSR. Copyright, USHistoryTeachers.com All Rights Reserved.

When Muslim extremists rebelled in Afghanistan, against the Soviet influence in their nation, the USA initially supported them, since both groups stood opposed to the Soviet Union.

The USA and extremists, like Osama bin Laden, worked together to keep the USSR from controlling Afghanistan. Ironically and tragically, years later, in 2001, Osama bin Laden led an attack on the USA, despite the USA’s help in Afghanistan to keep the USSR out of the region.

Trade Center and the Pentagon. His radical ideology wickedly targeted Osama bin Laden eventually started targeting the USA and other nations as well after the Soviet War in Afghanistan ended. He bombed American embassies in Africa and eventually orchestrated an attack on New York and Washington D.C., in which his followers crashed planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. His radical ideology wickedly targeted any who disagreed with his extremist views.

the Election of 1980 to Ronald Reagan. In this picture, Jimmy Carter is debating Ronald Reagan. Reagan defeated Carter in the Election of 1980. Partially due to the struggling economy, Iran Hostage Crisis, and other problems in the Middle East, Jimmy Carter lost the Election of 1980 to Ronald Reagan.

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