1. Post-Watergate
The Ford and Carter Years

2. An Unexpected Presidency
Gerald Ford assumes presidency post-resignation
Listen to his inaugural speech:
What words or messages best capture or reflect the emotional state of the American citizens?
Ford refers to Watergate as more poisonous and painful than foreign affairs. Why would he state that?

3. Gerald Ford- The Unelected President
Pardoned Nixon a month after resignation (September ’74)
“Someone must write, ‘The End.’”
“Our long national nightmare is over.”
At first, he was likeable and humble
“I’m a Ford, not a Lincoln.”
Soon, his policies (along with pardon) would lose him support

4. Ford’s Policies Inherited bad economy w/ inflation and unemployment
Made worse by OPEC’s oil-price increase of ’73 (above)
Solution: “WIN”
“Whip Inflation Now”
Encouraged citizens to cut back oil/gas use
Fell flat
Cut gov’t spending  worst recession since Great Depression

5. Election of 1976 Ford gets Republican nomination
Democratic party: “We could run an aardvark this year and win.”- Ford was losing popularity
Jimmy Carter wins ( )
Ran on “honesty”: “I’ll never tell a lie.”
Focused on energy, human rights, and the economy
Creates Dept. of Energy; Passes National Energy Act  tax on gas-guzzling cars/encouraged finding alternate sources of energy
Delivers “Malaise Speech” ‘79- Americans are experiencing a “crisis of confidence”- falls flat
Malaise speech focuses on targeting moral failure of americans.. Too focused on consumerism and need to “fix” themselves before they can appropriately and effectively approach oil crisis. It was a great idea in theory and flopped despite his window of opportunity. Public ratings were down. Lost popularity going into 1980 election (moreso had to do with iranian crisis than energy crisis)

6. Triumph and Crisis in the Middle East
Camp David Accords
Negotiates cease-fire between Israel and Egypt and temporary peace after a war between the two
Iran Hostage Crisis
US has granted “U.S. friendly” but oppressive Iranian dictator asylum in United States
Iranian students took 52 hostages from US Embassy in Tehran for 444 days- Negotiations fail.

7. Election of 1980
Conservative Tide Rising

8. Many come from the “sun belt”.
Conservatives Emerge
“Conservative Coalition”:
Middle class
Business
Dissatisfied Democrats
Fundamentalist Christians
Many come from the “sun belt”.

9. Conservatives in 1980 Shrink heavy hand of federal government
Return power to state and local gov
Reduce regulations and taxes to promote business
Shrink entitlements
1/3 of nation on gov assistance is too much
Stop social engineering
Forced busing went too far
Affirmative action quotas is reverse discrimination?
Promote traditional values and morals
Against abortion
Strengthen national defense

10. Ronald Reagan vs. Jimmy Carter
Hostage crisis and bad econ cripple Carter
“Are you better off now than you were 4 years ago?”
Reagan won 51% of popular vote, but huge electoral landslide. GOP takes Senate, too.

11. Reaganomics Reduce size and influence of government
Reduce regulations and fed spending
Cut welfare, food stamps, job training, Medicaid
Did not cut Soc.Sec., Vet pensions, Medicare
Reduce taxes by 25 % - Supply side economics
Earners keep more, especially the wealthy
Increased incentive to earn more and invest- creates jobs
Critics call it ‘trickle down’ econ
Double defense spending

12. The Reagan Years

13. Reaganomics Recession 1981 – 1982 Recovery! 1983 - 1990
Inflation down
Unemployment down
Stock market soars
Tax revenues increase
Deficits soar
Not everybody wins
Homelessness increases
Fewer jobs for the unskilled

14. Domestic Issues Reagan sought to transform the courts
Nominees “shift” to right
Review: Who shifted the courts to the “left” in 30s?
Sandra Day O’Connor
1st woman to SC
Decisions reflect conservative views

15. PATCO The Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization, or PATCO
Union from ‘68-’81
Reagan broke strike- fired 11,345 striking air traffic controllers
Sent clear message to private sector
Unions no longer needed to be “feared”?

16. Reagan’s Cold War Strategy
No more détente. Cold war is a moral one.
Calls USSR an “evil empire” 1983
Massive arms build up
“Spend them into oblivion”
$35,000,000 an hour !
Support anti-commi groups
Contras in Nicaragua
Strategic Defense Initiative
Space based anti-missile system
Derided as ‘Star Wars’
Détente- “easing of tensions between nations”. Cold war heats up again. Reagan doesn’t take any nonsense from Gorbachev.

17. No nukes! Huge demonstrations against arms buildup
Many fear Reagan could start nuclear war.
Europeans demonstrate against NATO Pershing Missiles
“Zero Option” proposed
US will deploy no more new missiles
If USSR removes all theirs from E Europe
Rejected by USSR

18. Reagan and Gorbachev Younger new Soviet Premiere 1985 Summits
Geneva Agree nuke war must never be fought.
Reykjavík They nearly eliminate all missiles.
Gorbachev insisted US dump SDI. Reagan refused.
No deal.
Washington DC 1987-
INF Treaty signed.
Eliminated all intermediate range nuclear missiles
Moscow- 1988
RR said USSR not evil
Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF)

19. Election of 1984 Ronald Reagan Walter Mondale GDP up 7% in 1984
Inflation only 4%
Unemployment down
Socially conservative democrats vote for RR
Walter Mondale
Geraldine Ferraro VP
Tax hikes to reduce deficit
Freeze arms race
Democratic party split

20. Iran-Contra Affair 11/1986 Congress cut funding to Contras 12/1982
American hostages in Beirut
“Moderate” Iranians arranged their release in exchange for weapons shipments to Iran.
Violates US arms embargo against Iran.
$$$$$ from sale diverted to Contras
Tower Commission
“What did the President know?”
RR innocent, but hurt by scandal
He dealt with terrorists
Out of touch with his staff Oliver North
Oliver North- Member of National Security Council- admitted to diverting funds to Contras and negotiating with “terrorists”
Despite this, 1989 he left office with the highest approval rating of any president since Franklin Roosevelt.

21. End of the Cold War and the Collapse of the Soviet Union

22. End of the Cold War Gorbachev’s reforms 1985-
Perestroika – economic “restructuring”
Revive Soviet economy with free-market practices of the capitalist West
Glasnost – “openness”
Free speech and some other liberties
“Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall”
Berlin, 1987
Pope John Paul II
Inspires Polish nationalism

23. End of Cold War Eastern Europeans reject Commi govs. ’89
Poland first. June USSR did not intervene
The rest of eastern Europe follows
Berlin Wall opens 11/10/1989
USSR does nothing
E./W. united ’90
Withdrew Soviets from Afg.
Encourage reform in Pol., Hungary
Nicaragua 1990
Free elections oust Sandinistas

24. Backdrop to election Reagan years had been good for most Americans
George H. W. Bush
Reagan’s VP
Texas oil man
“Read my lips. No new taxes.”
Michael Dukakis
MA governor
“Massachusetts Miracle”

25. Campaign about image, not issues
Bush “Willie Horton” ad backfires
Dukakis tank photo-op backfires

26. Bush wins

27. Dissolution of the USSR
1990 Lithuania breaks away from USSR
14 die when Soviet military attempts take over
Other republics break away too
August 1991 comm. hard-liners' coup fails
Rest of republics break away from Moscow
Dec. 24, 1991 Gorbachev dissolves USSR
Yeltsin leads Russia
15 Republics created. Economically connected under CIS

28. The Persian Gulf War

29. Iran-Iraq Conflict A prolonged war that left Iraq in debt
Saddam Hussein claimed Kuwait
Was rich in oil
Would’ve helped his war debt
Iraq invades in August 1990
Took Kuwait, head to Saudi Arabia
Success would’ve meant control of ½ world’s oil
Operation Desert Storm- 1/91
Cease-fire one month later- Kuwait liberated