From the “age of limits” to the age of reagan 1

From the “Age of Limits” to the Age of Reagan

By: Kevin Gamarra, Armida Villalon, Jeremy Tayag

The Ford Custodianship

● President Ford tried to rebuild confidence among the masses after the Watergate Scandals.

● He granted Richard Nixon pardon for any crimes he had committed during his presidency.

● The Ford Administration was not as successful, he sought to curb inflation.

● He dealt with a recession in 1974-1975.

● SALT II, President Ford met with Soviet premier and signed an arms control.

The Election of 1976

The Trials of Jimmy Carter● He entered his presidency during a

recession.● His agenda included major reforms of

the tax and welfare systems.● He sought to reduce unemployment by

raising public spending and cutting federal taxes.

● By 1980, interest rates had exceeded 20%.

● He then delivered the "malaise speech," which in turn fueled charges that the president was blaming problems on the American people.

Human Rights and National Interests

● President Carter called for the defense of “human rights” in order to replace the pursuit of “selfish interest.”

● Carter was able to arrange a peace treaty with Egypt and Israel.

● On March 26, 1979, Egyptian President, Anwar Sadat and Israeli prime minister, Menachem Begin signed the Camp David Accords.

● In 1979, Carter was able to draft the new SALT II arms control agreement, which limited the number missiles, bombers, etc...

Iranian Revolution● Iranians despised the Shah's

autocratic rule.● In Jan. 1979, the Shah fled

Iran.● In Nov. 4, a mob invaded

the American embassy in Tehran.

● After the Hostage capture, Soviets invaded Afghanistan.

● "The gravest threat to world peace since WWII."

The Rise of the New American

Right

The Sunbelt and it's Politics

● Sunbelt: the Southeast (Florida), the Southwest (Texas), and California

● Produced a change in the political climate

● Westerners embraced "rugged individualism"

● Sagebush Rebellion: Occurred in the late 1970s, conservatives opposed environmental laws and restrictions.

● Portrayed the West as a victim of government control.

Religious Politics● A religious revival

occurred which was more powerful than the 2nd Great Awakening.

● Revival of evangelical Christianity

● Christian evangelicals became active in political and cultural right.

● Roe v. Wade: issue with abortion

The New Right

● New Right: a movement that believed environmental pursuits were hurting international business - 1970s right-wing think tanks, consulting firms,

schools, etc. ● Ronald Reagan supported this movement after

his second marriage, to Nancy Davis. ● 1966, Reagan won the first two terms as

governor of CA● Presidency of Gerald Ford

- Nelson Rockefeller (vice president)

The Tax Revolt

● 1978, Howard Jarvis launched the first successful citizen's tax revolt

● Resolved the struggle to stop and reverse the growth of the federal government-directly attacking gov't did not attract much

support-Large and expensive programs: Social Security,

Medicare

The Campaign of 1980

● Jimmy Carter had political trouble● Senator Edward Kennedy challenged Jimmy

Carter● Republican Party supported Ronald Reagan

- link campaign with tax revolts and restoration ● Election day 1980, Reagan won

- Republican Party won control for Senate● Reagan's inauguration

- American hostages in Iran...released after the 444-day ordeal

The Campaign of 1980 cont.

The "Reagan Revolution"

The Reagan Coalition

● Powerful coalition of conservative groups helped Reagan's election- Corporate Elites

~wealthy Americans - Neo-conservatives

~intellectuals, "opinion leaders"● CE and NC joined an alliance in 1980 with the

New Right- differentiated with the distrust of the "eastern

establishment"

Reagan in the White House

● Reagan had a sharp public image

● Ronald Reagan was the oldest man to serve as president-1981, assassination attempt

● Not very involved with day-to-day affairs-administrators insulated him

"Supply-Side" Economics

● Supply-side economics/Reaganomics-worked towards troubles of the American economy.-solution:

Reduce taxes Reduces gov't revenues Reduce gov't expenses● First proposed $40 billion in budget reduction● Getting government out of the way promised to ensure economic

revival (Reagan officials)● 1982- severe recession but by late 1983 economy recovered● Recovery led to the result of many things

- Tight money policies by FRB helped lower inflation- Lowered interest rates by late 1983

The Fiscal Crisis

● Mid-1980s, fiscal crisis became a central issue in American politics

● Enormous deficit had many causes- Budget suffered from large increases in the costs of "entitlement"

programs- 1981 tax cuts - Massive increase in military spending

● Administration's answer- further cuts in "discretionary" domestic spending- Reduction in funding for food- Major cut in federal grant for low-income housing

Reagan and the World

● Determined to restore American pride and prestige

● Soviet Regime - "evil empire"● Strategic Defense Initiative

(SDI) - use of lasers and satellites- provide an effective shield against

incoming missiles● Nuclear Freeze ● Reagan Doctrine - a new

American activism in the Third World

Reagan and the World Cont.

● October 1982, administration sent troops into the Caribbean island of Grenada

● Nicaragua, pro-American dictatorship had fallen to the revolutionary "Sandinistas" (1979)- Reagan administration supports contras

● June 1982, Israeli army invades Lebanon - Changes the character of Third World struggles

- increase reliance on terrorism

The Election of 1984

● Republican Candidate: Ronald Reagan● Democratic Candidate: Walter Mondale● Geraldine Ferraro: first female candidate to be on

a national ticket.● Reagan won but Democrats still controlled the

House of Representatives.

The Election of 1984 cont.

The Fall of the Soviet Union

● Mikhail Gorbachev:○ glasnost(openness): called for

increased openness and transparency in government institutions and activities in the Soviet Union

○ perestroika (reform): an effort to restructure the Soviet economy with elements of Capitalism.

● By 1989, every communist state in Europe was able to free itself from communism.

● Massacre in Tiananmen Square, Beijing● South African government began to

repeal apartheid laws in 1990.● Gorbachev resigned on August

19,1991.

Reagan and Gorbachev

● Gorbachev proposed to reduce the nuclear arsenals of both sides by 50 percent or more in a summit meeting with Reagan in 1986.

● They signed a treaty eliminating American and Soviet intermediate-range nuclear forces (INF) from Europe in 1988.

● Gorbachev ended Soviet Union military involvement in Afghanistan.

The Fading of the Reagan Revolution

● There were revelations of illegality, corruption, and ethical lapses in departments handled by the Reagan administration.

● In November 1986, the White House conceded that it sold weapons to the revolutionary government of Iran.

● Some of the money from the arms deal with Iran was revealed to have been illegally funneled into a fund to aid the contras in Nicaragua.

The Election of 1988

The Election of 1988 Cont.

● Democrats regained control of Senate in 1986.● Democrat Candidate: Michael Dukakis● Republican Candidate: George Bush● Bush used a verbal attack on Dukakis to spark

public enthusiasm.● Bush wins!

The Bush Presidency

● Inherited the debt and federal deficit that had been growing for nearly a decade

● Bush signed off on a significant tax increase in 1990.

● The Recession began in 1990 and caused many bankruptcies.

The First Gulf War

● The administration ordered an invasion of Panama in 1989.

● Iraqi forces overwhelmed Kuwait on August 2,1990.

● U.S. and its allies began sending military forces to the border between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

● U.S. began bombing Iraqi forces and using ground troops.

● Iraq accepted terms for the cease-fire.

The Election of 1992

The Election of 1992 Cont.

● Not many people wanted to be the Democratic candidate.

● Ross Perot was a popular independent candidate, but dropped out for some time.

● Clinton won the election with 43 percent of the vote.

● Democrats still in control of both houses of Congress.