From the “age of limits” to the age of reagan 1
- 1. From the “Age of Limits” to the Age of Reagan By: Kevin Gamarra, Armida Villalon, Jeremy Tayag
- 2. 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.
- 3. The Election of 1976
- 4. 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.
- 5. 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...
- 6. 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."
- 7. The Rise of the New American Right
- 8. 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.
- 9. 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
- 10. 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)
- 11. 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
- 12. 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
- 13. The Campaign of 1980 cont.
- 15. 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"
- 16. 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
- 17. "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
- 18. 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
- 19. 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
- 20. 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
- 21. The Election of 1984
- 22. The Election of 1984 cont. ● 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.
- 23. 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.
- 24. 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.
- 25. 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.
- 26. The Election of 1988
- 27. 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!
- 28. 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.
- 29. 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.
- 30. The Election of 1992
- 31. 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.