America1970’s - TODAY

Government Deception

President Nixon• The Energy Crisis & Stagflation• Stagflation – high inflation & unemployment (U.S. $$$ losing value)• Energy Crisis – scarce energy sources & rising oil prices

– OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries): hoped to maintain a high price for oil by controlling its production & sale

– revealed how dependent America is on foreign oil– Project Independence (Nixon’s plan): end use of foreign oil… use

Alaskan oil pipeline

President Nixon

• Realpolitik – foreign policy of cooperating with communist nations– China – became close Allies

& helped weaken Chinese support for communist war effort in S. Vietnam

– Soviet Union – “detante” – limited number & types of nuclear missiles each country could have

Watergate

• office complex in D.C. (housing the Democratic

National Committee headquarters)• burglary of camera equipment & secret

electronic recording devices; burglars worked for Nixon’s administration

• this incident led to the revealing of hidden illegal campaign contributions & dirty tricks used by Nixon’s administration (“Tricky Dick”)

Watergate

• “Deep Throat” – anonymous tattle tale• Woodward & Bernstein – journalists who

reported the story• Nixon had all his conversations taped

while in office; he was forced to turn over those tapes; he refused Nixon resigns

• Gerald Ford, Speaker of the House, becomes President & pardons Nixon (disliked for this, does not win reelection)

President Jimmy Carter• PROBLEM: economy & energy crisis!!! • Inflation & oil prices still on the rise…

tries to convince Americans to conserve oil!

• Reject realpolitik & pushed for human rights– giving less aid to former foreign allies

& giving more aid to developing countries (ex. Africa & apartheid)

– lost connection/”friendship” with Soviet Union

– Iran hostage crisis

Problems with the Middle East

• U.S. got involved in Iran’s govt. in 1950’s & helped put the shah in power

• in the 1970’s, Iranians rejected this shah’s power (western thinker) & wanted the Ayatollah Khomeini (a Muslim religious fundamentalist) in power

• Iran hostage crisis – revolutionaries attacked U.S Embassy in Iran & captures 53 Americans (they were tortured)

• Carter cut off ties with Iran• Americans blamed President

Carter… Reagan in office

“Reaganomics”

• supply-side economics – govt. could balance budget by cutting taxes – which would increase personal income &

business profits… people would then invest their extra income into the community thus expanding economy & creating jobs

• Reagan increased defense spending, causing…– deficit – amount by which a govt.’s

expenditures exceed its revenues

Iran-Contra Affair

• political scandal involved selling weapons to Iran (an enemy) & used the proceeds to fund the Contras (an anti-communist guerrilla organization in Nicaragua)

• Oliver North – Reagan’s man who coordinated this

• 2 evils America is supporting… why??? – Iran – in exchange for hostages & become

“friends” with them again– Contras – fight communism in S. America

• the affair is still a big secret

The End to the Cold War

• Gorbachev tore down the Berlin wall… symbolized the ending of the Cold War between U.S. & Soviet Union

• But is it really???

President George Bush• War on Drugs – an organized effort

at home & abroad to end illegal drug trade– using law enforcement to end drug use

• The Gulf War – remove Iraqi forces from Kuwait (invaded bc of oil) & ensure that Iraq would not invade Saudi Arabia– Desert Shield/Storm – air attacks against

Iraq

• Success with the War on Aggression!• But Bush let Saddam Hussein stay in

power… why???

President Bill Clinton• American foreign policy = policing the world

(ex. Bosnia, Iraq, Haiti)• “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” – his policy of allowing

homosexuals the right to serve in the military• NAFTA• terrorism – Oklahoma City bombing & foreign

embassies (ie. Africa)• was impeached for the Monica Lewinski Trial, but not

kicked out of office

NAFTA

• North America Free Trade Agreement between Canada, Mexico, & the U.S. to form the world’s largest free trade area

• has brought economic growth & rising standards of living for people in all 3 countries

• has also brought more open immigration• What’s the border problem???

George W. Bush

– September 11th – No Child Left Behind – increasing

standards in education (teaching requirements, testing, etc)

– Partial-birth Abortion – prohibits a form of late term abortion

– War on Terrorism – war to stop the spread of terrorism

– War in Iraq – war on stopping dictatorship, WMD’s, oil supply, spreading democracy

– Patriot Act – tapping in to people’s phones, emails, & records to unveil terrorists

9/11• Al Qaeda, led by Osama bin Laden & funded

by the terrorist group – the Taliban, attacked, by plane, the twin towers in NY, the Pentagon in VA, & one plane crashed in PA (supposedly on target to the Whitehouse)

• estimated 3,000 people died• leads to War on Terror!• Afghanistan is giving refuge to these terrorists;

therefore, a lot of fighting occurs in this country but we are NOT at war with Afghanistan– Iraq & Iran are completely separate issues!!!

War in Iraq

• supposedly had Weapons of Mass Destruction, but these were never found by the U.S. or the U.N. inspectors

• Sadaam Hussein was found, tried by the U.N., and hanged by his own people

TODAY:Barack Obama

• Ecomony & Stimulus Package• Guatanamo Bay – closing no later than Jan.

2010• War on Terror – continued• War in Iraq – leave a.s.a.p.• Iran – diplomatic talks

Global Warming• increase in average temperature & sea level• caused by: greenhouse gas concentrations, ozone

depletion, pollution, deforestation, overgrazing, irrigation, etc.

• Silent Spring – Rachel Carson’s book launched the environmental awareness movement

• Earth Day – inspire awareness & appreciation of Earth• Rachel Carson – 1930’s; became 1st outspoken

environmentalist• Green Peace – created to stop the U.S. govt. testing

nuclear devices in Alaska; also got involved with global warming, whaling, and genetic engineering

• El Nino – warming over Pacific; causes earth to react tsunamis