Chapter 28

New Directions for a Nation

A Conservative Surge

• Carter’s Presidency– Elected in 1976– No congressional support– Poor economy

• High inflation• High taxes

Shah of Iran overthrown

• Ally of U.S.

• Embassy seized– 66 hostages

• 52 kept for 444 days in Captivity

The Conservative Movement

• Liberal v. Conservative– Liberals favor Government Action– Conservatives split into political and social

• Political conservatives = shrink gov’t and lower taxes

• Social conservatives = traditional values

• Social Conservatives– Rev. Jerry Falwell, leader of the Moral

Majority

Election of 1980

• Conservatives want to:– Get rid of expensive social programs– Cut taxes– Balance the federal budget

• Balanced Budget- government spends only as much money as it collects

• Ronald Reagan v. Jimmy Carter

Ronald Reagan

• Movie Star

• President of Screen Actors’ Guild

• Elected governor of Californial in the 60s

• Known as the “Great Communicator”

Reducing Government

• Reaganomics– Give money to tax payers– Cut $40 billion out of budget– Cut federal jobs– 1981 persuades Congress to cut taxes by 25%– Deregulation- scaling back federal rules for

businesses– Reduce anti pollution regulations– Opened federal lands to industry

Reagan’s Legacy

• One of the most popular presidents

• Served two terms

• Did not balance budget

• Tax cuts + military spending = record deficit

• Deficit: results when the government spends more than it collects

• Slowed growth of federal government

George H.W. Bush

• Elected in 1988

• Former Vice President

• “Read my lips, No new taxes!”

• Reduced spending and raised taxes

• 1991-U.S. slips into a recession

• Recession: a temporary economic slump

• Unemployment soars

The Clinton Years

• 1992 Bill Clinton v. George Bush v. Ross Perot– Clinton wins with 43% of the votes– First democratic in 12 years

Clinton’s Presidency

• Cut deficit by ½ in 1992– Raise taxes on high income– Reduce spending

• Redo of Welfare system– Limit benefits– Reduce direct welfare– Give grants to state

Prosperity and Scandal

• Unemployment drops to 30yr low

• Federal budget surpluses

• Surplus: collection of more money than is spent

• Reelection in 1996

• Impeachment!

The Dispute of 2000

• Gore/Lieberman v. Bush/Cheney

• Gore wins popular vote

• Bush won electoral votes

• Recount

• Bush pushes for tax cuts

• Bush passes No Child Left Behind

Ending the Cold War

• SU invades Afghanistan

• Reagan aides Afghanistan

• Reagan increases defense spending by 50%– B2 Stealth– Strategic Defense Initiative

Decline of the S.U.

• Poor economy

• Conflict had drained funds

• US Buildup causes Soviet Buildup

• New Leader: Mikhail Gobachev

• Glasnost: speaking openly about Soviet problems

• 1987: Reagan and Gobachev agree on arms control

Changes in E. Europe

• S.U. quits support and control

• 1989: Poland sets up democratic gov’t

• Yugoslavia ends communism

• Berlin Wall is torn down in 1989

• Czechoslovakia becomes Czech Republic and Slovakia

1991 Soviet Union Collapses

• Consists of 15 republics

• All become independent

• Boris Yeltsin becomes President of Russia

• Russia suffers from unemployment, inflation, crime, corruption

• Yugoslavia has Problems

Cold War Costs

• 100,000 lives

• $6 trillion

U.S. in the World

• South Africa– Apartheid: racial separation and inequality– Economic sanctions: penalties applied against

a country in order to pressure it to change its policies

• Philippines– 1986: first free elections in 14 years

Continued Aid/Participation

• Northern Ireland– Protestant v. Catholic– 1998: power sharing agreement

• China– Communist government killed demonstrators– Policy of persuasion

• Cuba– Early 90s Cubans enter U.S.

Easing the Arms Race

• 1972: The Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT)

• 1979: SALT II-Carter withdraws

• Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START)– Destroy 20% of nuclear arms

• 1993: START II– Cut back long range nuclear by 2/3

Aiding the Threat

• 4 countries: 30K nuclear weapons

• Destroy = $400 million/year

• Worry: Spread of Nuclear Arms

Conflict in the Middle East

• Middle East: Southwest Asia + Egypt + Afganistan

• Founding Place of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

• Known for vast amounts of Oil

• OPEC: Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries

Arab-Israeli Conflict

• Palestine: Holy Land of 3 major religions– Jews begin moving to the region in late 1800s– Increased immigration in mid-1900s– Israel builds a democracy

• Nearby Arab countries declare War• 1948: Israel wins• Palestinian Arabs flee

Continued Conflict

• Israel attacks Egypt in 1956

• Arab nations attack Israel in 1967 and 1973– Israel takes control of parts of Egypt, Jordan,

and Syria

Camp David Accords

• 1977: Anwar el Sadat visits Israel

• Camp David Accords in 1978– Pres. Carter, Pres. Sadat, and P.M. Begin– Israel is recognized in return for land taken

Issue of Palestine

• Arabs wage guerrilla warfare

• Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO)– Led by Yasir Arafat– Set up independent government in Palestine

• Intifada: Palestinian uprising

• 1993: Clinton gets pact signed

• Violence continues

Cease the Violence

• Israel seizes Arafat

• Arafat dies in 2004

• Cease-fire announced in 2005

Increasing Tensions

• Iran and Lebanon– Westernization: the adoption of ideas, culture,

and technology from Western regions such as the US and Europe

– 1979: Shah flees, hostage crisis• Lebanon civil war