New Conservatism
• Democrats discredited• Jimmy Carter• Iran Hostage Crisis
• The conservative revolution and Ronald Reagan• Ronald Reagan’s public image• Reaganomics• Irancontra• Fall of communism• The culture wars
Reagan’s Biography
• Born February 6, 1911, making him the oldest President to be sworn into office, at 69 years of age
• Started working life as a radio announcer for a sports program in 1932
• Enlisted in the military reserves in 1937
• Was ’discovered’ by Warner Bros. Studio and became a contract ’B’ movie actor
Biography cont.
• Became President of the Screen Actors’ Guild; spoke out publicly against ’Communism’
• Elected Governor of California from 1966 to 1974
• Ran as a Republican in 1980 and won a victory against Jimmy Carter to become President. Won in a major landslide again in 1984.
Government under Reagan
• ’Reaganomics- largest tax cut in United States History
• Wanted smaller government and less intervention in Americans’ lives
• ‘The government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.’
Strategic Defence Initiative
• Introduced in 1983, this defence project would use ground and space-based systems to protect the U.S. from strategic nuclear ballistic missiles.
• Was dubbed ’Star Wars’ by critics who believed the technology was expensive, if not impossible to achieve
Iran-Contra Affair
• Scandal involving the use of proceeds from covert arms sales to Iran to fund the Contras of Nicaragura, which had been specifically outlawed by Congress.
• This became the biggest scandal in the 1980’s and Reagan professed ignorance of the plot’s existance.
Fall of the Wall
• ”General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear this wall down!
Ronald Reagan, speaking at the Berlin Wall on June 12, 1987.