ford and beyond “beginning of the end”. president leslie lynch king jr. aka gerald ford...
TRANSCRIPT
Ford and Beyond
“Beginning of the End”
President Leslie Lynch King Jr. aka Gerald Ford (1974-1976)
• Ford’s Presidency is based on healing– Ford attempted to get past Watergate and the
feelings of loss in Vietnam
• He gives Nixon a full Presidential Pardon • The Nation turns 200!
President James Carter (1976-1980)
• Successes– Political reformer, “Outsider”– SALT II– Peace treaty with Egypt and Israel (Camp
David Accords)
• “Non-Successes”– Inflation– Oil Issues-Fuel Shortages– Iran Hostage Crisis
Mutually Assured Destruction
• In the movie War Games the idea of M.A.D. is discussed. In the end, the writer contends that in the world of M.A.D., there can be no winner. But, is this the case?
• Please list the pros and cons of living in a world dominated by two super powers who are willing to destroy each other in a move that would guarantee their own destruction.
Ronald Reagan (1980-1988)
• Used the failing economy and falling popularity to usher in “Reagan Revolution”
• Ran on ticket of small federal government and Cold War fears
• Nicknamed the “Great Communicator” and the “Teflon” President
“Land of Confusion”
• Genesis - Land Of Confusion
Reagan (Continued)
• Foreign Policy– A serious “Cold Warrior”– Played up the rhetoric and tensions of the
cold war. In many ways undoing what had been done by Nixon’s Détente
– Strategic Defense Initiative or “Star Wars”– Iran-Contra affair
• Weapons to Iran via Israel• Hostages released• Money for Contras in Nicaragua
Reagan (FP-continued)
• Working with Mikhail Gorbachev, Margaret Thatcher (Iron Lady), Reagan’s tough talk will lead to diplomatic success
• The two leaders became very willing to discuss policies that would open the Soviet Union to the world
• Other political leaders of the time, such as Pope John Paul II, also were essential to the end of the Cold War
“Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall”
• "Remarks at the Brandenburg Gate on the 40th Anniversary of the Marshall Plan“
• "Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate..."
The End of the Cold War-Policies of Mikhail Gorbachev
• Glasnost and Perestroika– The policy of maximal publicity, openness, and
transparency in the activities of all government institutions in the Soviet Union, together with freedom of information, introduced by Gorbachev
– Overcoming the stagnation process, breaking down the braking mechanism, creating a dependable and effective mechanism for acceleration of social and economic progress and giving it greater dynamism
Reagan Domestic
• “Reaganomics” or trickle down economics
• Rise of homelessness
• A.I.D.S.
George H.W. Bush (41)
• Highs– Fall of the Berlin Wall– Persian Gulf War– The promise of “Thousands Points of
light” and a New World Order
• Lows– “Read my lips, no new taxes”– “It’s the Economy Stupid”
William Jefferson Clinton (1992-2000)
• “It’s the economy stupid”
• Ran country as social liberal but moderate on economic issues– Budget surplus– Welfare Reform
• Continued Conflicts with Iraq
• Monica Lewinsky
