Chapter 30:The Conservative Ascendancy

AP United States HistoryWest Blocton High School

Mr. Logan Greene

Chapter Objectives• What economic and social issues led up to the

Reagan administration?• What economic and social changes occurred

during the Reagan administration?• What foreign policy measures did Reagan

employ in dealing with the Middle East and the Soviet Union?

The Troubled 70’s Economy• Much of the 1970s economic trouble

started with the Arab-Israeli war in 1973• Upon the war breaking out, OPEC began

an embargo of oil to all Israeli allies (including the US)

• As the embargo hit, prices rose across the board in rent and energy

• Nixon, and later Ford, responded by taking measures to lower US oil consumption

• However, the economy stagnated

Lean Years Presidents• The Presidencies of Ford and Carter

presided over a country dealing with a very depressed economy and a disillusioned citizenry

• Nixon’s destruction of trust, coupled with left over bad feelings from Vietnam left many American’s doubting the government

• Overall, both Ford and later Carter presided over quiet administrations with little legacies

New Urban Politics• The 1970s saw a rise in new political

forces in the cities• African-Americans made major gains in

many cities, particularly in the South• College towns saw an incredible rise in

now adult liberal political leaders from the former counter culture movement

• Affirmative Action led to many calls of Civil Rights turning into reverse racism

The Environment• By the 1970s the environment was in serious

danger due to lack of government regulation and oversight

• In 1979 disaster was narrowly averted at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant in Pennsylvania

• As well, in Love Canal, NY and the Everglades in Florida showed the effects of drastic toxic dumping

• Congress passed the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) to control the issues in 1970 and gave it more power as the decade grew

The New Right Conservatism• By the end of the 1970s, evangelical

Christians had become the center of the new Right and the money supporting the Republican Party

• This could be seen with the increasingly politician sermons of Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, and Jim Bakker

• The New Right was also supported by major corporations funding formerly liberal thinkers who blamed the 1960s for the “destruction” of the country

Anti-ERA, Antiabortion• The New Right focused on attacking the

passage of the new Equal Rights Amendment which stated “equality of rights shall not be abridged on account of sex”

• The New Right saw the amendment as a threat and mobilized conservatives to prevent its passing

• As well, Conservatives focused on attacking the legalization of abortion in Roe v. Wade

The Cold War Thaw• By the 1970s the budget of the military

was growing much faster than the economy

• The Helsinki Accords and the SALT 1 treaty showed the easing of Cold War tensions

• Despite issues in third world areas the Cold War was thawing

“Moral” Foreign Policy• Carter’s confessed inexperience in Foreign

Policy he reacted by guaranteeing a new “morality” in foreign policy

• Carter reformed the CIA, managed the Camp David Accords setting peace between Egypt and Israel, and negotiated the transition of the Panama Canal to Panama

• However, Carter mishandled issues in Nicaragua

• With the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan Carter ended détente and the idea of peace fell apart

The Iran Hostage Crisis• In November of 1979 Iranian

fundamentalists seized the US embassy in Tehran and held 52 American employees hostage

• The crisis lasted 444 days• Carter failed miserably in several

attempts to free the hostage

The 1980 Election• By the 1980 election Americans were

tired of Carter’s idealism and the Conservative Ascendency was in full swing

• Ronald Reagan, a former actor, won a landslide victory over Carter based mainly on his ability communicate his policies to the American people

Reaganomics• Reagan sought to complete a 180 degree turn in

US economic thought since the New Deal• Reaganomics depended on– Lower income taxes on persons and industry– Increase defense spending– Deregulate industry

• Reaganomics is supply side economics preaching an increase in supply and a cut in government spending (except for defense)

• The idea was to help the rich and watch the money “trickle down” to the middle and lower classes

Reaganomics• Reaganomics saw huge gains in big

business, industry, and the rich• However, spending on public works,

education, welfare, the environment, and research were nearly completely wiped out

• As well, defense spending hit a total of $2 trillion during the Reagan administration

• Unfortunately, scandals increased as big business was not regulated or kept in check

1984 Election• As Reagan entered the 1984 election

doubts existed due to his huge defense spending

• However, Reagan defeated Democrat Walter Mondale in every state except Minnesota and the District of Columbia

Economics• Overall Reaganomics had mixed results• However, Reagan’s biggest failing as President

came in the budget• Upon running for President in 1980 Reagan

promised to balance to the budget; however, he did the opposite as he inaugurated a new era of major deficit spending

• Under Reagan the national debt tripled from $914 Billion to $2.7 Trillion

• As well, the lack of regulation saw several scandals on the stock market break out

Celebration of Wealth• The uber-rich did very well during the Reagan

presidency• The ideals of the Reagan presidency became

apparent as money, status, and power became the goals for Americans

• The gap between rich and poor grew by huge numbers during the 1980s as the rich got richer and the poor got poorer

• Even popular culture focused on the rich with shows like Dallas and Dynasty showing lavish lifestyles

Two-Tier Society• The gap between rich and poor exploded

during the 1980s• As well, the gap between financial

success of the races exploded as overall African-Americans lost economic power

• As well, women lost a large amount of buying power as the wage gap between the sexes collapsed in the 1980s

Epidemics• The society of 1980s also dealt with several

epidemics• The new disease of AIDS began to be understood

as not simply a homosexual disease but an STD that can effect anyone

• Originally creating fear of anyone with the disease, by the late 1980s a better understanding of the disease led to a reduction in new cases

• Sadly homelessness increased dramatically as more people fell below the poverty line

• As well, an explosion in hard drugs such as cocaine and heroine appeared in the country

Foreign Policy• Reagan altered drastically the ideals of

détente and instead focused upon the Soviet Union as an “evil empire”

• Reagan’s SDI (Strategic Defense Initiative) of inventing satellites to shoot down rockets was not only ineffective and expensive but also angered the Soviets who saw it as a first strike advantage

The Reagan Doctrine• Reagan reinvigorated the strategy of the United

States intervening anywhere in the world to stop Communism

• The idea in the Western Hemisphere was that all problems in Central America were caused by Fidel Castro and the Communist government of Cuba

• Reagan’s administration interfered in Nicaragua and El Salvador with ugly results

• In Nicaragua the Reagan administration interfered through the Contras, or Nicaraguan exiles, by spending $19 million dollars to arm them

Iran-Contra• As the US continued to fight a secret war in

Nicaragua the CIA had to find a new way to send money

• Regan secretly opened talks with Iran• He agreed to sell arms to Iran in exchange for

help freeing hostages• This money was then used to fight in Nicaragua• The story broke and the administration was

investigated with Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North taking most of the blame

• Reagan and Bush’s roles were never fully discovered

Collapse of Communism• During the late 1980s the Soviet Union suffered

from major political change• By 1985 a new, milder Soviet leader emerged:

Mikhail Gorbachev• Gorbachev preached glasnost (openness) and

perestroika (restructuring of the economy)• Political change to mirror this economic change

proved revolutionary as the Berlin wall came down in November 1989

• By 1991 the Soviet Union had collapsed as Gorbachev resigned amidst a coup and democratic elections were held across the region

Chapter Objectives• What economic and social issues led up to the

Reagan administration?• What economic and social changes occurred

during the Reagan administration?• What foreign policy measures did Reagan

employ in dealing with the Middle East and the Soviet Union?