From the “Age of Limits”

to the

Age of Reagan

Politics and Diplomacy After

Watergate

The Ford Custodianship•Gerald Ford takes over as president after Nixon

•Confidence must be rebuilt after Watergate

•Ford grants Nixon “a full, free, and absolute pardon”

•This hurts Ford’s popularity among citizens

•Ford attempts to curb inflation - rejects wage and price controls

•Supports high interest rates

•Opposes increasing federal spending

•Resists tax reductions while dealing w/ recession (1974/75)

•In the aftermath of the Arab oil embargo (1973), OPEC cartel began to raise oil prices by 400 percent in 1974 alone

•Inflation reaches 11 percent in 1976

•Late 1974 - Ford met with Leonid Brezhnev in Siberia

•Arms control accord is basis for SALT II

•Secretary of State Henry Kissinger

•Israel agrees to return large portions of Sinai to Egypt

•The two nations pledge not to resolve future conflicts by the use of force

Election of 1976

•Republicans - Gerald Ford

•Democrats - Jimmy Carter

•Former governor of Georgia

•Carter appeals to most people because of honesty & piety

•Carter wins with a narrow victory

•50% to 47.9% ; 297 to 240

The Trials of Jimmy Carter•Despite Carter’s intelligence, critics charged

that he provided no overall vision/direction to his government (major reforms)

•Raises public spending & cuts federal taxes

•Inflation rises because of energy prices imposed by OPEC

•Prices rise at well over 10 percent annual rate

•Summer of 1979 - Instability in Middle East produces second major fuel shortage; OPEC announces major price increase

•Carter retreats to Camp David, but later emerges to deliver a speech with a series of proposals for resolving energy crisis

Human Rights & National Interests

• Carter constantly spoke out about violations of human rights

• Greatest achievement is in peace between Israel & Egypt

• 1977 - Negotiations between Egyptian President Anwar Sata & Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin begin...

• September 1978 - Summit conference at Camp David

• March 26, 1979 - Formal peace treaty is signed

• Improvement in relations between China & Soviet Union

• December 15, 1978 - New SALT II arms control agreement

• Limits on long-range missiles, bombers, & nuclear warheads

The Year of the Hostages•U.S. provided political support/military aid to the

Shah of Iran in the efforts to combat Soviet expansion since the 1950’s

•1979 - Shah in trouble with citizens; many resent authoritarian tactics by which autocratic rule was maintained

•Revolution is sparked - the Shah flees in January 1979

•Power falls into the hands of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini

•Late October 1979 - the Shah arrives in NY to be treated for cancer

•November 4 - armed mob invades American embassy in Teheran and seizes diplomats/military personnel; demands the Shah’s return to Iran in exchange for freedom

•December 27, 1979 - Soviet troops invade Afghanistan, between the USSR & Iran

•The Soviet Union had been a power in Afghanistan for years (dominant since April 1978) when Marxist government with close ties to Kremlin were established

•The “gravest threat to world peace since WWII.” - Carter

•American participation in 1980 Summer Olympic Games in Moscow canceled

•SALT II withdrawn from Senate consideration

•Economic troubles & international crises create widespread anxiety, frustration, and anger aimed at U.S.

•President Carter’s reputation is lowered even more

The Rise of the New American

Rights

The Sunbelt and Its Politics•“Sunbelt” - term from political analyst Kevin

Phillips

•Region including Southeast, Southwest, and California

•Had highest population & shifted economical focus

•Ignited strong opposition towards governmental growth and various restrictions from strong populist values

•Sagebrush Rebellion - movement to regain control of federal land back to individual states

•Opposed restrictions on development

•Suburbanization fuels efforts for this movement

Religious Politics•1960’s - Assumptions that religion was “dead”

•Religious Revival - Church of Scientology, Unification Church of the Reverend Sun Myung Moon, & People’s Temple

•Evangelical Christianity - growth of middle class post-WWII

•1970’s - “Christian Right” becomes strong political force

•Moral Majority by Jerry Falwell attacks secular humanism

•Christian Coalition by Pat Robertson is similar

•Religion plays important role in politics, especially with different religions (Catholics, Mormons, & Evangelical Protestants)

The New Right•Movement begins in 1964 - Richard Viguerie takes 12,000 contributors from Barry Goldwater’s campaign

•By the 1970’s, conservatives are better-funded

•Ronald Reagan, former film actor

•Becomes governor of California - expresses ideas

•Challenges Ford in 1976, but loses when Ford drops Nelson Rockefeller

The Tax Revolt•Proposition 13 - Referendum question on rolling back property tax rates

•Howard Jarvis launches tax revolt in 1978 - tax revolts become more frequent

•Tax revolts halt growth of the federal government

•Had been a growing problem for more than thirty years

•No one wants to pay taxes, but weak economy causes rising taxes and tensions

The Campaign of 1980•Crisis in Afghanistan - Carter’s reputation dwindles

•Carter is “least popular president in history”

•Secures party nomination ONLY after defeating Sen. Edward Kennedy in primaries

•Republican Party nomination goes to Ronald Reagan

•Promises tax cuts & restoration of U.S. pride and strength

•Reagan is victorious with 51%; Carter receives 41%; John Anderson receives 7%

•During inauguration, Iran releases U.S. hostages for billions

The “Reagan Revolution”

The Reagan Coalition•Public’s disillusionment with Carter is in Reagan’s favor

•Corporate Elites - Reagan supports those against “antibusiness” government regulations

•Neo-conservatives - previously liberals/socialites, but later concerned with maintaining capitalism

•These two groups formed an uneasy alliance in 1980

•New Right supporters suspected eastern motives and goals

•Populist conservatives feared the loss of individual freedom with centralized power/influence

Reagan in the White House

•Reagan’s public image was highly admired

•The oldest man to serve as president

•Administrators remove pressures of office from him

•Was caught with “startling ignorance” of the nature of his own administration, but managed to ward this off with his appeal

“Supply-Side” Economics•“Reagan-omics” - Reagan reduces taxes to

benefit corporations and wealthy individuals

•Proposes $40 billion budget cut & 25% tax reduction

•De-regulation - government loses power from the easing of laws and regulations

•1982 - U.S. sinks into a severe recession (11% unemployment)

•Rapid Recovery - OPEC cartel weakens, “energy glut,” consumerist spending & investment increase

•Market grows, despite a crash in 1987

The Fiscal Crisis

•Reagan accumulates a mass debt in eight years

•Larger than the government had in its entire history

•1981 tax cuts contributed to the deficit

•Military spending was increased significantly

•“Discretionary” domestic spending is lowered - less benefits for the needy groups

Reagan and the World•Reagan opposes the Soviet Union - “evil empire”

•Strategic Defense Initiative (Star Wars) - lasers and satellites effective in shielding against missiles

•Reagan Doctrine - supports opponents of communism anywhere in the world, regardless of connection to Soviets

•Troops oust anti-American Marxist regime in Grenada

•Contras - guerilla movements against communism

•Struggles in Lebanon - Israeli army invades

•Terrorism rises from groups aiming to further political aims

The Election of 1984•Republican Party firmly commits to Reagan

•Democratic Party has Walter Mondale

•Chooses Geraldine Ferraro of New York as running mate

•First female candidate to appear on a national ticket

•Reagan emphasizes American revival

•Reagan wins 59%, carrying every state except Minnesota and the District of Columbia

•Democrats maintain control of the House of Representatives

America and the Waning of the Cold War

The Fall of the Soviet Union•Gorbachev’s two new initiatives:

•Glasnot (Openness) - dismantling repressive mechanisms

•Perestroika (Reform) - introduce elements of capitalism

•Severe economic problems - Soviet Union cannot sustain

•June 3, 1989 - Massacre in Tiananmen Square, Beijing

•Feb. 11, 1990 - South Africa rejects apartheid & legalizes ANC

•Nelson Mandela - first black president of South Africa (1994)

•August 1991 - Soviet Union dissolves

Reagan and Gorbachev

•1986 Summit Meeting in Reykjavik, Iceland - Gorbachev proposes reducing nuclear arsenals, but SDI stops Reagan

•1988 - After visiting each other’s capitals, a treaty eliminating U.S. and Soviet intermediate-range nuclear forces is signed

•Most significant arms control agreement of nuclear age

•Gorbachev ends Soviet military involvement in Afghanistan

The Fading of the Reagan Revolution

•EPA, CIA, and various departments suffer from various rumors of corruption

•Savings and Loan Industry Scandal

•November 1986 - White House admits to selling weapons to Iran as an attempt to free American hostages

•Money covertly/illegally funneled to aid contras in Nicaragua

•Widespread pattern of illegal covert activities exposed

The Election of 1988•Democratic Party - troubles in finding candidates

•Michael Dukasis is given nomination

•Vice President George Bush enters

•Democrats do not worry

•Republican Convention - Bush reveals campaign to be an attack on Dukasis (“most negative of 20th century”)

•Bush wins 54% of popular vote & 426 electoral votes

•Democrats retain secure majorities in Congress

The Bush Presidency•Dramatic developments in international affairs

•1988 - U.S. and Soviet Union move towards agreement

•Less success in domestic issues

•Debt and federal deficit

•Conflict with “no new taxes” promise and deficit reduction

•Multiyear “Budget Package” signed

•Recession is BAD

•Bankruptcies - fear, frustration, and pressure in problems

The First Gulf War•United States was the only real superpower in world

•U.S. turns to concentrating energies/resources domestically

•Power used to defend regional/economic interests

•1989 - Invasion of Panama to overthrow Manuel Noriega

•August 2, 1990 - Saddam Hussein (Iraq) takes Kuwait

•Bush decides to force Iraq out of Kuwait (UN growth)

•January 16, 1991 - U.S. and allies bombard Iraqi forces

•February 28 - Iraq accepts allied terms for cease-fire

The Election of 1992•Bush’s popularity reaches all-time high after war

•Fades as recession worsens

•Bill Clinton emerges as Democratic front-runner

•Ross Perot becomes independent candidate - promises tough, uncompromising leadership to deal with fiscal crisis

•Led during several moments, but withdrew...

•Then returned in October, regaining support

•Clinton wins with 43%; 370 electoral votes

•Democrats retain control of Congress