The Conservative

Revolution

NIXON’S PRESIDENCY

• 1968 Democratic split opened door for Nixon

• Counterculture, civil rights movement, and war movements led many Americans to seek a ‘return to normalcy’

• Nixon elected with 43.4% of popular vote

• Nixon Doctrine

• Anticommunist Dollar Diplomacy

• Silent Majority Speech

Nixon felt he defended the Silent Majority (not the loud radicals)

Vietnamization• Military personnel in Vietnam• 1968:536,000• 1970:334,600• 1972:24,200• 1973:less than 250

• Pentagon Papers (1971)• Peace agreement signed in Paris in 1973• Senate rejects aid to South Vietnam in 1975 (it falls shortly after)

Détente• Nixon makes historic visit to China

• USSR & U.S. sign SALT I

• Kissinger works with Middle East

Watergate• Committee to Reelect the President orders break-in

• Cover-up begins

• Following re-election, Nixon orders CIA to obstruct investigation by FBI

• Woodward & Bernstein uncover truth

Watergate• Nixon loses Supreme Court case

• Nixon, avoiding impending impeachment & conviction, resigns in disgrace

Economic Recession (1974-1982)• Withdrawal in Vietnam

• Arab Oil Embargo & OPEC

• Rising Unemployment

• Inflation v. Stagflation

Caretaker Presidency of Gerald Ford• Pardon of Nixon

• Economic recession • Lost 1976 election

• Popular vote: 49.9% to 47.9%

• Electoral vote: 297 to 240

“Outsider to Insider” Jimmy

Carter• Camp David Accords

• Recession continues (second energy crisis)

• Soviets invade Afghanistan

• SALT II dies

• U.S. boycotts 1980 Summer Olympics

Jimmy Carter• Iran Hostage Crisis

Angry allowance of the shah into the U.S., Shiite protesters raided the embassy, taking 50 American hostages Following an

embarrassing failed rescue attempt, Sec. of State Vance resigned. The 444-day standoff ended on Reagan’s inauguration day.

The Reagan Revolution• “Are you better off today than you were four years ago?”

• Attack on New Deal, Fair Deal, Great Society

• Cut income taxes & government

• Increased defense spending

March 30, 1981

Reagan’s attempted assassination.

4 wounded, but Reagan became the only American president to survive an assassin’s bullet. It missed his heart by ¼ inch. Reagan firmly believed his life had been spared by God.

Reagan Revolution• Reaganomics

• Supply-side economics

• The Great Bull Market

Reagan Rebuilds the Military

“Vietnam Syndrome”--the fear of another war like Vietnam leads to the public desire to avoid foreign affairsReagan felt Carter and the Democrats were so afraid of a repeat of Vietnam they were oblivious to the USSR’s growing military power in the world

Negotiate with the USSR from a ‘position of strength’

Reagan Doctrine rolls back the Brezhnev Doctrine

B-1 BomberStealth planesF-15 FighterNuclear submarinesNew Aircraft CarriersMX Peacekeeper MissileTesla’s SDI InitiativeDefense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) created the original InternetSilicon Valley flourishes

effects1. Tripled national

debt2. Surpassed USSR

militarily3. Triggered

innovations of 1990s and beyond

4. Bankrupted USSR

The Space Race

“SDI is a policy that could end Moscow's ability to intimidate and blackmail the U.S. and the rest of the world.”—Hoover Institute

The Reagan Revolution & winning the Cold War• Evil Empire speech

• INF Treaty

Reagan Fires the Air Traffic Controllers

Under Taft-Hartley Act (1947), government workers were not allowed to strike

In August 1981, PATCO called for a strike

Reagan called it a challenge to national security

Reagan fired 11,325 of the 13,000 air traffic controllers in the U.S. and banned them from service for life

A defining moment of labor relations in U.S. history

“They are in violation of the law and if they do not report for work within 48 hours they have forfeited their jobs and will be terminated.”

Big Stick Diplomacy returnsGrenada (Oct. 25,

1983)7,600 Marines

overthrow communist government

Condemned by UK, Cuba, and UN

General Assembly

The United Nations voted 108-9 to condemn U.S. action--Reagan’s response:“it didn’t upset my breakfast at all.”

The reason for the invasion was to protect American medical students at St. George University. Today, Grenadians celebrate a national holiday in tribute to the invasion in November.

Reagan Orders the Bombing of Libya

Response to Libyan terrorist activities

Border dispute with Libya over Gulf of Sidra

18 F-111A warplanes flown to kill Gaddafi

60 Libyan casualties (including one infant), 2 U.S.

1989: Gulf of Sidra Incident

2002 agreement with U.S. (Bush)

“If necessary [we] shall do it again.”—Reagan (Apr. 1986)

Hispanic Timeline1880s—Mass Mexican migration to build SW RR1910-1920—Mexican Revolution causes mass immigration to find work and safety1917—Jones Act (grants US Citizenship to Puerto Ricans1929—Mass deportations (some US citizens) as labor surplus causes economic slowdown 1932—Benjamin Cardozo becomes first Hispanic named to US Supreme Court1942—Bracero Program begins (ends in 1964)1943—Zoot Suit Riots (10 days)1945—Mendez v. Westminster (CA school segregation case)1953-1958—Operation Wetback deports over 3.8 million Latin Americans (over 1 million Mexicans)1965—Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta found UFW

1965—Immigration Act of 1965 (removed race quotas)1974—Equal Educational Opportunity Act passed to allow more bilingual ed1986—Immigration Reform and Control Act (amnesty to millions of illegal aliens)1988—Reagan appoints Dr. Lauro Cavazos (first Latino in presidential cabinet)1994-1997—Prop 187 debate over services for illegal immigrants1994-2013—NAFTA and Mexican economic collapse leads to immigration of 13 million undocumented workers2003—Hispanics become dominant minority in USA

American Immigration HistoryColonialApproximately half million

immigrants came to America during period

Mostly Western European (African exception)

Over half were indentured servants1790 Act gave “free white persons”

naturalizationmid-19th Century Increased immigration began

in 18361820-1860 Two million Irish

immigrated (1.5 M during Potato Famine)Six times more Irish live in

USA than Ireland1840s American party (Know-

nothings) established14th Amendment granted

freedmen citizenshipPage Act of 1875

(“undesirables”) Chinese Exclusion Act

early 20th Century1836-1914 saw over 30 million

Europeans immigrate to USAPeaked in 1907 with 1,285,349

immigrants Immigration Act of 1924 sought to

restrict Southern and Eastern Europeans

Immigration declined until 1965post-19651965 Immigration and Nationality

Act ended race quotas established in 1920s legislation (immigration doubled between 1965-1970 and doubled again between 1970-1990

1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act (amnesty)

1994 NAFTA and Mexican economic collapse

More immigrants entered USA from 2000-2005 than any other time in American history

USA averages 1.1 million legal immigrants per year since 2000

Immigration Reform and Control Act

required employers to attest to their employees' immigration status.

made it illegal to knowingly hire or recruit unauthorized immigrants.

granted amnesty to certain seasonal agricultural illegal immigrants.

granted amnesty to illegal immigrants who entered the United States before January 1, 1982 and had resided there continuously.

The Reagan Revolution

Iran Contra Affair

another Watergate?

Eldridge Cleaver (1935-1998)

Radical to Conservative1966 – joined Black Panther Party1968 – ran for president as third-party candidate1968 – originally supposed to attend Democratic National Convention protest but exiled to Algeria 1970 – fell out with Huey Newton and left Panthers1975 – returned to the United States and abandoned radical past, receiving probation for past acts1983 – joined Mormon church and became staunch conservative until his death in 1998

Souls on Ice became scripture for the Black Power movement

Bush 41 Presidency• End of Cold War

• “read my lips, no new taxes!!”

• Persian Gulf War

• Economic recession

The New Democrat Bill

Clinton• NAFTA

• The balanced budget1992 election results

Clinton 43.3% (370)

Bush 37.7% (168)

Perot 19.0% (0)

The North American Free Trade Agreement was bitterly debated in the U.S. as the capitalists and protectionists fought over its merits

The Clinton Presidency• Aftermath of Cold War & Persian Gulf War

• Eastern Europe (Kosovo, Bosnia, Chechnya)

• Africa (Somalia, Rwanda)

• 1993 World Trade Center bombing, OK City bombing

• 1994 Midterm elections (Welfare & Healthcare Reform)

• Scandals

Bush 43• Debated election

• Bush 47.9% (271)

• Gore 48.4% (266)

• 9/11

• Afghanistan, War on Terror, Iraqi War

Obama 44-Return to New Deal Progressivism2006 – Democrats took

control of Congress for first time since 19952008 – Democrats increased majority in Senate to 60% and 59% in House2010 – Democrats lost dominant majority in Senate (53%) and had worst House election since 1890s (lost 62 seats)2012 – Obama wins re-election and Congress remains split