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?