Chapter 26Resurgence: 1981-1992

The Reagan Revolution

1980 Reagan ElectedReagan years mark

a shift in leadership, policies, and attitude.

Confident Leadership

Restoring public faith in the White House

Limited GovernmentStand firm against

Communism

Inauguration, January 1981

Reagan RevolutionAmericans must be strong.

Ameri cans must be free.

Reagan RevolutionStand strong against communism.Reduce the size of the federal

government.

Military Parade in Red Square, Moscow

Reaganomics“Supply-side Economics” – lower inflated

prices by producing more goods.

ReaganomicsMake government smaller - cut taxes!

Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981 (25% cut)Reduce government regulations on

businesses so they can grow.

Reaganomics“Trickle-down Economics” – If businesses are

prosperous, they will hire workers who will also become prosperous. Prosperity trickles down from the entrepreneurs to the workers.

ReaganomicsBudget cutsDemocrat-controlled congress opposed

Reagan.“Safety net” programs got cut. AFDCJob training programs for the low incomeHomelessness increasedDrug addiction

Increased defense spending

ReaganomicsTax cuts + Increases in defense spending +

Unwillingness of Congress to make meaningful budget cuts = HUGE DEFICIT PROBLEM

Growing national debtNational Debt in 1979: $834,000,000,000National Debt in 1990: $2,300,000,000,000

The debt almost quadrupled in 10 years.

FYIOn January 20, 2009, the national debt was

10,600,000,000,000.On April 18, 2013, the national debt was

16,700,000,000,000.On April 28, 2014, the national debt was

17,551,000,000,000

ReaganomicsGramm-Rudman Act – required the federal

government to have a balanced budget or automatic spending cuts would be triggered.

Part of the act was found unconstitutional and the act had no long-term impact on reducing the budget deficit.

Senator Phil Gramm of Texas

ReaganomicsThe recession from the Carter administration

continued into the Reagan presidency. Although Reagan decided to allow the

government to raise taxes on businesses, the economy improved by 1983.

Boom time: low unemployment, low interest rates, low oil prices. (Houston went bust.)

Housing market and per capita income grew.

Reagan DoctrinePost-Vietnam paralysis – “Never again.” “Not

another Vietnam.”Soviet invasion of AfghanistanCommunist revolutions in

Latin America

To contain or not to contain?

Reagan DoctrineReagan: The Soviet Union is an “evil empire.”

Genocide in AfghanistanSoviets down KAL 007 passenger airliner in

1983U.S. Army major murdered in East Germany

1985

Reagan’s “Evil Empire” speech http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=do0x-Egc6oA

Reagan DoctrineThe Reagan Doctrine pledged America’s support to insurgent groups battling Communist governments in the Third World.

State of the Union 1985 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F25jYyU1u1o

What is the “Third World?”First World – U.S. and its alliesSecond World – U.S.S.R. and its alliesThird World – everyone elseThe under-developed nations of the world,

especially those with widespread poverty, particularly in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

The modern term is “developing nations.”

Cold War Battleground: Central AmericaEl Salvador: U.S. supported the democratic

government while the Soviets and Cubans backed communist guerillas trying to overthrow the government.

Cold War Battleground: Central AmericaNicaragua: Communist Sandinista

government supplying aid to communist rebels in El Salvador.

U.S. supported the anti-Sandinistas called Contras.

The Democrat-controlled Congress opposed helping the anti-communist forces and wanted to foster stability in the region by compromising with the Sandinistas (communists).

The Democrats wanted to send economic aid to the region instead.

Cold War Battleground: Central AmericaGranada: Communist country used as a

fueling station for Cuba in its support for the communist war in Africa.

An even more strict communist government came to power.

Reagan sent in the U.S. military to evacuate American medical students and to toss the communists out of power.

Cold War Battleground: AngolaCubans were supporting a Communist regime

against anti-communist forces trying to overthrow Angola.

U.S. sent supplies.Cubans withdrew in 1988.

Cold War Battleground:AfghanistanSoviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979.Mujahideen was the guerilla forces fighting

communism.Brutal war: Total warfare. (page 626)Reagan supplied Mujahideen with stinger

missiles and advisors.After 10 years of battling the fierce

Mujahideen, the Soviets withdrew. Some said it was the “Soviet Vietnam.”

Soviet helicopter attack on a camel caravan

Mujahideen

Middle East: Lebanon

Civil War among various internal factions and neighboring Syria and the PLO.

PLO is threatening to attack Israel from Lebanon.

Israel attacks Lebanon 1982.Very tense.Reagan sends troops to “keep the peace.”

Middle East: LebanonThe U.S. “peace-keepers” were viewed as

allies of Israel by the Arabs, so they attacked the Americans.

The U.S. began shooting back.10/23/1983 – car bomb hits U.S. marines

barracks at Beirut airport, killing 241 Marines.

U.S. withdrew from Lebanon.

Middle EastArab terrorists took U.S. civilians hostage:

teachers, journalists.Achille Lauro – Italian cruise ship hijacked by

five Palestinian terrorists. They murdered a handicapped American Jew named Leon Klinghoffer.

Achille Lauro

1986 Disco bombing in Germany in which American servicemen are killed. Libya responsible?

U.S. bombs Tripoli, Libya, killing about 100 people.

La Belle Disco bombing, 1986

Libya’s Muhammar Qadaffi

Pan Am Flight 103Exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland on Dec.

21, 1988 after takeoff from London. Suspect: Libya’s Muammar al-GaddafiOn 22 February 2011 during the

Libyan protests, the ex Minister of Justice Mustafa Mohamed Abud Al Jeleil stated in an interview with the Swedish newspaper Expressen that Muammar al-Gaddafi had personally ordered the bombing.

259 passengers and crew and 11 people on the ground in Lockerbie died.

Four More YearsReagan wins re-election

in a landslide in 1984.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fy-uhxiXcE

Cold War ThawEconomy has

improved.Focus turns to

foreign policy.

Soviet Leadership:Leonid Breshnev

died 1982.Yuri Andropov died

in 1984.Konstantine

Chernenko died in 1985.

Mikhail Gorbachev takes over in 1985.

Mikhail GorbachevSoviet economy in

troubleArmy in trouble in

AfghanistanPerestroika –

“restructuring” of the Soviet economy

Glasnost – new “openness” of Soviet society

Yevgeny Yevchenko’s Half MeasuresPerestroika was a

series of half measures which raised expectations rather than improving the economy and the lives of everyday Russians. Therefore, it wasn’t successful.

Glasnost gave people under communism a taste of freedom, and they wanted more.

Tear Down This Wall!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZNttC-xC

MA

Soviet MeltdownPeople under Soviet dominion began to

rumble with nationalism and the desire for independence.

The Soviets under Gorbachev exercised restraint and Communist governments began to fall all over Central Europe in 1989. (no use of force)

East and West Germany were united in 1990. It had been unthinkable just a couple of years before.

The Soviet republics broke away and the Soviet Union was an entity no more.

Nuclear Arms ReductionSTART (Strategic Arms Reduction) – long

range missilesINF (Intermediate Nuclear Forces) Treaty –

intermediate range missiles

ICBM in a silo

Strategic Defense InitiativeSDI, aka “Star Wars” – a space-based missile

defense system (a space shield against inbound ICBMs)

ExpensiveGorbachev feared it.Reagan insisted on it.Soviets could not afford to compete in the

arms race any longer.

Iran-Contra ScandalReagan had always taken a strong position

that the U.S. did NOT negotiate with terrorists.

Iran-Contra ScandalRemember the

civilian hostages in Lebanon?

Intelligence agents arranged a deal to sell arms to Iran (in its war with Iraq 1980s), and in exchange Iran would secure the release of the American hostages in Lebanon.

Lt. Col. Oliver North

Iran-Contra ScandalHow do the Contras

in Nicaragua figure into this deal?

Congress had passed a law (Boland Amendment) that said NO FUNDING to the Contras fighting the communists in Nicaragua.

Nicaraguan Contras “Anti-communists”

Iran-Contra ScandalThe intelligence

agents who cut the deal with Iran used the profits from the sell of weapons to Iran to supply military aid to the Contras in Nicaragua in violation of the Boland Amendment.

Iran-Contra ScandalThis scandal tainted the Reagan presidency.

Two minute cartoon satirizing the Iran-Contra Scandal

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QikSorPak6M

What sarcasm do you see in this? What are the references to?

Crash Course - Reaganhttps://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=2h4DkpFP_aw&list=PL8dPuuaLjXtMwmepBjTSG593eG7ObzO7s

1988 ElectionRepublican Candidates

V.P. George Herbert Walker BushConservative Congressman Jack Kemp of New

YorkPat Robertson of the Religious RightSenator Bob Dole of KansasFormer Secretary of State Alexander HaigFormer Sec of Defense Donald Rumsfeld

1988 ElectionDemocrat CandidatesMass. Governor Michael DukakisCivil rights leader Jesse JacksonU.S. senator from Tennessee Albert GoreMissouri congressman Dick GephardtSenator Paul Simon of IllinoisFormer U.S. Senator Gary Hart of ColoradoFormer Gov. of Arizona Bruce BabbittSenator Joe Biden of Delaware

1988 ElectionLibertarian CandidateCongressman Ron Paul of Texas

General ElectionDemocrat Nominee:

Michael Dukakis, running mate Senator Lloyd Bentsen of Texas

Republican Nominee:Vice President George Herbert Walker Bush, running mate Senator Dan Quayle of Indiana

Libertarian Nominee:Congressman Ron Paul of Texas

Outcome

Bush and Quayle

The Bush Presidency1988-1992

Bush and Quayle

George Herbert Walker Bush (41)Inherited problems of economic decline and

foreign challenge.

Problems at HomeSavings and Loan Crisis & Scandal

Risky investmentsGovernment funded bailoutPolitical favors: Campaign contributions in

exchange for dropping investigation of S&Ls.Lincoln Savings & Loan

Keating Five: Sen Don Riegle, Dennis DeConcini, Alan Cranston, John Glenn, John McCain

Americans with Disabilities ActADAProhibits job discrimination based on

disabilitiesCostly to business because they had to install

handicapped accessible facilities.Unfunded Mandate

“Read my lips…”https://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MW44jsYi0g

President George H.W. Bush had campaigned on a promise not to raise taxes.

Budget deficitsPressure from DemocratsHe gave in and allowed tax increases to help

control the federal deficit.Voters saw him as a man who had broken his

word.

Fall of the Iron CurtainThe Cold War ends with the fall of

communism.Soviet Republics break away to form

independent republics.Eastern Bloc nations turn toward

democratically elected governments.Many are still quite socialist in nature, but

the people now have a voice.More economic freedom and political

freedom.

War in Iraq 1992Iraq under Saddam Hussein attacked

neighboring Kuwait to seize its territory and petroleum. (Aug 1991)

He was moving on Saudi Arabia.Large oil deposits supplying the world would

be under Hussein’s control.G.W. Bush: “This shall not stand.”

War in Iraq 1992Operation Desert Shield: Defend Saudi

ArabiaNote: This upset many Muslims that foreign

forces were on the soil of their holy lands near Mecca and Medina.

War in Iraq 1992UN votes to push Iraq out of Kuwait.Ultimatum given: Withdraw by Jan. 15, 1992.Congress gives approval to use U.S. forces.

Operation Desert StormBegins with air strikes on January 16, 1992.Iraq launched Scud missiles into Israel.Fear of chemical and biological weapons.Apparently Iraq never used them (?)Israel used restraint and did not respond

which would have caused other Arab countries to side with Iraq against Israel.

Bush Speech & War Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFrnQHaQWoA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neDgVb9YHcA&feature=related shock & awe

Operation Desert StormFive-week massive 24/7 bombing campaign.Ground attack begins February 24, 1992.After about 100 hours most Iraqi forces

surrender.Kuwait is liberated from the Iraqis.Saudi Arabia is no longer under threat.The war stops.

Should the UN/US have pushed its way into Baghdad to topple the government of Saddam Hussein?

President Bush said “No.”That was not the mission given by the U.S.

Congress and the U.N.The mission given had been accomplished.An attack on Baghdad would have meant

urban warfare.

Saddam Hussein still ruled Iraq.He attacked people who had helped the

UN/US forces, especially the Kurds in northern Iraq.

A no-fly zone was enforced over Iraq for the next decade.

UN inspectors were supposed to inspect Iraqi weapons facilities, but they were never sure whether they saw everything.

Saddam Hussein was uncooperative with the inspectors.

Gulf War SyndromeMany Gulf War veterans (60K-500K) reported

being sick after returning from the war.Muscle & joint pain, memory loss, headaches,

sleep disorders.Low-level exposure to chemical weapons?Pesticides?Vaccines?Oil well smoke?

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

1992 ElectionBush had the war victory.But the economy went into recession.Bill Clinton challenged Bush.

“It’s the economy, stupid.”

1992 ElectionClinton billed himself as a “New Democrat.”

End high taxes and free spending of the Democrats

An easy communicator with great personal appeal.

Everyone who met him liked him.

Bill ClintonGovernor of Arkansas

Accusations of sexual misconductMarijuana use in collegePossible corrupt financial transactions (White

Water Land Development deal)

Ross PerotTexas BusinessmanElectronic Data Systems (EDS)Folk heroRan as independent and pulled votes from

Bush.

Outcome of 1992 ElectionBill Clinton – 43%George H.W. Bush – 37%Ross Perot – 19%