chapter 25 the conservative tide section 1 a conservative movement emerges

CHAPTER 25THE CONSERVATIVE

TIDESECTION 1A CONSERVATIVE MOVEMENT EMERGES

WHY A CONSERVATIVE SWING?• The New Right

– A group of conservatives who focused on social issues like opposing abortion, blocking the ERA, and evading bussing

• Conservative coalition– An alliance of business leaders, middle class

voters, disaffected democrats and fundamentalist Christian Groups

• Moral Majority– Founded by Jerry Falwell– Consisted mostly of evangelical and

fundamentalist Christians– Interpreted the Bible literally - absolute

standards of right and wrong– Condemned liberal attitudes and entitlement

programs

Conservative Policies under Reagan and Bush

Chapter 25, Section 2

Reaganomics

• Reagan won election of 1980 against Jimmy Carter

• New Economic Plan – Reaganomics–Budget cuts–Tax cuts– Increased defense spending

• Wanted to reduce size and influence of federal government–Encourage private investment

Budget Cuts

• Downsize federal govt through cutting out social programs–Save money–Did not effect middle class

entitlement programs• Congress slashed budget of

food stamps, mass transit, welfare, student loans

Tax Cuts• Supply-side economics

– If people pay less in taxes, they will save money (in theory)

–Banks could loan that money to businesses

–Businesses are the base of prosperity

• US Govt lowered income taxes by 25%

• “Trickle Down” Theory – more rebates to rich - $ would trickle down

Increased Defense Spending

• Reagan doubled the defense budget

• Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)–Defense system to protect

Americans from enemy missiles–Known as “Star Wars”–System would cost trillions of

dollars

Recession and Recovery

• Economy had sunk into recession–Worst since Great Depression

• 1983 – Economic upturn leads to recovery

National Debt Climbs

• Economy still had problems–Tax cuts helped the rich–Social welfare cuts hurt the poor

–Federal spending was larger than income – deficit

–National debt doubled during Reagan’s first term

Supreme Court

• Reagan nominated conservatives to Supreme Court–Sandra Day O’Connor–Antonin Scalia–Anthony Kennedy

• Bush continued the trend–David Souter–Clarence Thomas

ScaliaKennedy

O’Connor

Souter

Thomas

Supreme Court

• Conservative William Rehnquist was Chief Justice

• Ended liberal control of the court–Restricted abortion–Restricted civil rights–Narrowed rights of accused

Deregulation

• Deregulation – cutting back of federal regulations of industry–Reagan removed price controls on

oil–Eliminated federal health and

safety inspectors for nursing homes

–Deregulated savings and loan industry

• Increased competition and lowered prices for consumers

Deregulation

• Reagan cut the EPA’s budget• Government sold public land to

private developers• Opened continental shelf to

drilling–Risks?

• Cut timber in national forests

Election of 1984

• Reagan had a conservative coalition–Business – liked deregulation–Southerners – liked small fed. govt–Westerners – liked less environ.

restrictions–Reagan Democrats – Dem. too

liberal• 1984 – Reagan/Bush v. Walter

Mondale/Geraldine Ferraro • Reagan won by a landslide

Election of 1988• George Bush (Reagan’s VP) v.

Michael Dukakis (Gov. of Mass.)• Economy was strong –no reason

for change• Bush was part of moral majority• Bush – “no new taxes”• Bush ran negative ads – low

voter turnout• Bush wins…53% of vote

Ch. 25 Sec. 3 Social Concerns 1980’s

• AIDS• Drug Abuse• Abortion• Education

Health Issues 1980’s• AIDS (Acquired Immune

Deficiency Syndrome)• Abortion – Roe v Wade 1973

–Pro-life–Pro-choice–Webster v Reproductive Health Care Services(States had the right to impose restrictions on abortion.)

Drug Abuse• War on Drugs• Nancy Reagan’s anti- drug

campaign“Just Say no!” to drugs

“This is your brain on drugs.”

Education 1980’s• A Federal Commission issued a report in 1983 called A Nation at Risk

• 23 million Americans were unable to fill out a job application or follow an instruction manual

• School Vouchers were introduced “America 2000”

Urban Crisis• Flight to the suburbs hurt the inner city

• High Unemployment• Homelessness• Crumbling Infrastructure• Lack of health services• Deteriorating Schools

LA Riots 1992• Rodney King was beaten by four

white police officers after a car chase

• Officers were found not guilty• South Central rioted for five

days, 53 killed

Equal Rights 1980’s• ERA failed ratification in 1982• 47 women were elected to the

HOR in 1992• 6 women in the US Senate• 2 women in Reagan’s cabinet• Pay Equality was fought for by

women’s organizations

Geraldine Ferrero Elizabeth Dole

Fight for Rights• African American Mayors of many big

cities– 1992 L. Douglas Wilder became the

Governor of VA– Jesse Jackson ran for President in 1984

and 1988– Many African Am. Also served as

sheriffs, school board member, state legislators, and members of Congress

Gains for Latinos• 1988 Lauro Cavazos was appointed Sec. of Ed.

• 1990 Dr. Antonia Coello Novello was appointed Surgeon General

Native Americans Speak Out• Aid was slashed to Native

Americans for health, education and other services

• Native American campaigned for gambling casinos as a source of revenue

Asian American Population• Were the second fastest

growing minority population in the US

• By 1992 the Asian American Population was 8.3 million.

Advances in Gay Rights• In the 1980’s gay rights groups

fought for civil rights• Direct Action groups called for

an end to anti-gay discrimination.

• By 1993, 7 states and 110 communities outlawed anti-gay discrimination

Ch. 25 Sec. 4 Foreign Policy After the Cold War

The Cold War Ends• March 1985 –

Mikhail Gorbachev became General Secretary of the USSR

• Glasnost – “Openness”– Criticism of the

USSR– Freedom of the

PressPerestrokia – Restructuring of The Soviet Economy

Relations with the US• Summits with President Reagan• INF Treaty –Intermediate-Range

Nuclear Forces Treaty• Eliminated two classes of

weapons and allowed on site inspections

Decline of the USSR• In Dec. 1991 14 republics

declared independence from the USSR

• Gorbachev lost power , the USSR ended

• CIS (Common Wealth of Independent States) was established

• Boris Yeltsin new leader of Russia, START IIsigned

Collapse of Communism• Nov. 9th , 1989 East Germany

opened the Berlin Wall• Oct., 1990 Germany united• Czechoslovakia divided, Latvia,

Estonia, and Lithuania became independent

• Hungary, Bulgaria, and Romania transitioned from communism

• Yugoslavia collapsed, igniting a brutal war among Muslims, Orthodox Serbs, and Catholic Croats

Tiananmen Square• Student in China demanded

freedom of speech and a voice in gov.

• April 1989, Students held marches in Beijing and other cities

• The PLA (People's Liberation Army) under the order of

Li Peng crushed the protestors

“Goddess of Democracy”

Nicaragua• US Marines left in 1933, but left

a dictator, Anastasio Somoza in power

• Between 1977-79 The Sandinistas take control

• Reagan viewed the Sandinistas as a communist threat

• The US supported the Contras with CIA training and weapons

• The Boland Amendment banned aid to the Contras for two years

Grenada• In 1983 Reagan sent in 2,000 US Marines to overthrow a Pro-Cuban government and rescue US citizens

• 18 US solders were killed

Panama• In 1989 Pres. Bush sent 20,000

soldiers to overthrow and arrest General Manuel Noriega on charges of international drug-trafficking

Iran-Contra Scandal• In 1985 seven Americans were

taken hostage in Lebanon by Pro- Iranian group

• President Reagan approved the sale of arms to Iran in exchange for the hostages release

• National Security Council Aid Colonel Oliver North had diverted millions in profits from the arms sale to the Anti- communist Contras fighting in Nicaragua

The Persian Gulf War

• On Aug. 2nd, 1990- Iraq led by Saddam Hussein invaded the oil rich nation of Kuwait

• Saddam then looked to Saudi Arabia• Pres. Bush organized an international coalition

and with the support of the UN and Congress launched Operation Desert Storm

• On Jan 16th, 1991 the air war began, in February the ground war began --Led by “Stormin”Norman Schwarzkopf

• Kuwait was liberated, Iraq was weakened• Less than 400 American casualties, but Gulf War

Syndrome?

Bush’s Domestic Policies

Rising deficitsRecession – 1990-1992

Bush was forced to raise taxes despite pledge (read my lips…)

Approval rating droppedDoomed for reelection