The Reagan Years

1. The Reagan Years 1981-1989

2. Before National Politics Goldwater speech 1964

3. New Deal Coalition Democratic South African-Americans Union members Urban North Immigrant/newer ethnic groups Farmers Reagan Coalition Midwest small towns Wealthiest Americans Hawks on foreign policy Blue Collar in North and Midwest (union and non-union) White Southerners Evangelicals Yuppies Realignment

4. 1980 Election • Republican Ronald Regan defeats Dem Jimmy Carter • Conservative Revolution • Polarizing figure • Great Orator

5. " The Afghan Mujaheddin are the moral equivalent of the Founding Fathers of America "

6. OLD Keynesian Economics “Demand Side” Economics New Deal NEW Chicago School “Supply Side” Economics Reaganomics (The Reagan Revolution) Economic Philosophy

7. Survives Assassination Attempt

8. Characteristics • “Trickle Down” Econ = supply-side • “Traditional American values” • Hard work, Family, God & patriotism • Wanted “smaller government” • Less taxes, less rules, less social programs (cuts to student loans, food stamps, mass transit)

9. Reaganomics • “Voodoo Economics?” • Cut Taxes (Especially for Wealthy) • Huge cuts to SOCIAL programs but increased DEFENSE budget spending = DEFICIT

10. Deregulation • Cut taxes & lessened rules for corporations • Ex. – Automobile Safety Regulations • Businesses supported his policies • Labor Unions opposed his policies • Inflation down, wages down, markets up, exports down • “Yuppies” v Middle Class

11. Economic Outcomes • Tried to balance Federal Budget but failed • Trade Deficit = more imports than exports • Gap grows between rich & poor

12. Important Events • Air Traffic Controllers Strike • Appointment of Sandra Day O’Connor to Supreme Court • Recession of 1981-82 • SDI = “Star Wars” • Reelected in ’84 • Mondale/Ferrara (1st WVP)

13. Sandra Day O’Connor

15. Strategic Defense Initiative Reagan’s SDI speech, March 23, 1983 From: http://www.milnet.com/pentagon/spacecom/sdi.gif

17. Other Issues & Terms • Crack-Cocaine • Crack babies • Inner-city epidemic • “Thousands Points of Light” • AIDS • Black Monday • Stock Market Crash – Oct 19, 1987

18. “War on Drugs” – Nancy Reagan, “Just Say No”

19. Civil Rights? • Vetoed sanctions on South Africa but overridden (Apartheid) • Opposed MLK Holiday but signedinto law

20. Student Rights…or lack there of • New Jersey v. TLO

21. Student Rights…or lack there of • Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier

22. Challenger 1986

23. I want my MTV

24. The Mets Win! The Mets Win!

25. Rising tide of terrorism (Pan-Am Flight 103)

26. Afghanistan Mujahadin

27. " The Afghan Mujaheddin are the moral equivalent of the Founding Fathers of America " Ronald Reagan

28. Speech to National Association of Evangelicals: “Evil Empire” speech, March 10, 1983 Reagan’s View of the USSR

29. The Ultimate Example • Berlin 1987 • (from 50 seconds)

30. 2. Viet Nam Syndrome • Fall of Saigon, April 29, 1975

31. Solution to Viet Nam Syndrome: Use Force • Libya 1981

32. Other foreign interventions • Grenada 83 – overthrow of communist regime by marines • Lebanon – Arab suicide bomber kills 63 Americans in Beirut, trucks bomber kills 200+ marines • Support for “friendly” right-wind dictators • Nicaragua – support for Contras over Sandinistas – Dems cut funding in 85 (Boland Amendment)

33. Continued • El Salvador – 5 Billion Dollars to Salvadoran death squads – 40,000 civilians killed including American missionaries

34. Grenada 1983

35. Beirut 1983

36. Solution to Communism: Reagan Doctrine Nicaragua Contras

37. Case Study of Reagan DoctrineNicaragua

38. Anastasio Somoza Pres. of Nicaragua Daniel Ortega, leader of the Sandinistas Revolution in Nicaragua

39. Contras

40. Iran-Contra Scandal • Iran-Iraq War • US sends weapons to “Contras” in Nicaragua • Used $ from sale of weapons to Iran • Colonel Oliver North • No proof of President's involvement ever found

41. Key Phrase of 2ndBoland Amendment: (1984-1986) • ''No funds available to the Central Intelligence Agency, the Department of Defense or any other agency or entity of the United States involved in intelligence activities may be obligated or expended for the purpose or which would have the effect of supporting, directly or indirectly, military or paramilitary operations in Nicaragua by any nation, group, organization, movement or individual.'‘ From: NY TIMES on line: http://www.nytimes.com/1987/07/16/world/iran-contra-hearings-text-of-key-amendment.html?pagewanted=1; For Excerpts and explanation, from US Government Accountability Office – GAO, http://redbook.gao.gov/14/fl0067296.php

42. The Iran Contra Scandal Contras Private US $ Foreign Gov’t $ $$$ Hostages weapons weapons Swiss bank accounts; controlled by North Iran US Israel

43. The Iran Contra Scandal Contras Private US $ Foreign Gov’t $ $$$ Hostages weapons weapons Swiss bank accounts; controlled by North Iran US Israel

45. Iran Contra • Comparison to other scandals • When Congress tries to restrain presidential actions • Ignore Congress • Reinterpret the law

46. Showdown w/ USSR • Increased Military Spending • Forced Soviet Union into arms race • Soviets run out of $ • Reagan & Gorbachev (Soviet Leader) sign Nuclear Arms Reduction Treaty (1987) • “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”

47. Political/Cultural Effects

49. Berlin Wall 1989

50. August 1991and the Fall of USSR Boris Yeltsin