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The Late Cold War and Modern Politics. Unit 13. Nixon, Ford, and Carter: Nixon and Detente. Richard Nixon was elected president in 1968 after the controversy in the Democratic Party. Most remember Nixon for his foreign policy.
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Nixon, Ford, and Carter:Nixon and Detente • Richard Nixon was elected president in 1968 after the controversy in the Democratic Party. • Most remember Nixon for his foreign policy. • Nixon took on a new approach dealing with the USSR and China called detente. • Nixon sought to use diplomacy rather than intimidation to ease tensions that existed between the US and communist nations. • Nixon was the first to recognize communist China and even visited the country.
Nixon • Nixon knew that China and the USSR did not see things the same way, and could use this to his advantage bargaining with the USSR. • In 1972 Nixon was successful by getting Leonid Brezhnev to agree to SALT I. • This treaty limited the development of certain nuclear weapons and was a diplomatic triumph for Nixon.
Domestic Policies and Issues • Nixon wanted to implement this idea of Conservatism. Cut government programs and spending to give more back to the states (people). • Nixon wanted to slow the aggressive nature of the civil rights legislation, and advocate a middle road between both sides. • Nixon was also able to make changes by adding Supreme Court justices in vacant spots.
Civil Rights and Affirmative Action • Swann v. Charlotte-Mcklenburg Board of Education: the court tackled the issue of school busing (allowing students to attend schools outside of their district to forgo racial integration). • The supreme court agreed with lower courts that voluntary integration was not working, but could work by integrating busing. • Affirmative action was a policy aimed at increasing minority representation in the workplace, educational institutions, social settings, and etc. by imposing guidelines requiring the hiring or acceptance of minority candidates, or by actively pursuing the recruitment of such candidates.
Response to Affirmative Action • Many feel that Affirmative Action was “reverse discrimination”, meaning that it unfairly denies opportunities to qualified whites in favor of less qualified minority candidates. • The ruling of Affirmative Action came in 1978 in the case of Regents of UC v. Bakke. • In 1973 and 1974, a thirty-five-year-old white male named Allan Bakke applied to medical school at the University of California at Davis. • He was not accepted either time causing Bakke to sue UC Davis. • The supreme court ruled that while race could be used as a consideration in admission, the institution of racial quotas is a violation of the 14th amendment.
The Economy • Economically, Nixon had to deal with a recession that featured a rare economic occurrence called stagflation. • This meant that both inflation and unemployment were rising in the United States, creating and economic nightmare. • Nixon attempted to use price and wage controls, and a tax increase that was blocked by Congress. • He also asked the Federal Reserve to increase interest rates, causing the stock market to collapse.
Economy cont. • Problem’s worsened in 1973 when Egypt and Syria imposed an oil embargo because of the US backing Israel. • As a result US citizens sat in long lines waiting to pay high prices for the tiny bit of gas that was available. • OPEC lifted the embargo after only a few months.
Roe v. Wade • With the death of the Equal Rights Amendment, many cheered what they saw as a great victory in the case Roe v. Wade. • Prior to 1973, states could outlaw or restrict abortions during a woman’s pregnancy. • Citing an implied right to privacy, the Supreme Court ruled state laws restricting a woman’s right to an abortion during the first three months of pregnancy to be unconstitutional.
Watergate • Nixon won re-election in 1972, but war protest and social unrest left Nixon fearing the possibility of political conspiracies. • Nixon had not known about the plan; but he did participate in the cover-up. • Bob Woodard and Carl Bernstein pursued the Watergate story and played a major role in revealing how high up the scandal went. • In 1973, the US Senate formed a committee to investigate the Watergate Scandal.
Watergate cont. • Key pints in the hearings came when the president’s personal counsel, John Dean, testified that Nixon knew about the cover-up. • Later it was also revealed that conversations had been taped in the oval office. • The Supreme Court would force Nixon to give up the tapes. • When charges of impeachment were drawn against Nixon he resigned as President.
Gerald Ford • Many hoped that controversy in the White House was over once Gerald Ford took office. • Ford was the first person to hold the office of president without being elected vice-president, or president. • Many were upset with Ford though after he pardoned Nixon of any crimes committed while president. • To attack stagflation Ford introduced WIN(Whip Inflation Now). • This called for US citizens to practice conservation much like that during WWII. • The program fell short, however, and soon faded away.
Gerald Ford Only man to hold office of vice-president and president without being elected to either office.
Jimmy Carter • Carter ran his 1976 campaign as a Washington foreigner, who had not been corrupted by national politics. • Carter would soon find out the difficulties of the presidency. • Carter tried to implement SALT II further limiting the production of nuclear arms, but this died with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. • Carter would implement a grain embargo on the USSR, and chose to boycott the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow.
Carter cont. • Carter had success however with his Camp David Accords. • Carter was successful in getting the leaders of Israel and Egypt to sit down and work out a peace deal. • This led to controversial relations with other Arabic countries in the Middle East. • The Camp David Accords called for a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt, Israel would withdraw from territories taken during the Yom Kippur War.
Iranian Hostage Crisis • In 1979 a revolution in Iran caused the Shah to flee Iran. • In replacement a government based on strict Muslim law and led by an Islamic cleric known as the Ayatollah Khomeini took over the country. • When president Carter allowed the Shah into the United States for a medical procedure, a mob attacked the US Embassy in Tehran and took those inside hostage. • Iranians demanded the Shah be handed over, starting the Iranian Hostage Crisis. • The hostages would remain in Iranian control until after the 1980 election.
The Election of 1980 • Public appeal for the president was low. • The USSR still had a presence in Afghanistan. • The Camp David Accords had created some peace, but Carter could not overcome the anger and discontent felt by Americans. • Ronald Regan easily defeated Carter to become the fortieth president of the United States.
The Conservative Giant • Reagan was able to use the dislike for Carter to propel himself into the presidency. • Reagan was a strong supporter of Barry Goldwater and the ideas of conservatism. • Reagan opposed high taxes, government spending, and numerous federal social programs. • “Government is not the solution to our problems, it is our problem.”
“Reaganomics” • Reagan believed that the economy would be stimulated and would recover quickest if the supply of goods increased. • He backed policies and supported corporate tax cuts designed to benefit producers. • The trickle down theory believed that benefits felt by business owners would eventually “trickle down” to consumers.
Reaganomic Shortfalls • Reagan first sought to reduce the size and role of the government. • Second he felt the US military needed to be built up and strengthened. • The massive spending combined with less revenue from taxes contributed to a record national det.
Reagan and the “Evil Empire” • Reagan originally referred to the USSR as the “Evil Empire”. • Reagan finally got a chance to discuss diplomatic relations with the USSR when Mikhal Gorbachev took over as President in Russia. • Reagan knew the Soviet Union could not continue the arms race, so he sought to reduce and remove missile power around the world. • In 1987, Reagan and Gorbachev signed the INF Treaty, which reduced the number of US and Soviet missiles in Europe.
Iron Curtain Comes Down • Gorbachev knew the Soviets economy could not sustain an arms race anymore so he initiated glasnost (political openess) and perestroika (a restructuring allowing limited free enterprise). • These changes along with the collapse of other communist nations in Eastern Europe paved the way for the fall of the Iron Curtain. • November 9, 1989 East Germany finally announced that people could move freely between Eastern and Western Europe. • This along with the falling of the Berlin Wall marked the ending of the Cold War.
Iran-Contra Scandal • The U.S. was concerned about the spread of communism in Central America. • This was no more evident than in the 1980’s in Nicaragua. • Nicaragua was ruled by a pro-Soviet government known as the Sandinistas. • To counter the Sandinistas, the U.S. began training Nicaraguan rebels known as the Contras. • Congress cut off funding when it learned of these operations.
Iran-Contra Scandal cont. • In exchange for prisoners in Lebanon, the US arranged to secretly sell arms to Iran. • The profits used were then used to fund and support the Contras. • When this became public Marine Colonel Oliver North took the blame for the Iran-Contra Scandal. • Eventually Reagan would take responsibility, but also claimed he knew little of the situation.
The “Great Communicator” • Reagan’s positive attitude and patriotic vision of the US as the greatest nation on earth strongly appealed to citizens. • His conservative values and hard-line approach to the Cold War attracted many who blamed the radicalism of the 1960’s and 70’s for many of the nation’s woes and foreign policy failures. • With his success Reagan was given the nickname, “the Great Communicator”.
George H.W. Bush and the Persian Gulf War • In 1990, Iraq’s leader, Saddam Hussein, invaded the neighboring country of Kuwait. • Bush was able to coordinate an alliance of 28 countries, through the UN, that took military action against Iraq after Saddam refused to withdraw back across the Iraqi border. • The war lasted only 42 days and resulted in the liberation of Kuwait.
Election of 1992 • George H.W. Bush’s approval had began to drop after the success of Desert Storm. • The president’s foreign policy success was quickly forgotten as the economy took a downturn. • Using this economic difficulty, the Democrats were able to get Bill Clinton elected. • Clinton sought to improve government programs.
Clinton Presidency • NAFTA: This program opened a free trade system between the United States, Canada, and Mexico. • The major argument over NAFTA was whether or not it would steal jobs from the United States. • Others blamed unions, not the government for problems in the Economy. • Meanwhile, unions and their supporters often responded that regulations are necessary to maintain fair and just labor practicies.
Health Care • Clinton was disturbed that nearly 40 million citizens still had no medical insurance. • Clinton ended up presenting a plan that called for government-supervised health insurance programs that guaranteed affordable health care to everyone. • This was rejected by congress.
Showdowns with Congress and a Second Term • One obstacle that Clinton faced was a Republican-led Congress. • Newt Gingrich was a staunch conservative who instituted the “contract with America”. • The Republican led Congress would have a showdown in 1995 over proposed budget. • This would help propel Clinton into re-election in 1997.
Scandal and Impeachment • Clinton also faced scrutiny with his escapades. • Clinton was accused of having sexual relations with a young white house aid. • Clinton was also accused of lying under oath . • Charges of impeachment would be brought forth, but Clinton was saved without a majority vote in Congress.
Presidential Election of 2000 • Was the closest election to date. • Election was between Democratic candidate Al Gore and Republican candidate George W. Bush. • Florida had 25 electoral votes, whoever won Florida won the election. • Because of a voting irregularity, some of the votes cast for Pat Buchanan were actually supposed to be for Gore. • On December 12, 2000, the United States Supreme Court voted 5-4 to stop any further recounts. • Gore had to concede the election to Bush.
The Middle East and the Rise of Terrorism • Terrorism was on the rise in the 1990’s and moving into the 2000’s. • The World Trade Center parking deck had been bombed, and one of the leading terrorist was Osama Bin Laden. • Bin Laden lead an organization called Al-Qaeda. • Bin Laden had offered to use his militant forces for Saudi Arabia during the Persian Gulf War, but instead the Saudi government went with the United States. • This infuriated Bin Laden, driving his hatred even further for the United States.
Terrorism Cont. • The largest terrorist attack would come however on September 11, 2001. • Two airplanes were flown into the World Trade Center, one plane into the Pentagon, and another taken down in a field in Pennsylvania. • The shook the nation’s sense of national security. • After the attacks president George W. Bush declared a “War on Terror”.
Bush’s Response • In response president bush established the Department of Homeland Security, to try and protect and prevent further terrorist attacks. • President Bush also passed the Patriot Act, increasing authority of US law enforcement agencies and allowing them greater latitude in obtaining information (wire tapping).
Operation Enduring Freedom • Troops from a number of nations worked with Afghani insurgents to carry out the operation, but it was commanded by the US Military. • Within weeks, the invasion succeeded in toppling the Taliban and making it impossible for Al-Qaeda to train and plan its operations.
War in Iraq • The second part of this war on terror was to remove Saddam Hussein from power. • Bush along with U.S. intelligence believed Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. • After further investigation, with many interferences, Bush ordered Saddam to step down from power. • Many believed that Saddam had ties with terrorist organizations, and felt a leader of this nature needed to be removed from power.
Result of Iraq War • Saddam Hussein was removed from power, and a pro-democratic government was established. • Since the end of the war several elections have taken place in Iraq, and it seems that the pro-democratic form of government is being successful.
U.S. Government • Since the beginning of the Iraqi War, many attitudes towards government have changed. • The trust that was built by Reagan and George H.W. Bush through the 1980’s and early 90’s has begun to fade away. • In 2006 at the midterm election the Democrats took control of both the House and Senate for the first time in almost a decade. • Today many people are looking to the government/blaming the government for all of the scandals, wars, and economic problems that have begun to arise.
