1970s & 1980s Notes

What was the U.S. policy towards China in the 70s & 80s ?• Nixon’s goal: to improve relations with the

Communist People’s Republic of China

• China little contact with most of the world

• Become friendlier with China and make Soviets uncomfortable and maybe more willing to cooperate

• First Americans to visit China since 1949, was US Table Tennis Team in 1971

• Kissinger secret trip to China

• 1972 Nixon goes to China

• Met with Mao Zedong- Leader of People’s Republic of China

• Both recognized benefit of a stronger relationship

What was the primary goal of Richard Nixon’s foreign policy with regard to the Soviet Union?

Improve relations with these Communist countries

How did the trouble in the Middle East affect the U.S. in the early

1970s?• Israel occupied Arab-controlled land in the Six-

Day War• UN passed a resolution urging Israel to leave

occupied lands and Arab nations to recognize Israel

• Arabs and Israelis were unable to reach an agreement on either point

• Effect: – 1. Tension between the U.S. and S.U. grew– 2. Arab oil-producing nations decided on an oil

embargo

Oil Embargo

• An embargo is the refusal by a country to ship a product or products from its ports

• OPEC- Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries

• Embargo against U.S.

• 1973 1/3 of oil came from foreign sources

• Resulted in energy crisis in U.S.

Kissinger and shuttle diplomacy

• “shuttled” from group to group, trying to work out separate agreements

• Examples:– He negotiated peace agreements between

Israel and Egypt– Helped with a separate deal between Israel

and Syria

Moon Landing

• July 1969

• Apollo 11 Neil Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, and Michael Collins

• July 20, 1969 “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind”

ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS

• Oil crisis 1973-1974• Three Mile Island: 1979 a mishap at

nuclear power plant – radiation??• Love Canal in NY

– Long-buried chemicals left behind were seeping up through the ground

– High-rate of birth defects in the area– NY bought homes of 200 people and began

clean up

Iranian Hostage Crisis

• 1979 revolution in Iran to overthrow the shah (ruler)

• Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Islamic religious leader took control

• US allowed shah to enter country

• Nov. 4th mob attacks American embassy in Tehran

• Carter’s efforts to negotiate went nowhere

Reaganomics

• Reagonomics: Reagan’s plan for tax and spending cuts

• Supply-side economics: theory that breaks for business will increase supply of goods and services, aiding the economy

What were the two goals of Reaganomics?

• Two reduce taxes and cut federal budget

Iran-Contra Affair

• Members of the National Security Council staff secretly diverted money from the illegal Iran arms sales to the Contras in Nicaragua

• Congress launches investigation

Persian Gulf War

• August 1990, Saddam Hussein, dictator of Iraq, invaded Kuwait

• UN imposed sanctions and set deadline

• Deadline passed, January 16, 1991, the U.S. led attack on Iraq and Kuwait

• Operation Desert Storm: Non-nuclear war

• Much of ODS campaign took place in the air