The 1980sRonald Reagan & George Bush

Liberalism• Government should• Regulate the

economy• Help the

disadvantaged• Protect citizens from

power of large companies

• NOT regulate social behaviors

Conservatives• Government shouldn’t

• Regulate the economy• Hurts free enterprise

• Oppose high taxes• Discourage investment

• Oppose social programs• Discourage peoples

incentive to work.

• Religion faith is important to morality.

OK…Remember the 70s Carter = BAD

President Unemployment Inflation Failed Foreign

Policies International

embarrassments

• Coalition of• Evangelicals /

Catholics• Conservatives • Corporate leaders

• Comprised to fight against• Business Regulation

(ECONOMY)• Taxes• Laws

• Against policies that favored (MORALITY)• Minorities• Homosexuals• Welfare recipients• Feminist

New Right

ENTER…………

I. Trickle DownSupply Side

Tax cuts = Research= New Products= Expansion= New jobs

Tax Cut for

business

New productsexpand

II. Defense Spending• Between ‘81 and ‘84

defense spending doubled.• Military• Weapons• Intercontinental Ballistic

Missiles• Bases• Strategic Defense Initiative

Defense Spending contd.• Foreign Policy• Peace

through strength

• Massive Soviet spending would collapse their system.

• Example• Strategic

Defense Initiative aka Star Wars

Satellite weapon that can destroy incoming missiles

Reagan Announces Defense Plan Called SDI….or ‘Star Wars’

III. Budget CutsLarge Defense Spending + Low Taxes = Deficit SpendingCUT THESE OUT• urban mass transit• food stamps• welfare• job training• school lunch

IV. DeregulationLowered prices and increased competition by Removing price controls

on oil eliminating inspections

for nursing homes deregulated the airlines TOO MUCH Regulation

limits profits TOO LITTLE Regulation

can be unsafe for people & economy

Sandra Day O’Connor First Woman

appointed to the Supreme Court

1984 Summer Olympics

Los Angeles, CA Carl Lewis wins 4

gold medals 1st since Jessie

Owens McDonalds nearly

goes bankrupt… USSR boycotts

due to Cold War tensions *US boycotted

Olympic games in Moscow 1980

1 United States 83 61 30 174

2 Romania 20 16 17 53

1984 Presidential Election

RepublicanPresident

Reagan

DemocraticWalter Mondale

Geraldine Ferraro• Became the first

woman Vice President running mate.

Reagan Foreign Policy

Afghanistan 1979-1989 Proxy war with the Soviet

Union US Sent 500 million in

munitions and relief 1989 Soviet withdraws

due to significant economic problems at home.

US assistance helped Afghans hold off Soviet Union

1982 Marines in Lebanon Israel invaded Lebanon

Christians v. Palestinians US Marines sent to

restore order. Pres. Reagan removed

troops from Beirut.

Nicaragua Sandinistas- Rebels who

removed PRO-US dictator and established a socialist government.

Contra (Counter Revolutionary) Used by Reagan to

combat Sandinistas Congress banned further

aide to contras

Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional

Sandinista National Liberation Front

Iran-Contra Scandal • U.S . sales munitions

to Iran (a sworn enemy) without the approval of Congress.

• Illegal sales were to secure the release of six U.S. hostages held by the Lebanese

• Lt. Col. Oliver North – Facilitated the selling of weapons to Iran and used the money to support guerilla fighters in Nicaragua

• ILLEGAL---Reagan did not get in trouble.

Lt. Col. Oliver North

“I was under orders from

my superiors."

Many involved were convicted under Reagan but pardoned under Bush. North granted immunity for his testimony.

Collapse of the Soviet Union

1985 Mikhail Gorbachev Arms Reductions New Economical Policies New Political Structure Reforms to government Withdraw from

Afghanistan

The Opening of the Soviet Union-1985

Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev called for Glasnost (Openness)

freedom of Speech religion press

• Perestroika • political & economical

reform • argued to be one

reason for the fall of Communism in the 

• Soviet Union• Eastern Europe• End of the Cold War

Eastern Europe Glasnost spreads

Poland Hungary Czechoslovakia

Revolutions Democracy Free Elections Collapse of the Berlin

Wall Germany Unified

Balkan Wars Yugoslavia erupts into

bloody civil war. Ethnic cleansing Eventually six republics

Serbia Croatia Bosnia Montenegro Macedonia Slovenia

Soviet Union collapses Spending

Inefficient planning Arms Race People protest govt.

Eastern Europe & Balkans add to pressure

Coup D'état to remove Gorbachev

Soviet Union broken into 15 republics

Communism outlawed in Russia

Boris Yeltsin

Challenger Space Shuttle DisasterJanuary 28, 1986It broke apart 73 seconds into its flight

1980s defined Gang Violence

Crips/Bloods

MADD Stricter laws against driving

under the influence.

Crack Cocaine Very cheap, highly addictive

floods inner city streets.

HIV/AIDS Virus baffles doctors,

scientists Scares the nation

Presidential Election 1988Republican George Bush

DemocraticMichael Dukakis

U.S. Invasion of Panama December 1989

• Panamanian dictator & drug lord Manuel Noriega was deposed.

• President-elect Guillermo Endara sworn into office.

China

Tiananmen Square Students/workers

protest for democracy. 1 million protest Thousands Killed

Communist leaders want to stay in Power Tank Man= Symbol

of Protest

Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 In China

The Army Moved In To Clear Out the Demonstrators

The Unknown Rebel..aka the “Tank Man”