AP USH Chapter 40
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“Old Right” - South and West – suspicious of
federal power
Response to 1960s
Cultural concerns –
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Abortion
Pornography
Homosexuality
Feminism
Affirmative action
Shrink the size of the Federal
Government and reduce spending
 Promote family values and patriotic
ideas
 Stimulate business by reducing
government regulations and
lowering taxes
 Strengthen the national defense
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Pres. Screen Actors Guild/ Friendly
Witness (HUAC)
Elected CA Governor 1966
Election of 1980 elected Pres
Attempted Assassination 1981 – John
Hinckley Jr.
Re-Elected in 1984 in a landslide/ VP
George HW Bush
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Reacting against the excesses of 1960s
liberalism
Championed a free market capitalism –
liberated from government restraints
Passionately anti-Soviet – “The Evil Empire”
Against welfare programs and affirmative
action
Reassertion of traditional values of
individualism and family values
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Carter
couldn’t control double digit inflation
 Double digit inflation
 Frustration over Iranian Hostage Crisis
 Appears inept
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Reagan
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Great campaigner
Attacked Big Government, inflation, and high
interest rates
 Stressed
effort to scale down
arms race
 Promote human rights
 Protect environment
 Preserved 100 million acres
of Alaska land for national
parks, forests, and wildlife
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Leaner federal government
Dismantle welfare state
Reverse political evolution of 1st half of century
Conservative cabinet
Reduce budget
Attacked “Tax and Spend” Democratic
programs
Reduce entitlement programs
California tax revolt – Proposition 13…
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Supply-side economics…
Deep tax cuts
25% over 3 years
 Lowered individual tax rates
 Reduced federal estate taxes
 Tax free savings plans
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Thought budgetary discipline and tax
reduction would stimulate new investment and
boost productivity  foster economic growth
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11% unemployment
Business and bank failures
Poor performance in the U.S.
automobile industry
Massive military expenditures
 $2 trillion
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Plunged the government into debt
Doubled the deficit
1982 – the deficit was $100 billion – then
became $200 billion
Borrowing kept interest rates high  elevated
value of the dollar  hurt exports (more
expensive)
Trade deficit was $152 billion in 1987
US became world’s heaviest borrower
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Negotiate with the SU from a position of
overwhelming strength
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SU – Evil Empire
Expand US capabilities
Overwhelm SU
SDI
Strategic Defense Initiative – “Star Wars”
 High tech missile defense system
 Stations fire laser beams to vaporize intercontinental
missiles
 Most scientists considered it impossible goal
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Israel
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building new settlements in West Bank (occupied
territory)
Invaded Lebanon 1982 to suppress guerrilla bases of
Palestinians
Reagan sent US troops as part of an
international peace keeping force
Suicide bomber crashed into Marine barracks
Oct. 1983 – killed more than 200 Marines
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Granada
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El Salvador
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US invaded 1983 because a military coup had killed
the prime minister and installed a pro-Marxist
government
Reagan sent military advisors to prop up a proAmerican government
Nicaragua
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Leftist revolution (Sandinistas)
Reagan sent covert aid to help the Contras (rebels)
opposing the anti-Am. Government (Sandinistas)
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Good economy (defense spending)
Democrats: Walter Mondale for Pres. and
Geraldine Ferrarro for Vice Pres.
Reagan won by a landslide
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Gorbachev – new leader of the SU
Glasnost (openness)
 Perestroika – restructured economy (free market
practices)
 Shrank military
 End to Cold War – met with Reagan 4 times
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1987 Treaty banned INF from
Europe
Reagan praised Gorbachev
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2 problems
Continued captivity of US hostages in
Lebanon
 US military aid to the Contras –
attempting to overthrow the
Sandinistas in Nicaragua
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 1985 Democrats in Congress wanted to
stop US aid – passed the Boland
Amendment- prohibiting further aid to
the Contras
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1985 American
hostages were held
in Lebanon by
Muslim terrorists
Terry Anderson –
held from March,
1985 to Dec., 1991
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To gain their freedom, Reagan arranged
the sale of weapons to Iran believing Iran
could help obtain their release
The money was used to finance anticommunists (Contra) operations in
Nicaragua
Violated U.S. law – using government
funds to subsidize the Contras
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Also violated U.S. policy of not
negotiating with terrorists
Deal became public
Democrats in Congress outraged
Reagan denied exchanging arms for
hostages and denied knowledge of covert
finding of the Contras
Special prosecutor was appointed to
investigate
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Oliver North testifying
Public hearings in Congress
Many viewed this as a political dispute – no
significant support for impeaching Reagan
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Wanted to invigorate economy
Roll back government regulation
Lower taxes
Balance the budget
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Balanced budget way out of reach
Reduced taxes + military expenditures led
to $200 billion annual deficits
 Added nearly $2 trillion to national debt
 Future generations would need to pay –
lower standard of living or work harder
than parents
 Reversed trend toward more equitable
distribution of income
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Religion – coalition of conservative evangelical
ministers  Moral Majority
Religion became an instrument of electoral
politics
Opposed
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Sexual permissiveness
Abortion
Feminism
Gay rights
 Televangelist
Preachers
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Principal instrument in cultural wars
demanded by religious right
Appointed 3 conservative justices
Sandra Day O’Connor – 1st woman