Jimmy Carter - 9/11 - LAST APUSH TEST

Who was Jimmy Carter?

1976 president: previous peanut farmer + gov. of Georgia'

• nuclear submarines / naval academy graduate

How was the economy struggling during Carter years?

• inflation

• unemployment

What was the Oil Crisis during Carter’s presidency? Why was it so detrimental?

• middle-east (oil dominance) slowing production to increase revenue (price increase)

• devastating because: reliance on automobiles + transporting goods became more expensive, thus rising the prices of consumer goods

What happened in the Iranian Hostage Crisis of 1979? What was the response?

• Iranian revolution against ruler (Shah) b/c he was seen as too westernized + citizens wanted a more fundamentalist leader

• Shah fled Iran to the US for cancer treatment, and in response Iran took 52 hostages from a US embassy

• held until Shah was returned

• Carter launched a rescue mission in 1980 + failed, making US look weak on the world stage

• hostages later freed under Reagan in 1980

Who was Ronald Reagan?

• republican president elected in 1980

• background: movie actor, governor of California

• associated w/ Carter as an ‘outsider’ because of background

How would one characterize the 1980s? What decade is this similar to?

• success + contentment

• similar to the 1950s

What was the idea of Reaganomics?

cutting taxes + decreasing federal government involvement in the economy, but drastically increasing federal spending

What were the results of Reaganomics?

massive federal debt (tripled in 8 years)

What aspects of the US did Reagan spend this ‘massive’ federal debt on? The opposite?

• military

• opposite: made small cuts to government welfare programs

Why did Reagan increase military spending?

to ensure the US was prepared for the Cold War

Reagan despised SU and Communism

Who was elected in 1988? Background?

George H.W. Bush

• Reagan’s VP

• experience in foreign policy

• wants gradual end to communism

What 3 Cold War related developments occurred under George H. Bush?

1. fall of Berlin wall

2. East + West Germany reunified

3. creation of USSR (Union of independent republics)

Who was the leader of Iraq during the Gulf War? What was his reputation?

Saddam Hussein: known for brutality against political opponents

• led Iraq during Iraq/Iran war, which US supported Iraq through b/c of Iranian Hostage Crisis during the Carter years

What caused the Gulf War? Why?

• Iraq Invades Kuwait

• wanted to dominate Persian Gulf + increase oil control (imperialism)

• also wanted to repay Iran-Iraqi War debt

How did Bush respond to the invasion of Kuwait?

• made it clear Iraqi aggression would not be tolerated

• involved UN

• demanded immediate removal + set a deadline

• embargos: largely unsuccessful

• goes to Congress to ask for permission to share domestic responsibility: approved, still substantial opposition

What was the goal of the war? Who made up the military force?

goal: remove Iraq from Kuwait

who: 500,000 US troops, 270,000 UN troops (global conflict)

What were the 2 phases of the Gulf War?

1: preparation - military buildup in Saudi Arabia to create a defense near Kuwait

2: action - (day after deadline) 5 weeks of bombing Iraq, followed by an overwhelming 4 day invasion (successful) driving Iraq out of Kuwait

What was Iraq’s desperate response to the overwhelming 4 day invasion?

launched missiles at Israel (disliked among UN) + Saudi Arabia to facilitate involvement

• also set fire to Kuwait oil fields during retreat causing massive destruction

What was the question after Iraqi forces retreated from Kuwait in the Gulf War? What was the decision and why?

Korean War parallel: should the US continue into Baghdad + overthrow Saddam Hussein?

decision: no. unsupported by the UN

• afraid of how a furthered invasion would appear on the world stage

Why did Bush declare that the US had finally ridded itself of ‘Vietnam Syndrome’?

b/c of overwhelming victory in Gulf War

George Bush lost the election of 1992. Why?

• shocking decline in public support due to faltering economy (89 % high)

• Bush not domestically experienced + took no action: appears to citizens that he has more interest in foreign affairs than domestic welfare.

Who did Bush lose to in 1992?

economy-focused Bill Clinton

• domestic expert

• 1st baby boomer president

What domestic aspects of the country was Bill Clinton focused on (4)? What did he change (3)?

1. social security

2. medicare

3. environment

4. education

changed:

1. welfare programs (become temporary to avoid gov. reliance, creates more requirements)

2. reduced military spending

3. cut waste in gov.

Why did Clinton cut military spending?

believes we have excess power + don’t need to continue excessive spending

How did Clinton revert the debt caused by Reaganomics?

balanced the federal budget by raising income taxes + reducing federal spending

What does having a ‘balanced budget’ mean?

having revenue equate to spending

Why did the economy recover under Bill Clinton?

technology boom: increase in consumerism (money going back into the economy)

What was the scandal at the end of Bill Clinton’s presidency?

perjury in court case involving marriage: involved in an intimate affair w/ his 20 year old intern

What does Congress do in response to the Clinton scandal? What was the result?

impeached: 2/3 needed to approve (avoid political parties voting each other out)

result: not impeached —> raised debate over whether impeachment should be solely based on corruption + not personal lives

Who was the election of 2000 between?

dem. Al Gore + repub. George Bush (son of prev. Bush)

Why was the election of 2000 notable?

• one of the closest elections in history

• came down to Florida

• Bush ends up winning by a couple hundred votes in the state of Florida, thus winning him the presidency

Why were votes in Florida recounted in several counties during the election of 2000? What were the 2 specific reasons?

issues w/ voting chads + ballots raised questions over what constituted as a vote

chads: not fully popped out

butterfly ballot: accidentally voted incorrectly

Why were the recounts in Florida prohibited?

Equal Protection Clause states the entire state must do a recount, not individual counties

• since it was too late for a recount, the original results were used

Why do some believe that Al Gore lost the election of 2000?

Ralph Nader: Green party candidate

• more radical democrat advocating for increased government involvement: republocrats

• believed to have taken away Gore’s votes

What happened on September 11th 2001? Parallel?

Islamic terrorist group Al-Qaeda attack on the US via airplanes, orchestrated by Osama Bin Laden

2: hit twin towers

1: hit pentagon

1: crashed into Pennsylvania thanks to brave passengers

• over 2,977 Americans killed (similar to only other similar event —> Pearl Harbor)

What were the aftereffects of the attack of 9/11?

debris, dust, + toxic chemicals impacting health of rescuers, survivors, + citizens

What were the grievances of Al-Qaeda w/ the US (why were we attacked)? (4)

• felt the US had too much influence in middle-east (imperialism)

• US support for Israel (hated)

• the US appears to be affecting governments in the middle-east (Egypt/Saudi Arabia)

• modern culture seen as a threat to their religion

What fact about the hijackers involved In 9/11 re-enforces the grievance of a military base/US political impact in Saudi Arabia?

15/19 terrorists were from Saudi Arabia

What were the 4 warnings / signs given by Al-Qaeda preceding 9/11 + how did Bush respond?

1. verbal threats

2. bombing of US embassies in Kenya/Tanzania: Bush bombs training camps

3. bombing of U.S.S. Cole docked in Yemen: bombs more training camps

4. chatter picked up by CIA

What was the national response to 9/11? Who supported it?

Operation Enduring Freedom

• focused on Afghanistan/Pakistan

• supported by Congress, NATO (first activation) + the UN

What was the goal of Operation Enduring Freedom? How did the public respond to Bush’s actions?

eliminate Osama Bin Laden + Al-Qaeda

Bush’s public support: 90% (record)

In terms of security, what happened after 9/11?

creation of Department of Homeland Security

• heightened airport security

What made the War in Afghanistan so difficult?

• terrain: mountains + caves provided for difficult search + easy hiding of terrorists

• US + allies encountered several battles w/ Al-Qaeda supporters

During the war in Afghanistan, Bush begins to introduce the idea of entering another military operation in Iraq. Why?

supposed WMDs being produced by Saddam Hussein

What sparked the idea that Iraq was producing WMDs?

• post gulf-war, Iraq was subject to continuous inspections

• Hussein begins evading inspections (caused US airstrike)

Why did the US + its only ally Britain decide to declare war?

Hussein disagrees to a no-limit inspection policy

• UN + US’s greatest allies (Germany + France) vote against it

• received support from Congress

Despite capturing + killing Saddam Hussein and defeating the Iraqi military, why was the war in Iraq seens as a failure?

• no WMDs ever found

• 4500 dead 32,000 wounded in Battle b/c of post-war political chaos

• war lasted from 2003-2011

• no evidence Iraq was involved w/ Al-Qaeda (war motive accusation)

• creation of Isis (radical terror group)

• distraction from locating Bin Laden in Afghanistan

During + after t,he war in Iraq how was the war in Afghanistan going?

• difficult

• ends up in the hands of the Taliban (political faction tolerating terrorism)

• 2,300 deaths

Why did Bush’s 2nd term end in low public approval (25%) in 2007?

• wars in Afghanistan + iraq + their death tole

• poor response to hurricane Katrina

• catastrophic economic recession b/c of over loaning of banks to ineligible candidates

Obama background

• multi-racial African american

• born in hawaii

• served as an attorney / community organizer

• Columbia + Harvard attendee

• state senator / US senator

How / when did Obama begin to gain national recongition?

1. election to US Senate for Illinois

2. spoke at Democratic Convention of 2004

What issues did Obama inherit when he was elected in 2008?

1. war in Afghanistan / Iraq

2. worst economy since Gr8 Depression

What did the American Recovery + Reinvestment Act do to help the economy?

1. stimulus spending to boost economy

2. increased taxes on wealthy (reverted Reaganomics)

3. created public works to deal w/ unemployment

4. cutting middle class taxes

How did the American Recovery + Re-investment Act help the economy?

• reduced unemployment

• recovered automobile industry

• 75 consecutive months of job growth —> unemployment goes from 10.5-4.7%

What was Obamacare (Affordable Care Act)?

an extension of Medicaid to over 20 million to provide more people w/ not free but affordable healthcare

How did Obama deal w/ Iraq + Afghanistan?

• withdrew from Iraq in 2011

• bin laden executed in 2011, but war against Al-Qaeda continued

Why was Obama considered ‘no drama’?

him nor any cabinet members involved in scandal