Period 9 Set 1: Reagan Bush

APUSH

Evangelical Christians

People who say that they have been "born again" and who see certain moral questions as political issues

Sunbelt

A region of the United States generally considered to stretch across the South and Southwest that has seen substantial population growth in recent decades, partly fueled by a surge in retiring baby boomers who migrate domestically, as well as the influx of immigrants, both legal and illegal. Tend to be more conservative

Barry Goldwater (1964)

Republican contender against LBJ for presidency; platform included lessening federal involvement, therefore opposing Civil Rights Act of 1964; lost by largest margin in history.

Religious Right

United States political faction that advocates social and political conservativism, school prayer, and federal aid for religious groups and schools

Jerry Falwell

Leader of the Religious Right Fundamentalist Christians, a group that supported Reagan; rallying cry was "family values", anti-abortion, favored prayer in schools

Moral Majority

"Born-Again" Christians become politically active. The majority of Americans are moral people, and therefore are a political force.

Ronald Reagan

first elected president in 1980 and elected again in 1984. He ran on a campaign based on the common man and "populist" ideas. He served as governor of California from 1966-1974, and he participated in the McCarthy Communist scare. Iran released hostages on his Inauguration Day in 1980. While president, he developed trickle down economics. He cut out many welfare and public works programs. He used the Strategic Defense Initiative to avoid conflict. His meetings with Gorbachev were the first steps to ending the Cold War. He was also responsible for the Iran-contra Affair which bought hostages with guns.

"Government is not the solution to our problem. Government is the problem."

this sums up Reagan's opposition to the New Deal type programs and marked the end of the liberal consensus

Reagan Tax Cuts

this reduced government revenues, had to reduce government expenses. But it would also allow wealthy individuals to pursue new investments and allow the economy to flow. Managed a 30% reduction in 3 years This was the largest one of these in history and contributed to the biggest debt under any sitting president in history

Trickle Down Economics

economic theory that holds that financial benefits given to banks and large businesses will trickle down to smaller businesses and consumers- also known as supply side economics

1980s economy

Longest period of US peacetime economic growth
GDP increased 3.5% annually Low inflation, high unemployment

National Debt Under Reagan

Reagan's massive military spending combined with less revenue form taxes contributed to a record national debt

Evil Empire Speech

delivered by Reagan in 1983, this speech characterized the Soviet Union as this with "dark purposes." The U.S. administration proceeded to spend more on military preparedness, including "Star Wars" and took a more assertive role in foreign policy including in Central America, the Caribbean, Libya, and the Middle East. Even repressive authoritarian regimes were propped up if they were anti-Communist.

Reagan Doctrine

US would support freedom fighters trying to overthrow Communist regimes; applied in Nicaragua, Angola, Cambodia and Afghanistan- wanted rollback communism

Iran-Contra Affair

scandal including arms sales to the Middle East in order to send money to help the anti-communist forces in Nicaragua even though Congress had objected

War on Drugs (1980s)

Led to major increase of incarcerated individuals for non-violent crimes- started under Nixon but escalated under Reagan during the Crack epidemic

Star Wars (SDI)

Reagan's defensive program; laser beams and satellites would shoot down USSR missiles- never achieved

Election of 1988

George Bush (winner) vs. Michael Dukakis. Bush was elected on the strength of his association with Regan, seeming poised to confirm the ascendancy of his predecessor's conservative values.

Fall of the Berlin Wall (1989)

Beginning of the fall of communism and the Soviet Union - symbolized the failure of communism and massive socialism

Persian Gulf War (1991)

Saddam Hussein's Iraq invaded Kuwait over oil dispute on the border against US wishes (Saddam had formerly been US ally). US invaded Iraq to liberate Kuwait; Iraq set Kuwait's oil fields on fire so the Americans couldn't gain the oil; this conflict caused the US to set military bases in Saudi Arabia; also called Operation: Desert Storm.

New World Order

President Bush's vision for world peace centering around the United States taking the lead to ensure that aggression be dealt with by a mutual agreement of the United Nations, NATO, and other countries acting in concert. A vision of cooperation rather than the competitive division of the cold war