U.S History: Unit 11 1970s & Beyond

CREEP

-Committee to Reelect the President

-Nixon’s 1972 campaign organization for relection

-plan strategy & raise funds

The Plumbers

A secret team organzied by Nixon’s staff to investigate the leaking

Why did Nixon become paranoid about Leaks?

-Nixon feared that people in his administration were leaking information to the press

-eventually led to the creation of “The Plumbers”

-Hiring former Plumbers through CREEP to spy on political enemies

Break-in at Democratic HQ

-In June 1972, 5 men were caught breaking into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C.

-this break-in linked to President Richard Nixon’s 1972 re-election campaign

-their goal was to wiretap phones & steal documents from political opponents

Cover-up

-Nixon feared that if it was revealed who was behind the break-in they’d use that info to attack him in the press

-Nixon & his advisors tried to cover up break-in by paying “hush money” to the burglars

-illegally authorized the CIA to try & persuade the FBI to stop its investigation of the break-in

Media investigation

-During Nixon’s campaign, Washinton Post reporters Bob Woodward & Carl Bernstein were investigating the Watergate story

-February 1973: Senate votes to create a committee to investigate & the congressional heairng begins hearing

Nixon’s tapes

-Senate hearing revealed that Nixon was taping conversations in the Oval Office

-Nixon refused, claiming “executive privilege”

-July 1974: Supreme Court ruled unanimously (8-0) in US v. Nixon case, stating the President Nixon release the White House tapes to investigators

executive privilege

The presidential right to withhold information from Congress or the courts, often cited to protect confidential communications.

“The President is now above the law”

Chief Justice Warren Burger’s statement reflects the belief that even the president should be subject to legal accountability for actions taken while in office.

Nixon’s regions (1974)

-July 30, 1974: The House Judiciary Committee approved 3 articles of impeachment against President Richard Nixon, recommending his impeachment & removal from office

-Nixon resigned on August 8, 1974

Stagflation

high inflation + unemployment + stagnant economic growth

New Conservatives

-a political movement in the 1970s that emphasized the need for a deregulated economy, more “free market”

-smaller gov, lower taxes, strong military

-traditional family values

-opposed absortion, feminism, LGBTQ rights, & sex education

Reagan’s 1980 Campaign

-campgaign focused on cutting taxes, reducing Gov regulation & spending

-emphasized optimism & traditional values

-restore American Pride & military strength

-attracted “Reagan Democrats”

Reaganomics

-Reagan’s trickle-down economics, the theory that tax cuts for coporations & the wealthy will will eventually benefit everyone

goal of Reaganomics

-reduce taxes (especially for business & wealthy)

-cut gov spending

-deregulate industries

Supporters of Reaganomics

argues growth would eventually trickle down everyone

Critics of Reaganomics

argues it favored the rich & hurt the poor

Results of Reaganomics

-inflation decreased, unemployment dropped by mid-1980s

-stock market surged (immense growth)

-national debt tripled due to tax cuts & defense spending

-reduced funding for welfare

-wealth gap widened

Conservative Legacy

-tax cuts & small-gov ideals became Republication trademarks

-sparked long-term debates over welfare programs & cultural issues

-Reagan is a hero in conservative politics today

SALT I Agreement

series of negotiations between the US & USSR

-limited the # of nuclear missiles & anti-ballistic missle (ABM) systems each side could have

-marked a turning pt toward detente easing of tensions) in US-Soviet relations

Iran Hostage Crisis

-A diplomatic standoff from 1979 to 1981 where 52 American diplomats and citizens were held hostage for 444 days after the US embassy in Tehran was seized, highlighting tensions between the US and Iran

Soviet Invasion of Afhanistan

-USSR invaded Afghanistan to support a struggling communist regime

-In response, US armed the Afghan mujahideen (Anti-Soviet rebels)

-marked end of detente (easing hostility) & reignitied Cold Wartensions

Geneva Accords in 1988

The Soviets pledged to withdraw their troops from Afghanistan

Iran-Contra Affair

US officials secretly sold arms to Iran (despite an embargo) & used profits to fund anti-communist Contras in Nicaragua

-violated U.S laws & undermined public trust in the Reagan administration

Gorbachev

-became Soviet leader in 1985

-recognized the need to modernize & open Soviet society & economy

-his leadership marked a dramatic shift in Soviet policies towards reform & openness

-introduced Glassnost & Perestoika policies

Glasnost

-”openess”

-more freedom of speech, prey, & transrency in gov

Paetroika

-”Reconstructing”

-economci reforms allowing some private business & market reforms

INF Treaty

-eliminate a a whole class of nuclear weapons

-1st treat to reduce, not just limit nuclear weapons

→ marked major de-escalation in Cold War tensions

Fall of the Berlin Wall

-east Germany opened its borders, & citizens began physcically tearing down the wall

-represented the collapse of the iron curtain & communist control in Eastern Europe

-marked the beginning of the end of the Cold War & decades of divison

German Reunification

-After the fall of the Berlin Wall & Iron Curtain, East & West Germany merged into 1 democratic nation

→ supproted by U.S, NATO, & weakening USSR

→ Germany ebcame a symbol of new-Cold War Europe

Collapse of the Soviet Union

-collapsed due to economic problems (stagnant growth) & rising nationalism in Soviet republics

-at the end of Belorezha Accords, USSR dissolved & 15 republics declared independence

→ end of the Cold War

→ US emerged as the sole superpower

START I Treaty

-Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty between the U.S & newly formed Russian Federations

-to significantly reduce long-range nuclear weapons

-solidified peaceful relations & continued nucelar disarmament efforts post-Cold War

→ ended the arms race

9/11

-on Sept 11, 2001, 4 airplanes were hijacked by terrorists from al-Qaeda

-2 planes crashed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade center in New York CIty

-1 hit the Pentagon (U.S military HQ); another crashed in Pennslyvania after passengers fought back

-nearly 3,000 people were killed in the deadliest attack on U.S soil

US government response on 9/11

-President Geroge W. Bush called it an act of war & launched the “War on Terror”

-U.S invaded Afghanistan in October 2001 to find al-Qaeda & remove the Taliban

-created the Department of Homeland Security

-passed the USA PATRIOT act w/in weeks

USA Patriot Act

Uniting and Stregthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Ostruct Terrorism

gave the gov expanded powers to

-monitor phone calls, emails, & financial records

-detain non-citiznes suspected of terrorism

-share info between agencis more easily

Why did people support Patriot Act?

-many believed it was neceassary to prevent future attacks

-viewed as a way to make the country safer

-passed quickly w/ overwhelming support in Congress

-emphasized national unity & security

Why was Patriot Act controversial?

critics said it violated civil liberties & privacy rights

conerns over racial & religious profilling especially of Muslim Americans

fear of gov over each & secret surveillance w/out warrants