REAGAN PRESIDENCY (STATS)

REAGANOMICS AND ITS EFFECTS

1. BUDGET CUTS - Reagan cut over $35.2 million dollars from welfare and domestic welfare programs such as Education, Poverty and Food Bank. Reagan only wanted to spend money on those that couldn’t physically work (like those with disabilities) and wanted to make those from poor backgrounds/low income households less dependent on the state.

   • EFFECT - poverty significantly increased

2. DEFENCE SPENDING INCREASE - Reagan cut spending money on domestic programs to spend more on defence.

   • - EFFECT - caused the US to fall into a huge national debt that lasted over a decade (until 1989)

   • + EFFECT - significantly reduced unemployment as it provided many jobs

3. REDUCED INFLATION - Reagan tightened monetary policies so prices were less inflated

   • EFFECT - by 1981, Reagan has reduced inflation levels to below 2%

4. TAX REDUCTION - In 1981, Reagan introduced the Tax Recovery Act

   • - EFFECT - mainly benefited the rich and didn’t reduce poverty levels

   • + EFFECT - many low-income families were exempted from tax paying

OVERALL IMPACT OF REAGANOMICS

• By the end of the decade (1989)

• Unemployment was non-existent

• Inflation had reduced dramatically

• However, the US had entered a huge debt, (one of the largest since the last world war) and was now known as a “debtor” country

TO WHAT EXTENT WAS BIG GOVERNMENT REDUCED/HOW MUCH WAS BIG GOVERNMENT REDUCED?

What is “BIG GOVERNMENT”? - Big government is the extreme/over intervention or interference of the government in all aspects of american society including socially, politically and economically

HOW WAS THIS REDUCED? - Through Deregulation

WHAT IS “DEREGULATION”? - Deregulation is the opposite of regulation, so is when there is a reduction of regular government controls over businesses, policies and movements

HOW WAS DEREGULATION ACHIEVED AND IN WHAT SPECIFIC ASPECTS DID IT TAKE PLACE?

Deregulation of the ENVIRONMENT - Reagan reduced price controls over oil and gas and relaxed restrictions of the Clean Air Act, which negatively impacted organisations like the Environmental Protection Agency.

Deregulation ECONOMICALLY - Reagan reduced//removed restrictions on financial services which made it easier and helped Entrepenurs to attracts customers especially abroad (which also led to the stock market boom) overall helping businesses, especially international, to flourish

Deregulation in CONSUMERISM - Reagan reduced controls on cable, tv services, interstate bus services, and ocean shipping, which created extreme competition in the long-distance market, whilst also benefiting consumers and businessowners by giving them low customer rates and businessowners new investments (such as the fibre optic network that took plsce in the 90s. However, many businesses/companies (such as telephone companies and airlines) cut their services in order to maximise profit

DEREGULATION IN INTERNATIONAL LABOUR

Speaking of Airlines cutting services, many airlines went on a strike as they wanted more pay and better benefits but instead Reagan fired all of them and hired 10,000 employees from the Transportation Network to be hired and trained to replace them. Although, this helped prove that Reagan could deregulate laboral forces as well, many of those employed were too unqualified and too inexperienced, so ended up causing a lot of chaos in the industry and resulted in the closing down of many airline companies

DEREGULATION IN SOCIAL ASPECTS/POLICIES

Reagan moved government control and responsiblity of social programs, reforms and inequality away from the government to local and state governments, as he didnt want any attacks or blame from union workers or racial minorities

DEREGULATION IN INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

Reagan was heavily involved in foerign policy and was very anticommunist in his beliefs so much so that he was heavily involved and participated in many anti-communist protests and events outside of the US and around the world. However, in 1986 Reagan did create a cordial treaty with the leader of the Soviet Union to support military defences which lead to the creation of the Nuclear Arms Treaty, which helped to increase military strength and support for the US

OVERALL: How much was BIG GOVERNMENT REDUCED?

Overall, Reagan successfully deregulated the domestic programs and industries but was unsuccessful in international deregulation and on the world stage

THE NATURE AND EXTENT OF SOCIAL CHANGE (AS A RESULT OF REAGANS ECONOMIC POLICIES)

• Social Change is change that has occured in the Social Aspects of society

Regarding WELFARE, Reagan cut spending on Food Stamps (BY 13%), School Meals (BY 28%) and Childcare, as he thought that it encouraged people to stay unemployed and wanted them to be less dependent on the state, nevertheless, Medicare (as it was only cut by 5%) and Farming costs still increased under Reagans Presidency (probably thanks to the help of Congress who advocated against cuts in these areas)

• Regarding HEALTHCARE/ABORTION - Reagan did not support/ was heavily against the 1976 Abortion Act and was hoping to get it reconsidered

• Regarding WOMENS RIGHTS AND THEIR SOCIETAL POSITION

• Reagan did not beleive/support the 1976 Equal Pay Act and didnt agree with the fact that men and women should have equal pay for jobs of comparable worth. Nevertheless, Reagan had his first female supreme court justice: Sandra Day O’Connor, which didn’t seem to impress the Feminists at the time as they still blamed the current “gender pay gap” on Reagan, even though more women had entered the Labour Workforce than ever before under Reagans Presidency

• CHANGE REGARDING CIVIL RIGHTS

• Reagan didnt have anything against Black people and was willing to work with people of any race or colour

• This is evident as he supported the Justice Department in advocating against action programmes that discriminated against people on the basis of race or gender.

• However, Reagan didnt support Black students bussing to better neighbourghoods

• Under Reagans Presidency, Black Makes were ranked the lowest in terms of jobs and pay

• CHANGE REGARDING SOCIAL IDENTITY AND LGBT

• Reagan didnt dedicate funding to research on AIDS vaccinations and prevention (in the late 80s)

• Reagan upheld the Supreme Court decision to outlaw all homosexual relations on the Brown vs Knockers Case in 1988

• CHANGE REGARDING IMMIGRATION LEVELS

• Reagan did not do much to limit immigration levels/numbers

• By 1990 (over a decade of Reagan being in office), The USA was made up of 250 million people, ¼/60 million of which being ethnic minorities

• CHANGE REGARDING CRIME AND THE LAW

• Reagan was very anti-drug abuse and under Reagan, 750,000 American Citizens had been arrested for carrying drugs, specifically marijuana

• Reagan argued that the Drug War is a far greater cause for concern than the Cold War so much so that…

• In by 1988/the late 80s, Reagan had spent over $13 Billion trying to defeat, tackle and end drug crime

CHANGE IN WEAPON/GUN CONTROL

• Despite Reagan almost being assasinated in 1981, he opposed any legislation banning the use and carrying of guns (so there was no change in the enforcement of weapon control

THE EXTENT TO WHICH/HOW MUCH THE US PRESIDENCY AND POLITICS WERE REVITALISED

• Reagan was a charismatic leader and captivated audiences with his speeches, looks and style

• Reagan used his voice, style, and looks to restore the authority, prestige, and dignity of the presidency as well as helping to increase the US standing in the world with his international links

• In the 1984 and 1986 elections, Reagan was always a popular and convincing candidate, even though he wasnt re-elected

• From 1985-86, there was an Iran-Contra Affair, where the US smuggled arms to Iran, in an attempt to convince them to release the American Hostages they had but his went against the “1984 Congressional Ban” Law and Reagan had been accused of being aware that this was happening of which he denied all the allegations

• But most of all, Reagans popularity came in handy and saved him, as without this he couldve been immediately impeached as Congress didnt want to go against/accuse a president that was so popular and was helping them out beforehand as well as:

• Reagan having Vice President Admiral Johnson that was very willing to take the balme/fall for Reagan

• As well as the fact that, the public simply didnt care enough about the Iran situation/ drama to turn on Reagan

• Reagans popularity helped George Bush to get elected in 1988