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Malaise
economy that is stagnating or in a recession
1970s - stagflation economy and general unease about industries and production
Stagflation
inflation while the economy stagnates
Economy does not grow while money loses value
Stagflation U.S.
Deindustrialization - Germany, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, etc. rise as industrial powers= competition, new sources of cheap labor, “dollar too strong” (Price of American goods goes up, price of imports goes down)
US becomes a “post” industrial/ consumer/ service based economy
1971- first time US imported more than exported
1960- 38% of workers manufacturing → 1980- 28%
1970s - Oil embargo- war in Middle East → gas crisis
High inflation- 10%
Low economic growth- 2.4%
1st Indochina War
1946-1954: Japan defeated in ‘45, Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnamese independence → French try and fail to recolonize ending in ‘54
Geneva Accords
NOT signed by US
Vietnam split between N and S, but Gov’t promised free elections w/o violence + demilitarization, which was not followed
Communists win popular vote
Viet Cong
South vietnamese who support communism
U.S. Coup
U.S. supports South, but corruption leads to U.S. coup – 1961: ½ of Saigon is communist (clear that communists in control)
U.S. staged coup → worried about Ngo Dinh Diem’s popularity
U.S. involvement before Gulf of Tonkin
Existed a secret military presence in Vietnam already
OPLAN 34-A: covert operation to collect info on North Vietnam
Attack on USS maddox - August 2, 1954
Second Attack - August 4
Second attack + FAKE, never happened
Gov’t felt that U.S. needed to display strength, to continue policy of containment no matter lives lost
Gulf of Tonkin resolution
authorized president to take any necessary measures to retaliate and promote peace in Asia
“Military industrial complex”
Eisenhower’s farewell speech addressing the feeling that military funding diverts $ away from could be welfare + domestic improvements → also MLK’s perspective
1971 Kent State
college protests that gov’t tried to shut down
MLK’s viewpoint on the Vietnam War
MLK - very anti war because he was nonviolent→ then gets assassinated in 1968
Pentagon papers
leaked by NYT: evidence of long period of involvement in Vietnam BEFORE G of T
Public sees all of what gov’t tried to hide, including the dragging out of a lost cause → anger, betrayal
Tet offensive
N Viet attack gave US and S Viet heavy casualties
Bad image of American from the Vietnam War
My Lai + war crimes makes US seem like a hypocrite
US should set a better example
April 22, 1971 - John Kerry testimony
Soldier in the Vietnam war who discussed the atrocities soldiers committed during the Vietnam War
Public angry b/c family is dying for a lost cause
Fall of Saigon - April 30, 1975
Corruption puts draft responsibility on the working class – wealthy don’t suffer the consequences of war
Nixon VP/ President
Eisenhower’s vice 1953-1961→ conservative policies
1960 presidential debate against Kennedy
1968 Democratic convention
anti war protests by Yippies (ended in aggressive police action), democrats were unorganized and represented too many groups and values (union bosses – humphrey, college students + intellectuals + anti war + white collar – McCarthy, black and hispanic voters – RFK who was assassinated, southern democrats (last triumph) – Wallace) so Nixon, republican, was elected
Nixon Liberal
Expanded GS “Last liberal president”
Social security indexed for inflation, increase in food stamps + programs
EPA 1970 - environmental movement
Nixon Conservative
block grants (states decide what to do with government funds – can be abused), negative income tax, 2 southern democrats to SC
Detente
visits china, vietnamization, SALTS I and II
Watergate
Republican break in to democratic meetings at Watergate hotel leads to investigation revealing that Nixon abused power
Public outcry “imperial president”
Nixon’s tapes and evidence forcefully submitted to congress – he was very unpopular, republican party turned on him → 1st pres to resign August 9, 1974
Nixon Pardonded
Pardoned by Ford September 9, 1974 (inaugurated August 9, 1974) so criminal investigations stop: was pardon correct?
Pardon was correct
nixon being unfairly targeted by public, wouldn’t get fair trial, tried to help country and already got lifelong suffering w/ or w/o pardon, Ford believes public and gov’t should move on to focus on the people and real problems instead of scandal, investigations are polarizing the nation
Pardon was incorrect
letting nixon get away w/crimes set precedent of corruption, nixon doesn’t face repercussions and can claim innocence, not held to same justice system as americans, future presidents abuse power w/ immunity bc of Watergate, lack of accountability violates principles of nation + constitution, nixon's fall limits liberalism (conservatives were right to limit gov’t power), later laws to promote accountability failed
New Deal Coalition
Southern Democrats, rural American farmers, labor unions/ blue collar workers, urban intellectuals & college students, religious minorities (Jews and Catholics), blacks
United by: shared economic policy/ response to Great Depression
Breakdown New Deal Coalition (Loss of faith in gov’t)
(Vietnam and Watergate)
At first, both conservatives + liberals supported war - anti-war activists saw no place for themselves
Breakdown New Deal Coalition (New left)
(critical of traditional power brokers)
Felt “old left”- Democratic party, unions, etc. were too traditional and obstacles to change (Southern Democrats/ moderates, unions which discriminated against women and Black people, racist/sexist government policies- “red lining” etc.)
Advocated for: direct democracy, breakdown of bureaucracy, “authenticity”
Far less organized than old left
Counter culture - “Turn on, tune in, drop out,” human be-in 1967, Woodstock 1969, hippies
Focus- no longer on political organization but on experience, self actualization, individual
Breakdown New Deal Coalition (economics)
Stagflation (failure of Keynesianism economics?)
Deindustrialization ⇒ competition, new sources of cheap labor, “dollar too strong”
US becomes a service based economy
1971- first time US imported more than exported →1960- 38% of workers manufacturing → 1980- 28%
1970s - Oil embargo- war in Middle East → gas crisis
High inflation- 10% - Low economic growth- 2.4%
Breakdown New Deal Coalition (Social conservatives)
(60s went “too far”)
Trend continues as socially conservative and working class whites start to feel: left behind (deindustrialization), left has “gone too far” - LGBT, Feminism, Civil Rights, Anti-War
Hard Hat Riot 1970
400 construction workers attacked a student antiwar protest chanting: “USA, All the Way!” & “America, Love it or Leave it!”
Boston Busing 1974-1978 - Attempt to integrate schools→ led to at least 40 riots
Libertarians
Largely ignored in the 1950s and 1960s → becomes popular among conservatives in the 1980s
Friedman Capitalism and Freedom: free markets= liberty, government = slavery
Argued for repealing minimum wage laws, social security, many taxes etc.
Barry Goldwater
success in Deep South ⇒ southern strategy: appeal to southern democrat opposition to civil rights mvmt to gain votes
Goldwater lost to LBJ in a blowout - 43 million votes to 27 million, ran against New Deal welfare, against the income tax, against the Civil Rights Act 1964
Evangelicalism
Televangelists – Religious TV program, Jerry Falwell’s “war against sin” “pro life, family, america”
“Silent majority”
most of the public is not liberal, does not want rights mvmts + change
Keynes
Demand side economics (opposite of supply side)
Libertarians ignored this in the prosperous decades after WWII bc of success of Keynesian
Popular among conservatives
Friedman’s capitalism and freedom: Laissez faire
Free markets = liberty, gov’t = slavery, want repeal of welfare programs
Laffer curve:
existence of an ideal tax rate btn 0% and 100% that makes ppl motivated to work more
Carter
1977-1981 during economic stagflation
Began deregulation - removal of restrictions in particular industries
Foreign policy - Iran hostage crisis, Camp David accords
Carter’s administration saw deregulation of the market and stagflation and weak foreign policy (Iran hostage crisis, Camp David accords) as a result
Reagan
economic policy fostered prosperity, growth competition in his POV
Reagan’s foreign policy: Strong, decisive, interventionist, “Bellicose” w/ white backlash
Reaganomics: freedom from gov’t, cut taxes + regulation, weaken unions (ex air traffic control strike all fired by Reagan)
Unsuccessful at cutting gov’t spending
Deemed “Voodoo economics” that cutting taxes will spur so much economic growth that the gov’t will bring in more revenue than before: no basis, but hugely popular
Coretta Scott King
reagan’s policy only benefited the rich and continued the suffering of the poor
Clinton
Democrat 1990s
Triangulation: embrace some conservative revolution aspects – welfare reform, tax cuts, free trade AND embrace some left wing issues – environmentalism, abortion rights, etc
Analogy: Clinton is to Reaganism as Eisenhower is to the New Deal
New Deal concerns
Conservative: concerns - regulations and taxes weakening economic growth, people taking advantage of the system/ laziness
Policies - deregulation, cutting taxes, weakening unions, weakening social safety net
Liberal: concerns - greed, inequality, exploitation
Policies - government regulations, taxes on wealthy, strong unions, social safety net/ welfare
Social issues
Conservative: supports religion, traditional values, morality, tough on crime
Rodney King beating – continuing racial injustice
Liberal: secular, liberation/power mvmt, restorative (drug treatment)
Ex. march for life, Americans with Disabilities Act
NAFTA 1993
Conservative
tax free trade in US, canada, mexico
Contract with America 1994
Republicans’ 10 pt plan
decreased welfare spending, line item veto – president can veto specific parts of a bill, taking the streets back – low social spending and increased prison and law enforcement, Personal Responsibility Act – no welfare for minor mothers, American Dream – tax credit for children, Job creation enhancement – tax cuts for small businesses, Common sense legal reform – harder to sue
Failure to pass healthcare reform
Conservative
healthcare is wealth dependent, debate if healthcare is right or normal competition within capitalism
Clinton tried to make it universal, but failed
Ending welfare as we know it 1996
Conservative
5 year welfare limit, no welfare for felons, minimum work requirements to qualify
# of ppl on welfare decreased, welfare funding decreased
WTO and protests 1999
Conservative
WTO encourages free trade agreements globally
Violent protests on the left – unions, etc bc losing jobs due to overseas labor exploitation although some happy bc of tech and investment expansion
Protest don’t change policy
Repeal of Glass Steagall 1999
Conservative
commercial banks can invest in market
Earned Income Tax Credit
Liberal
support to working class making under a certain threshold per annum