1980's to Today

  • republicans

    • Ronald Reagan

      • critic of excesses of Federal Government

      • promised Tax cuts

      • restoration of American “strength and pride”

  • democrats

    • Jimmy Carter

      • manages to stay on the ticket

      • can’t overcome the economy & hostage situation

  • new rights and rise of conservatism

    • backlash to Counterculture to 1960’s

    • most concerned about social issues

    • moral majority

      • visibility of religion

        • Jerry Falwell

        • Oral Roberts

        • Pat Robertson

        • Jimmy Swaggart

Reagan- Domestic

  • - believed in cutting tax

  • economic Recovery Tax Act (1981) and Tax Reform act of 1986- highest tax rates from 70 to 30%

  • trickle down and “supply side” economics

  • deregulation

  • tax and spending cuts

  • PATCO Strike-fired air traffic controllers

Savings& Loan Crisis

  • brink of collapse after deregulation

  • cost the public over half a trillion dollars

Reagan- Foreign Policy

  • soviet union

    • defense buildup

    • Reagan doctrine- rollback

    • “Tear down this wall”

    • “Star Wars” strategic defense initiative ( faked lasers to trick Russia)

    • negotiation with Gorbachev _ INF(1987), outline of START

  • Grenada: example of negotiations in a foreign country without military action

  • Iran-Contra Affair: Sandistas and Contras in Nicaragua, CIA put dictator in place from Contras, Sandistas try to go against it. Congress says you cannot give anything to Contras. Iraq-Iran war where we are on the side of Iraq but we secretly sell weapons to Iran to give the money to Contra

Election of 1984

republicans - Reagan

Democrats- Walter Mondale vs. Geraldine Ferraro (first woman to be put on a national ticket)

  • Fall of Berlin Wall

    • “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall”

      • Glasnot

        • openness: western newspapers, television, talk about some of their concerns without being killed/ emprisonned

      • Perestroika

        • restructuring

    • Berlin Wall

      • November 1989

    • dissolution of Soviet Union

      • Dec. 26, 1991

1980’s Society

  • feminist revolution

    • working moms, athletics, “glass ceiling”

    • Sandra Day O’Conner (supreme court justice )& Sally Ride

  • New immigration

    • Asia/ Mexico

      • concentration of Mexicans unprecedented

      • ethnic pride

    • Urban problems

      • minorities centralized, lack of revitalization, drugs, welfare, poor schools, pollution

    • AIDS and HIV

      • June 5, 2021- 40 year anniversary