test 4 last lecture

Foundations and Early Career of Ronald Reagan

• Personal Background  - Born on $02/06/1911$ in the town of Tampico, Illinois.  - Parents: Jack and Nell Reagan.  - Upbringing: Raised mostly under the direction of his mother, who brought him up in the church.  - Early Interests: Developed a love for acting while performing in "church plates."
• Professional Background before Politics  - Education: Attended high school and later Eureka College.  - Career Start: Began as a radio announcer before moving to Hollywood to become a film actor.  - Notable Film: Appeared in the film King's Row (depicted in the bottom left-hand corner of the lecture slide).  - Autobiography: Published his first autobiography in the early sixties titled Where's the Rest of Me?  - Origin of Title: The title comes from a line in King's Row where his character wakes from surgery to find his bottom half decapitated and asks, "Where's the rest of me?"

The Political Transformation of Ronald Reagan

• Early Political Affiliations  - Reagan was originally a member of the Democratic Party, mirroring the political views of his parents.  - Early Hero: He idolized Franklin Roosevelt (FDR).  - Mid-Career Alignment: In the late $1930s$ and $1940s$, he aligned with "anti-communist liberals," a subset of Roosevelt's party.
• Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Involvement  - Joined SAG in $1937$ at the height of his acting career.  - Presidency: Served as the president of the Screen Actors Guild in $1947$.  - Cold War Impact: He worked to "purge the guild of any communist" during the McCarthy era.  - Policy: He pursued individuals where significant evidence of Communist Party association existed but attempted to protect those he believed were innocent.
• Shift to the Republican Party  - Affiliation began to shift during the presidencies of JFK and Lyndon B. Johnson.  - Distrust of Democratic Leadership: Reagan did not trust John F. Kennedy and began campaigning for Richard Nixon starting in $1960$ and again in $1962$ for the California governorship.  - Frustration with LBJ: Disliked the "Great Society" programs and the constant rise in taxes used to support the Vietnam War.  - "A Rendezvous with Destiny": Delivered a famous speech in support of Barry Goldwater in the $1964$ election, warning that the nation could "preserve for our children this, the last hope of man on earth" or take a "step into a thousand years of darkness."

The Election of 1980 and the "New Right"

• Ideological Platform  - Reagan ushered in a new era of conservatism known as the "New Right."  - Platform Pillars:   - Slash social welfare programs.   - Increase military spending to win the Cold War.   - Dismantle the federal bureaucracy.   - Restore states' rights.   - Appoint conservative judges.   - Ban abortions.   - Establish public prayers in school.
• Public Image  - Known as the "Great Communicator" for his ability to communicate effectively with the public.  - Popular for promising "simple solutions to complex problems."  - Outcome: Reagan Brady (as referred to in transcript) won the election of $1980$ against Jimmy Carter.

Reaganomics and Domestic Policy

• The Economic Recovery Act  - Purpose: To cut personal taxes and lower the minimum tax rate from $70\%$ to $50\%$  - Theoretical Basis: Wealth produced by tax cuts was intended to "trickle down" to the working class.  - Criticism: Vice President George H.W. Bush initially referred to this as "voodoo economics."
• Judicial and Social Stance  - Supreme Court Appointment: Appointed Sandra Day O'Connor to the Supreme Court.   - Facts on O'Connor: She had support from both parties; confirmed by a vote of $99$ to $0$; served for $25$ years; often served as the "swing vote" between conservatism and liberalism.  - Labor and Rights: Reagan was seen as anti-liberal; he faced setbacks with organized labor and opposed the Equal Rights Amendment and women's rights proposals for equal work among sexes.

Foreign Policy and the Cold War

• Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) / "Star Wars"  - Reagan felt predecessors Nixon and Ford were too soft on the Soviets through "detente."  - Rhetoric: In March $1983$, Reagan called the Soviet Union the "Evil Empire" and the "focus of evil in the modern world."  - Technology: SDI was designed to use laser weapons to intercept and destroy Soviet missiles. It was controversial due to its reliance on "untested" technology.
• Central American and Caribbean Conflicts  - Nicaragua: The US argued Cuba was sending weapons to the Sandinista communist government. Reagan supported the "Contras" (fighters) to prevent a communist takeover, fearing a loss of US credibility.  - Critics' View: Feared the Contras were becoming radicals and killing indiscriminately; worried it would become another "Vietnam situation."  - Grenada: The government of "Bernada" (as transcribed) made a deal with Cuba for a new airfield. Following a military uprising and the killing of the Prime Minister, Reagan sent $1,900$ Marines to overthrow the communist military government. The UN denounced the invasion, but natives were reported to be pleased.

The Iran-Contra Affair and Second Term Challenges

• The 1984 Election  - Reagan won $525$ electoral votes against the Democratic nominee (former Vice President to Jimmy Carter).
• Secret Weapons Sales  - The US secretly sold arms to Iran in hopes of freeing American hostages held in Lebanon by groups sympathetic to Iran.  - Funding the Contras: Money from the arms sales was illegally sent to support the Contras in Nicaragua (bypassing Congressional bans).
• Key Figures  - Oliver North (Ali North): Secretly worked in the White House basement to facilitate the sales.  - John Floyd Dexter (transcribed name for National Security Adviser): Said to have given North the "green light."
• Reagan's Defense and Health  - Initially denied trading weapons for hostages: "I -- we did not, repeat, did not trade weapons or anything else for hostages."  - Later admission: "A few months ago, I told the American people I did not trade arms for hostages. My heart and my best intentions still tell me that's true, but the facts and the evidence tell me it is not."  - Alzheimer's: Revealed in the late $1990s$; by his second term, more doctors were present in the White House. Reagan noted in his autobiography he had trouble remembering specifics of meetings.  - Diary Entry ($01/17/1986$): Recorded the decision to sell TOW anti-tank missiles to get $5$ hostages out of Lebanon with the note: "I have the go ahead."

End of the Cold War: Reagan and Gorbachev

• Mikhail Gorbachev (Miguel Borguta)  - Became Soviet Premier in $1985$.  - Three Major Focuses:   1. Revive the policy of detente (easing relations between the US and communist countries).   2. Reduce tensions between the Soviet Union and the US.   3. Perestroika / Glasnost.
• Key Concepts  - Perestroika: Reconstructing the Soviet bureaucratic government.  - Glasnost: "Openness"; radical changes in Soviet thought processes.
• Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty  - Signed in Washington DC.  - Dismantled and eliminated immediate-range nuclear missiles (approximately $2,600$ missiles).  - Significance: First time two nations agreed to destroy an entire class of military arms.
• The Berlin Wall  - Reagan visited East Germany in $1987$.  - Famous Quote: "General Secretary Borbuchak, if you seek peace… Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall."

The Transition to George H.W. Bush

• 1988 Election  - George H.W. Bush, Reagan's two-term Vice President, won with $426$ electoral votes.
• Policy Adjustments  - Termed his approach "compassionate conservatism."  - Faced the challenge of the national debt, inner-city poverty, homelessness, and drug abuse.  - Legislation: Passed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
• Operation Desert Storm  - Context: Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait.  - Military Action: US troops deployed $07/12/1991$; involved a coalition with the UK, Egypt, Syria, Qatar, UAE, and Morocco.  - Outcome: A six-week campaign with less than $150$ American casualties and an estimated $100,000$ Iraqi deaths.

The 1992 Election and Beyond

• Candidates  - Bill Clinton (Democrat): Promised tax relief, economic aid, and slashing defense spending to control national debt.  - George H.W. Bush (Republican).  - Ross Perot: Represented a new party (described as Libertarian/Little yellow piece on map) that took significant votes away from Bush.
• Clinton Administration Note  - Notable achievement: Establishment of NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement).

Questions & Discussion

• Question: Who is Ronald Reagan?  - Student Responses: He is Ronald Reagan; a human; a Hollywood actor who did Western movies; a governor (two terms); a Catholic; a cowboy; president during the eighties; a member of the Republican Party.  - Speaker Clarification: Confirmed he was an actor and governor before becoming the GOP president; emphasized that to understand his presidency, one must understand his background.
• Question: Why did Reagan's party affiliation change?  - Student Response: Party views can change over time or an individual's own views can change.  - Speaker Explanation: People often adopt parental views initially (Reagan's parents were Democrats) then develop their own during college or high school.
• Question: By show of hands, who believes Reagan knew about the Iran-Contra arms deal?  - Note: The majority of the class raised their hands and discussed whether Oliver North was "thrown under the bus."
• Question: Can you repeat the second half of the 1980 platform?  - Speaker Response: Repeated points regarding dismantling bureaucracy, restoring states' rights, appointing conservative judges, banning abortion, and school prayer.
• Question: What was the term Reagan used for the Soviet Union?  - Student Response: Iron Curtain?  - Speaker Correction: No, the "Evil Empire."
• Question: What is detente?  - Speaker Definition: The easing of relations between the United States and communist countries, initiated by Richard Nixon.