APUSH Unit 9: Period 9: 1980-Present
The Reagan-Bush Era: 1980-1992
Reagan and the Conservative Resurgence
A. Context
LBJ’s overwhelming victory in 1964 seemed to show a new age of liberal dominance and conservative retreat.
However, historic events and demographic forces split the demographic party, and revievd the conservative movement.
1980’s Presidential election showed a previously unconnected coalition of Sun Belt conservatives, Christians, and blue-collar “Reagan Democrats” to elect Ronald Reagan.
B. The Rise of the Sun Belt
Recognized during the 50s and 60s, and its influence growing int he 70s, the state populations of California, Florida, and Texas began to surge past the old industrial regions in the North and East
These states increasingly voiced strong opposition to intrusive government regulations and rising taxes. They formed the foundation of the conservative revival, and the electoral college reflected the rising political power of Sun Belt conservatives.
C. The Rise of the New Right
New Left activists criticized the Great Society for not being bold enough, conservative political activists said it enlarged the welfare state.
The New RIght movement began to hone on a message for state rights, limited federal government, and free-market economic policies.
D. The Rise of the Religious Right
The counterculture attack on traditional values, newly vocal gay rights movement, and the assertiveness of radical feminists all alarmed Christians, one of the biggest groups in America.
In addition, Supreme Court decisions: Engel v. Vitale (1962) and Roe v. Wade made people create the Religious Right.
Engel v. Vitale: ruled local officials violated the separation of church and state by composing a school prayer and encouraging its recitation in the public schools.
Roe v. Wade: guaranteed women the right to an abortion.
A new generation of evangelical ministers, like Jerry Falwell, used television programs to voice the erosion of traditional values which was causing a serious moral decline.
Falwell formed the Moral Majority which advanced the conservative agenda and defeat liberal politicians.
E. The Rise of Reagan
A famous Hollywood actor who began to establish himself as a rising leader in the conservative movement. He then won the first of two terms as California’s governor.
He promised to restore order at Berkely University which placed him int he forefrton fo the reaction against counterculture.
Test Tip: The conservative resurgence has MCQ and DBQ questions. Be prepared toa answer a SAQ or LEQ on the topic.
Reagan’s Economic Program
A. Context
Like Carter, Reagan had to face staglfation, and he opposed the use of a New Deal-type program to revive the economy. Instead, he reversed generations of progressive thought by declaring, “Government is not the solution to our problems. It is the problem.”
B. Reagonomics
He called upon Congress to sharpy reduce government funding of social and welfare programs, saying it would help curb federal spending and fight inflation.
He also asked Congress to enact a cut in personal and corporate tax rates.
he believed the tax rates would stimulate economic growth, and according to supply-side economic theory, falling tax rates would encourage consumers to buy more goods nad corporations to hire more workers.
He was also skillful with his televised speeches to build public support for his program, and earned him the nickname the “Great Communciator.”
C. Understanding Causation: Consequences of Reaganomics
It failed to produce immediate results, and it sank into a steep recession as unemployment climbed rapidly.
However, it showed it worked as America had sustained period of economic growth from 1982 to 1988, and the economy added millions of jobs and inflation dropped to single digits instead of double.
However, even with deep cuts in social programs, federal spending continued to escalate as Reagan had to bloat the defense budget to new heights to counter the perceived Soviet threat.
With the massive tax cuts, the government took in less money and had to borrow heavily to pay its bills. The debt tripled from $900 billion to the trillions.
US was the biggest lender, and now became the biggest debtor.
Reagan and the Cold War
A. Context
He was president during a time where Detente failed to deter Soviet aggression, and his next response was important.
The Red Army invaded regions to support pro-Soviet puppet governments, like with Afghanistan.
Polish workers formed an independent labor union called SOlidarity, led by Lech Walesa.
Polish authorities, backed by USSR, arrested Walesa and abolish Solidarity.
Reagan believed communism denied basic human rights, and that the US needed to continue its mission in using its exceptional power and influence to advance the cause of freedom.
B. The “Evil Empire”
When President Reagan took office, he called the USSR an “evil empire”, and the collapse of detente chilled relations, imposed by Nixon.
Soviet actions in Afghanistan and Poland convinced Americans US needed to be more aggressive, and the Reagn Doctrine met this need.
US pledged to support anti-communist movements in proxy warsby supplying Afghan fighters with sophisticated anti-aircraft Stinger missiles.
1983: He proposed a Strategic Defense Initiatve, where he envisioned a space-based missile defense system that could strike down nuclear missiles before the reach the United States.
The media termed it as “Star Wars”
C. “New Thinking”
Reagan’s rapid growth in the defense budget was too much for the Soviets, as they couldn’t afford to continue the arms race any longer. Gorbachev began towards diplomacy.
Reagan and his assertive policies still was hesitant, and tested Gorbachev’s commitment of diplocy over force in five summit meetings.
Both sides began a new era in superpower relations with the Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, and marked the first time both sides agreed to eliminate an entire class of nuclear weapons.
Bush and the End of the Cold War
A. Context
VP George H.W. Bush proved to be a strong presidential candidate, and supported by the Sun Belt voters, he easily defeated Governor Dukakis of Massachusetts.
For the first time, a communist regime had been peacefully turned out of office as the Polish government legalized Solidarity and elected a non-communist prime minister.
B. “The Wall is Gone!”
A series of historic events followed the Polish elections, as Gorbachev’s refusal to use military force to support their puppet Eastern European regimes began the shift of East Germans holding huge protest demonstrations to demand freedom and democracy.
1989: Due to the democratic elections, newly elected East Gemran leader opened the Berlin Wall, and Germany was reunited.
C. The Collapse of the Soviet Union
The USSR began to lose central control as nationalist groups in fourteen republics surrounding the Russian Republic demanded greater control over their internal affairs. Gorbachev watched helplessly as the authority weakened and his popularity plummeted.
1991: He resigned his position from a country that did not exist, as USSR dissolved into republics. The largest of the republic, Russia, replaced the USSR.
Crisis in the Persian Gulf
A. Context
Cold War relations between the US and USSR were tense, but stable. USSR also left the US as the world’s only superpower, and left the US searching for a new foreign policy.
He wanted America to support a “new world order” based upon international cooperation, or world peace. A crisis in the Persian Gulf tested this goal.
B. Saddam Hussein and Kuwait
1990: Iraqi President Saddam Hussein shocked the world by invading Kuwait, taking it by force.
Hussein wanted to be Middle East’s most powerful Arab leader, and dominate the global oil market.
C. Bush Responds
Bush knew no nation could dominate the Persian Gulf and the world’s oil supply, and argued that the US had to stand up to Iraq to deter other would-be aggressors.
He forged an international coalition to stop Hussein, and the UN Security Council passed demanded Iraq withdraw its forces.
When Hussein refused, a massive air offensive called Operation Desert Storm destroyed Iraq’s air defense centers and cut its supply lines.
1991: A ground assaut began as the largest land operation since WW2, and coalition forces smashed through Iraqi defenses, liberating Kuwait.
D. Aftermath of the Persian Gulf War
Despite the overwhelming military victory, and Bush’s presidential ratings going up to 90%, a chain of events would lead to Bill Clinton ending the Reagan-Bush era and returning the Democrats the White House
Bush decided to raise taxes, and a brief but sharp recession occurred in 1990-91
His decision to not remove Hussein from power would have fateful consequences in a few years.
Test Tip: Reagan’s presidency generates questions on every APUSH exam. Also, don’t neglect to study the end of the Cold War and the beginning of a new world order under President H.W. Bush
Key Events/Trends in Post-Cold War America: 1993-2001
The Clinton Presidency
A. NAFTA
Clinton wanted free trade and wanted Congress to approve the North American Free Trade Agreement, which united North America in a common market without trade barriers.
Critics warned that free trade would cost American workers their jobs as companies would be removed to Mexico.
Once in Mexico, factories would hire inexpensive workers, import duty-free materials and equipment, and export it to the US.
American labor leaders protested the hundreds of thousands of jobs that were sent to Mexico from 1993 to 2011.
B. Health-Care Reform
Clinton hoped to extend the nation’s social safety net of the millions of AMericans who lacked health insurance.
Led by Hillary, a task force produced a plan that guaranteed coverage to every Americans.
Opponents defeated the plan saying it was too bureaucratic, complex, and costly.
C. Welfare Reform
Led by Newt Gingrich, Republicans regained control of both houses of Congress.
The Welfare Reform Bill reflected Clinton’s willingness to work with Republican leaders in Congress. It also ended the 50-year federal guarantee of assistance to families by making cuts to welfare grants.
D. Peacekeepign in Bosnia and Kosovo
Clinton was the first American president since Truman who did not face Cold War tensions with USSR.
Post-Cold War problems in former Yugoslavia tested American diplomacy as it fragmented into ethnically diverse and hostile regions.
In Bosnia, Muslims, Croations, and Serbains fought a bloody civil war.
Clinton had to order air strikes to prevent Serbs from their mission of ethnic cleansing.
This led to a peace agreement secured by American mediation.
This did not prevent violence continuing in the former Yugoslavia, when in 1999, Serbia began another campaign of ethnic cleansing to purge Kosovo of its Albanian inhabitants.
US and NATO launched a successful aerial assault on Serbia, and placed Kosov under UN supervision, with NATO troops as peacekeepers.
Turning Points in American History: 9/11 Attacks
A. Context
Gov. W. Bush won a razor-pthin victory over VP Gore in the 2000 president election, who wanted to focus on being compassionate on topics such as educational reform and other domestic issues.
I suggest learning more about this, lowk kinda interesting.
During this time, there was no full-body security or the TSA.
B. You probably know a lot of 9/11, so I’m gonna skip the details.
C. The War on Terror: Afgahnistan
Bush vowed the US would hunt down and punish those responsible, and promised a “war on terrorism” which began in Afghanistan where the Taliban regime protected bin Laden and his Al-Qaeda terrorists.
2001: US launched a massive military assault, driving the Taliban from power but failing to capture bin Laden.
While the war in Afghanistan was fought guerrilla style by Taliban and other insurgent groups, prolonging the conlifct to 10 years, Navy SEALs finally kill bin Laden in 2011.
D. The War on Terror: Iraq
2002: Bush identified Iraq as part of an “axis of evil” which included Iran and North Korea. He claimed Hussein has been amassing nuclear weapons, and both houses of Congress agreed to use military force on Iraq.
2003: US launched a powerful air assault that crippled Iraq’s air defense and command-and-control centers. They captured the capital unopposed, and later the Hussein who was executed in 2006.
Restoring order and rebuilding Iraq’s shattered economy was more difficult than the Bush administration anticipated. Violence between Shiite and Sunni Muslims threatened the American goal of a stable Iraqi government.
Men and women were deployed to fight in Afghanistan and Iraq.
E. Making Connections: Outspoken Critics of American Wars
America has had a long line of outspoken critics on nation’s wars, like Abe Lincoln and Henry David Thoreau on the Mexican-American War, and Jane Addams and mark Twain on the annexation of the Philippines.
While there was strong public and Congress support on the invasion of Afghanistan, there was also mixed feelings on the Iraq invasion. Robert Byrd warned that while the US could win, it would be a lost and costly “second war” to “win the peace in Iraq”.
F. The War on Terror: Impact on American Life
USA Patriot Act: Bush signed it to strengthen national security, and give federal government broad powers to combat terrorism by making it easier to investigate records of suspected terrorists.
Critics aruged that the law’s new security measures conflicted with America’s civil liberties.
The Homeland Security Act of 2002 combined or created over 200 government agencies into a new cabinet-level department.
TSA, National Guard, and Secret Service are all part of the new department.
Test Tip: Be prepared for an SAQ that asks to compare and contrast primary source views supporting and opposing the Iraq War