Notes on the United States from 1980 to the Present

Contextualizing Period 9 (1980-Present)

• Election of Ronald Reagan (1980): Marked the end of the postwar era

• and ushered in a more conservative political period.

• Political Divide: The gap between rural and urban regions widened.

  • Rural Regions: Became older, whiter, and more conservative.

  • Urban Regions: Grew younger, multicultural, and more open to diverse ideas on gender and ethnicity.

• Political Manifestations: This divide manifested in:

  • Heated presidential elections

  • Contentious federal court nominations

  • Government shutdowns

• Reagan's Foreign Policy: Combined:

  • Aggressive anti-communist stance

  • Willingness to negotiate arms-reduction treaties with the Soviet Union.

• Fall of the Soviet Union (1991): Ended the 45-year focus of U.S. foreign policy.

  • Resulting Conflicts: Revealed political, ethnic, and religious conflicts previously suppressed during the Cold War which later erupted.

• Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001: Led to U.S. involvement in Middle Eastern wars and prioritized homeland security.

• Decline in Faith in Government: Reduced faith in the federal government's ability to solve economic and social issues.

• Rise of Conservatism: Championing of unregulated markets by corporations revitalized conservatism in both Republican and Democratic parties.

  • Republican Support: Strengthened by:

    • Evangelical Christian involvement in politics

    • Sun Belt demographic growth

    • Southern White conservative voters shifting to the Republican Party.

• Economic Challenges: Increased competition from globalization and financial mismanagement challenged American economic success.

• Economic Disparities: Corporate capitalism and tax cuts primarily benefited the top 5 percent, while income for the lower and middle class stagnated.

• Industrial Decline: Many parts of America experienced industrial decline and economic downturns, like the Great Recession of 2008, leading to increased poverty.

• Social Consequences: Depression and drug use increased, and the average American lifespan declined.

• Landmark Events:

  • 1980: Ronald Reagan elected president.

  • 1981: The World Wide Web becomes publicly available.

  • 1989: Destruction of the Berlin Wall.

  • 1991: Dissolution of the Soviet Union.

  • 2001: September 11 terrorist attacks.

  • 2009: Barack Obama becomes the first African American president.

  • 2017: Donald Trump takes office as president.

  • 2020: Black Lives Matter Movement gains traction.

Reagan and Conservatism

• Conservative Rebirth: Traced back to Goldwater's 1964 campaign and solidified by Reagan's election in 1980.

• Ronald Reagan's Rise:

  • Gained prominence as a political speaker in the 1964 Goldwater campaign.

  • Elected governor of California.

  • Became leading conservative spokesperson by 1976.

• Election of 1980: Reagan attacked Democrats for:

  • Expanding government.

  • Undermining U.S. prestige abroad.

  • Reagan used a “misery index” of 22 to highlight economic problems.

  • Reagan won 51% of the popular vote and almost 91% of the electoral vote.

• Significance of Reagan's Election: Broke up the New Deal coalition by winning over 50% of the blue-collar vote.

  • Republicans gained control of the Senate for the first time since 1954, aided by the Moral Majority.

  • Republicans gained 33 seats in the House.

• Reagan Revolution:

  • Began with the release of American hostages in Iran on Reagan's inauguration day.

  • Survived an assassination attempt, enhancing his popularity.

  • Goal: Reduce the size and scope of the federal government.

  • Pledged to lower taxes, reduce government spending, build up the military, and appoint conservative judges.

• Reaganomics:

  • Advocated supply-side economics: tax cuts and reduced government spending to increase private sector investment.

  • Contrasted with Keynesian economics, which favored government spending during downturns.

  • Critics compared it to