1980s

1
1980s
2
Reagans Presidency

• Republican Elected in 1980
• Was an actor who became Gov. of CA
• Known as the great communicator
• Reagan stole some Democratic voters away
• Popularity increased after he survived an
  assassination attempt
• Nancy Reagan
• Played a major role in running the White
  House by advising on policy
  issues protecting
  Reagans interests
• Ran a Just Say No antidrug campaign
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vZIcnBccjgMw

3
(No Transcript)
4
Reagans Presidential Agenda

• Goals
• Reduce federal bureaucracy, deregulate certain
  industries, cut taxes, increase defense budget,
  take a hard line with USSR
• Reaganomics Reagans plan for tax spending
  cuts
• Supply-side economics theory that breaks for
  businesses will increase supply of goods/
  services, aiding the economy
• 1981-82 worst recession since the Great
  Depression unemployment increased
• Economic growth in mid-80s was uneven favored
  wealthy

5
Reagans Foreign Policy

• Reagan termed the USSR the evil empire
• Reagan increased defense spending initiated SDI
• Shield that would shoot down missiles (Star Wars
  nickname from popular 1980s movie)
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vuLDK0G4Wktc
• Gorbachev wanted to rebuild U.S. relationship
• INF Treaty (1988) reduced nuclear arms weapons
• Reagans famous speech Mr. Gorbachev, tear down
  this wall!
• Berlin Wall came down in 1989
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vzmRPP2WXX0U

6
(No Transcript)
7
Foreign Policy Issues

• Nicaragua Civil War
• U.S. supported dictator Somoza but in 1979 the
  Sandinistas (communists) ousted him
• 1981 Reagan gave 20 million to CIA to train the
  Contras without informing Congress
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vmYHpmmtJnjM
• Lebanon
• Civil war between Muslim Christian factions
• 1982 Israel invaded to expel the PLO
• 1983 intl peacekeeping force arrive
• A bomb killed the marines inside (1st suicide
  terrorist attack against the US.)
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vgKStVcteLkQ

8
Iran-Contra Affair

• Iran-Contra
• Despite a congressional ban on U.S. funding the
  Contras, Reagans staff continued
• NSA McFarlane had Reagan send weapons to Iran in
  hopes of releasing hostages in Lebanon (violated
  U.S. arms embargo)
• National Security Council staff diverted money
  from illegal arms sales to Contras in Nicaragua
• Info revealed in 1986
• Lt. Col. Oliver North destroyed documents
• Reagan Bush denied knowledge
• High-level Reagan staff lied to Congress
  withheld evidence overturned convictions on
  technicalities
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vQZNukeWdWnM

9
President George H.W. Bush

• Bushs background
• WWII navy pilot Congressional member from TX,
  U.S. ambassador to U.N., head of CIA, VP under
  Reagan
• President
• Elected in 1988 (over Dem. Dukakis) despite low
  turnout due to negativity
• Campaign promise Read my lips No new taxes.

10
(No Transcript)
11
Bushs Foreign Policies

• Opening of the USSR
• Glasnost opening public criticism of the
  govt
• Perestroika restructuring of the corrupt govt
  bureaucracy
• USSR collapses
• Revolutions in Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia,
  Romania (some violent)
• Gorbachev was ready to grant partial treaties to
  Soviet republics gt held captive by Communist
  Party
• Boris Yeltsin (Russian Republic leader) helped,
  tipping power gt Gorbachev resigned as Pres.
• Bush Pres. at the end of the Cold War
• US Soviet leaders signed START (reduce weapons
  treaty) in 1991 1993
• http//www.history.com/topics/cold-war/fall-of-sov
  iet-union/videos/the-fall-of-the-soviet-union

12
Other Bush-Era Conflicts

• China
• Tiananmen Square massacre Chinese students
  protested for democracy
• Tanks surrounded protestors fired

• Persian Gulf War
• Aug. 1990 ruthless dictator of Iraq Saddam
  Hussein invaded Kuwait (oil-rich area)
  committed atrocities
• U.N. imposed sanctions but Hussein was defiant
• Jan. 1991 U.S. attacked in Operation Desert Storm
• Harsh desert terrain made technology most
  effective
• http//www.history.com/topics/persian-gulf-war/vid
  eos/operation-desert-storm-vet-jon-custer

13
Life in the 1980s

• Technology
• Personal computers Steve Jobs
  Steve Wozniak apple Bill Gates
  Microsoft
• Challenger Space Shuttle (1981) with Christa
  McAuliffe
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vj4JOjcDFtBE
• Cell phones introduced
• 1980 Olympics
• Summer Olympics boycotted by Carter because held
  in Moscow
• Winter Olympics highlight was US hockey team
  defeating the Soviets gt called the Miracle game
  
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vqYscemhnf88

14
(No Transcript)
15
Social Changes

• Women
• Sandra Day OConnor 1st female Supreme Court
  justice 1981
• Geraldine Ferraro 1984 1st female VP candidate to
  Walter Mondale
• Court Issues
• Clarence Thomas (1991) Bush nominee to Supreme
  Court

• AIDS
• 1981 scientists identified disease of acquired
  immune deficiency syndrome caused by HIV
• Initially started among homosexual men
  intravenous drug users gt suffered discrimination
• Since has spread to millions through bodily
  fluids sexual contact

16
(No Transcript)
17
Popular Culture

• Music
• New Kids on the Block, Run DMC, Debbie Gibson,
  Bon Jovi, Whitney Houston, Paula Abdul
• TV
• Dallas, Magnum P.I., Smurfs, Cosby Show, Cheers,
  MTV, A-team, Baywatch, Full House
• Movies
• The Goonies, E.T., Indiana Jones, Back to the
  Future, Terminator, The Breakfast Club, Ferris
  Bueller
• Misc
• Fashion, Nintendo, Atari, Cabbage Patch Dolls, My
  Little Pony, Care Bears, Micro Machines