French Indochina
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Resurgence of Conservatism 1980-1992 Resurgence of Conservatism Reagan Revolution “Reaganomics” Conservatism in the courts Arms Race Strategic Defense Initiative Perestroika/Glasnost “Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves.” -Ronald Reagan Election 1980 Reagan Revolution Reagan’s domestic policies: – Reduce Taxes – Reduce government spending – Reduce government regulation of business – Conservative Social Policies Reaganomics “Government is not the solution to our problem. Government is the problem.” Reagan’s Economic policies: – Lowered federal income taxes – Lowered the Estate Tax (Inheritance taxes/property) – Created tax-free savings plans for small investors – encourages investors to take risks These in combination with large amounts of $ being spent on National defense lead to economic upturn Conservatism in the Courts Reagan appointed 3 Conservative Supreme Court Justices Cases that demonstrated ongoing “culture wars” b/w New Right and New Left: – Webster v. Reproductive Health Services – Planned Parenthood v. Casey Election 1984 “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” -Ronald Reagan Arms Race MX “Peacekeepers” were developed in 1986 advancing the Arms Race MIRVed (Multiple Independent Re- entry Vehicles) Some felt that President Reagan’s increase in defense spending was propelling the world toward nuclear annihilation Strategic Defense Initiative Space and land based missile interception system proposed in 1983 Rejected the MAD doctrine by focusing on defense using technologically advanced weapons to shoot down enemy missiles Reagan authorized vast sums of money for research and development Reagan Doctrine Centerpiece of US Contras in foreign policy from 1980- Nicaragua 1991 Provided overt and covert aid to anti- communist movements to "rollback" Soviet- backed communist governments in Africa, Asia, and Latin America Had the dual purposes of diminishing Soviet influence in these regions, while also potentially opening the door for capitalism in nations governed by Soviet-supported socialist governments Mujahedeen in Afghanistan Gorbachev’s Gamble Glasnost: Perestroika: “openness”; relaxing of the “restructuring” of both the media censorship to bring political and economic accountability to the Soviet landscape in the USSR government Political- Gorbachev called for multi-candidate elections to government posts in order to allow progressive reformers access to positions Economic- Gorbachev publicly recognized the failure of the Soviet economy, and allowed for the private ownership of businesses and services Warm-Up Read the section “Gorbachev Pursues Reform” on p. 1088 in the text. On the back of your notes for “Reagan Doctrine” write down a description of what Perestroika was. Election 1988 Fall of Soviet Union Gorbachev’s policies of Perestroika and glasnost (free media) allowed the Republics in the USSR greater sovereignty. In 1990, some of those republics seceded from the USSR. In December 1991, representatives from all the republics in the USSR met and signed the Alta-Ata Protocol. This dismantled the USSR into its separate republics. Operation: Desert Shield In 1990, Iraq invaded it’s neighbor, Kuwait to seize the oil there. To prevent an invasion of Saudi Arabia, the US and other countries sent military forces to the Persian Gulf. Based on the Carter Doctrine (1980) UN passed a deadline that said Iraq must withdraw by Jan. 15, 1991 Operation: Desert After the UN deadline passed, Congress Storm authorized President Bush to use force Air strikes against Iraqi targets were conducted including the use of the Stealth fighter/bomber Ground forces pushed the Iraqi army out of Kuwait in less than 100 hours US forces remained in the Middle East to protect against further aggression 101st Congress Both houses of Congress were controlled by the Democrats during President Bush’s term Budget Reconciliation Act (1990) aimed at reducing deficit Raised Income Taxes Raised excise taxes on: – Gasoline – Autos – Tobacco / Alcohol – Telephone service President Bush signed the Bill into Law .