America 1970’s - TODAY Government Deception President Nixon The Energy Crisis & Stagflation...
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Transcript of America 1970’s - TODAY Government Deception President Nixon The Energy Crisis & Stagflation...
America1970’s - TODAY
Government Deception
President Nixon• The Energy Crisis & Stagflation• Stagflation – high inflation & unemployment (U.S. $$$ losing value)• Energy Crisis – scarce energy sources & rising oil prices
– OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries): hoped to maintain a high price for oil by controlling its production & sale
– revealed how dependent America is on foreign oil– Project Independence (Nixon’s plan): end use of foreign oil… use
Alaskan oil pipeline
President Nixon
• Realpolitik – foreign policy of cooperating with communist nations– China – became close Allies
& helped weaken Chinese support for communist war effort in S. Vietnam
– Soviet Union – “detante” – limited number & types of nuclear missiles each country could have
Watergate
• office complex in D.C. (housing the Democratic
National Committee headquarters)• burglary of camera equipment & secret
electronic recording devices; burglars worked for Nixon’s administration
• this incident led to the revealing of hidden illegal campaign contributions & dirty tricks used by Nixon’s administration (“Tricky Dick”)
Watergate
• “Deep Throat” – anonymous tattle tale• Woodward & Bernstein – journalists who
reported the story• Nixon had all his conversations taped
while in office; he was forced to turn over those tapes; he refused Nixon resigns
• Gerald Ford, Speaker of the House, becomes President & pardons Nixon (disliked for this, does not win reelection)
President Jimmy Carter• PROBLEM: economy & energy crisis!!! • Inflation & oil prices still on the rise…
tries to convince Americans to conserve oil!
• Reject realpolitik & pushed for human rights– giving less aid to former foreign allies
& giving more aid to developing countries (ex. Africa & apartheid)
– lost connection/”friendship” with Soviet Union
– Iran hostage crisis
Problems with the Middle East
• U.S. got involved in Iran’s govt. in 1950’s & helped put the shah in power
• in the 1970’s, Iranians rejected this shah’s power (western thinker) & wanted the Ayatollah Khomeini (a Muslim religious fundamentalist) in power
• Iran hostage crisis – revolutionaries attacked U.S Embassy in Iran & captures 53 Americans (they were tortured)
• Carter cut off ties with Iran• Americans blamed President
Carter… Reagan in office
“Reaganomics”
• supply-side economics – govt. could balance budget by cutting taxes – which would increase personal income &
business profits… people would then invest their extra income into the community thus expanding economy & creating jobs
• Reagan increased defense spending, causing…– deficit – amount by which a govt.’s
expenditures exceed its revenues
Iran-Contra Affair
• political scandal involved selling weapons to Iran (an enemy) & used the proceeds to fund the Contras (an anti-communist guerrilla organization in Nicaragua)
• Oliver North – Reagan’s man who coordinated this
• 2 evils America is supporting… why??? – Iran – in exchange for hostages & become
“friends” with them again– Contras – fight communism in S. America
• the affair is still a big secret
The End to the Cold War
• Gorbachev tore down the Berlin wall… symbolized the ending of the Cold War between U.S. & Soviet Union
• But is it really???
President George Bush• War on Drugs – an organized effort
at home & abroad to end illegal drug trade– using law enforcement to end drug use
• The Gulf War – remove Iraqi forces from Kuwait (invaded bc of oil) & ensure that Iraq would not invade Saudi Arabia– Desert Shield/Storm – air attacks against
Iraq
• Success with the War on Aggression!• But Bush let Saddam Hussein stay in
power… why???
President Bill Clinton• American foreign policy = policing the world
(ex. Bosnia, Iraq, Haiti)• “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” – his policy of allowing
homosexuals the right to serve in the military• NAFTA• terrorism – Oklahoma City bombing & foreign
embassies (ie. Africa)• was impeached for the Monica Lewinski Trial, but not
kicked out of office
NAFTA
• North America Free Trade Agreement between Canada, Mexico, & the U.S. to form the world’s largest free trade area
• has brought economic growth & rising standards of living for people in all 3 countries
• has also brought more open immigration• What’s the border problem???
George W. Bush
– September 11th – No Child Left Behind – increasing
standards in education (teaching requirements, testing, etc)
– Partial-birth Abortion – prohibits a form of late term abortion
– War on Terrorism – war to stop the spread of terrorism
– War in Iraq – war on stopping dictatorship, WMD’s, oil supply, spreading democracy
– Patriot Act – tapping in to people’s phones, emails, & records to unveil terrorists
9/11• Al Qaeda, led by Osama bin Laden & funded
by the terrorist group – the Taliban, attacked, by plane, the twin towers in NY, the Pentagon in VA, & one plane crashed in PA (supposedly on target to the Whitehouse)
• estimated 3,000 people died• leads to War on Terror!• Afghanistan is giving refuge to these terrorists;
therefore, a lot of fighting occurs in this country but we are NOT at war with Afghanistan– Iraq & Iran are completely separate issues!!!
War in Iraq
• supposedly had Weapons of Mass Destruction, but these were never found by the U.S. or the U.N. inspectors
• Sadaam Hussein was found, tried by the U.N., and hanged by his own people
TODAY:Barack Obama
• Ecomony & Stimulus Package• Guatanamo Bay – closing no later than Jan.
2010• War on Terror – continued• War in Iraq – leave a.s.a.p.• Iran – diplomatic talks
Global Warming• increase in average temperature & sea level• caused by: greenhouse gas concentrations, ozone
depletion, pollution, deforestation, overgrazing, irrigation, etc.
• Silent Spring – Rachel Carson’s book launched the environmental awareness movement
• Earth Day – inspire awareness & appreciation of Earth• Rachel Carson – 1930’s; became 1st outspoken
environmentalist• Green Peace – created to stop the U.S. govt. testing
nuclear devices in Alaska; also got involved with global warming, whaling, and genetic engineering
• El Nino – warming over Pacific; causes earth to react tsunamis