A Conservative Realignment: 1977-1990Chapter 33

The Reagan Revolution The Making of a President Ronald Reagan was a movie star before running for governor of California. Reagan ran against Gerald Ford in 1976, but lost in the Republican

primary He was previously divorced and not particularly religious

The move to Reagan Corresponded with a national revival and realignment of evangelical

Christians to conservative political causes Jimmy Carter was Southern Baptist and openly practiced his faith. Reagan was not

particularly religious but evangelical Christians, particularly in the South backed Reagan

Concerns about social equality between African Americans and whites Concerns about the feminist movement as undermining the traditional role of women as wife

and mother

Reagan Revolution Economic recession propelled by the Middle East Oil Crisis

Iranian Hostage Crisis

Resurgence of a new conservative movement energized by Evangelical Christians

Anti-abortion movement

The Great Communicator

The Election of 1980

Reagan’s First Term Reaganomics Cut income taxes and Capital Gains Taxes but not Payroll Taxes Income taxes and Capital Gains taxes are paid by wealthiest Payroll taxes are paid by everyone who is paid a salary but not by

people who live off of the income from their investments Trickle Down or Supply Side Economics By returning money to spend on items or to reinvest in business, the

wealthiest Americans would create jobs and cause unemployment to lessen.

More people employed = more people paying payroll taxes = more revenue for government tax coffers

See policies of Andrew Mellon following WWI

Reagan’s First Term The defense buildup Reagan argued that most of the political trouble in the world was

caused by the Soviet Union. “Evil Empire” Initiated a dramatic buildup of nuclear and conventional weapons and the

creation of the “Strategic Defense Initiative” a space-based anti-weapons platform

Tax cuts and the exponential defense buildup caused the federal deficit to increase

The Americas Reagan wanted to combat Communism in Central America El Salvador; Nicaragua; Grenada, The Middle East Lebanon Arab-Israeli Conflict

Reagan’s Second Term The election of 1984 Won landslide victory over Walter Mondale

The Reagan doctrine 1985 State of the Union Address Support anti-Communist forces throughout the world Reagan’s foreign policy coincided with Mikhail Gorbachev’s

program to modernize the Soviet Union, experiment with capitalism gradually, and ease relations with the U.S. and the West.

Reagan and Gorbachev met to secure a treaty to eliminate medium range nuclear missiles

Reagan’s Second Term The Iran-Contra Affair Illicit Arms sales in to Iran in exchange for Iran using influence to secure

the release of American hostages in Lebanon. Money from the arms sales to Iran was used to fund the Contra forces fighting in Nicaragua

Congress had previously banned arm sales to Iran and monetary assistance to Contra forces in Nicaragua

Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North was the leader of the Iran-Contra conspiracy

Further investigation revealed that members of the Reagan administration knew about the plan and North was fired

North was convicted of lying to Congress but the judgment was overturned on appeal because the prosecution could not prove that they had not used testimony that North gave to Congress under a limited grant of immunity, as the basis of his prosecution.

Foreign relations

Reagan’s Second Term The poor, the homeless, and the victims of AIDS Under Reagan the federal government ceased spending money on

new public housing for low-income families Local urban renewal programs that displaced low income families

to build luxury high rise apartments, condominiums and business centers were not required to locate new homes for the displaced low-income families.

Homelessness increased to the highest level since the Great Depression AIDS: Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome Cultural battle over whether the Federal government had a role in managing

a public health issue or whether homosexuals and intravenous drug users were reaping the consequences of their actions

Public debate over the role of the federal government continued

What was the Reagan Legacy? The Reagan legacy: Greatly reduced role for Federal government in domestic policy; greatly increased role of American military in foreign policy and foreign conflicts

Continued debate over the Reagan legacy Redefining the role of the federal government Did Reagan’s economic policies set the nation on a road to the extreme income

inequality that exists today or did these policies increase opportunity for low income families to move into higher income brackets through hard work?

Would Reagan have supported the more extreme tax cuts and deficit spending policies of the G.W. Bush administration?

Active engagement with Soviets in the Cold War Did Reagan’s foreign policy effectively fight Communism and Soviet aggression or did it

lay the groundwork for later problems in Afghanistan, the Middle East and Central America? Would the Soviet Union have fallen from its own weight as a result of economic stagnation and the cost of maintaining a military presence in Eastern Europe or did Reagan’s more active engagement of the Soviet Union help to bring down the Soviet Union?