Ch 34 35 Reagan Bush Clinton 1980 Present

Ch. 34 & 35 Reagan, Bush, Clinton 1980 – “Present”

New Conservatism After years of Government growth and social / cultural change, a conservative backlash grew in the later 1970 s. Ronald Reagan wins election of 1980 on platform of “The New Right” Sometimes called: The Reagan Revolution Calls for a return to conservative morals / values Believes in reducing federal government size / regulation Believes in reducing government spending on social programs Very pro-business growth Increase in defense spending Cutting taxes

Iran-contra Affair CIA secretly arms / trains Contra fighters in Nicaragua to hold back a Marxist revolution there. After this is discovered, Congress cut the funding, so government operatives sell weapons to Iran to funnel $$$ to the Contras. When the story broke, Col. Oliver North took the fall.

The Bush Presidency Ron Reagan’s Vice president wins in 1988 famously promising “no new taxes” & a continuation of New Conservatism End of Communism Economic collapse, public calls for change and foreign pressure leads to the fall of the “Iron Curtain, ” and break-up of U. S. S. R. Fall of the Berlin Wall viewed as the official end of the Cold War ( 1989)

The Persian Gulf War 1990 – Saddam Hussein sends Iraqi tanks into Kuwait After diplomacy fails to remove Iraq from Kuwait, the US leads a UN coalition of 28 nations to expel Hussein’s army The decisive victory builds Bush’s popularity Foot note Saddam remains in power however and later, after the attacks of Sept. 11 th, 2001, Bush’s son, George W. Bush uses the threat of possible links between Iraq and Al Qaeda as pretense to invade Iraq again and “get Saddam. ” Saddam is found and executed by Iraqis, but the links to Al Qaeda never were fully established and the U. S. has only recently extracted itself from the conflict in Iraq.

The Clinton Presidency Though popular with conservatives, Bush had left the US economy much weaker after his first term Clinton moves toward a “liberal agenda” and angers conservative Republicans Clinton turns the huge budget deficit into a surplus in 1998 Whitewater & Monica Lewinsky Scandals mar Clinton’s reputation The Lewinsky scandal bring impeachment hearings for Clinton’s lying under oath, but fail to prove “high crimes and misdemeanors”. Clinton is acquitted.

George W Bush Although he lost the popular vote, “W” won the electoral vote against Al Gore v. Bush – Supreme court case that ends election dispute over Florida’s voting procedures September 11 th, 2001 – al Qaeda attacks US Bush gets Congress to authorize military force to “get the terrorists in Afghanistan” Later Bush uses faulty intel to connect Iraq to al Qaeda and go to war in Iraq again In “War on Terror” US engaged in illegal activities to find, capture detain and interrogate suspects

Barak Obama First African American President of the United States Affordable Care Act – attempts to provide affordable, universal health care to all US citizens through public, subsidized and private insurance Continued “War on Terror” and expanded Drone strike program in Afghanistan Draws down US troop presence but special forces continue to “search & destroy” Resistance in Congress limits his political agenda

Frontline Losing Iraq The Rise of ISIS