QUIT
25
The Conservative Tide
CHAPTER OBJECTIVE
INTERACT WITH HISTORY
TIME LINE
GRAPH
MAP
SECTION
1 A Conservative Movement Emerges
SECTION
2 Conservative Policies Under Reagan and Bush
SECTION
3 Social Concerns of the 1980s
SECTION
4 Foreign Policy After the Cold War
VISUAL SUMMARY
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25
The Conservative Tide
CHAPTER OBJECTIVE
To understand the political and social events of the
1980s and early 1990s
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25
The Conservative Tide
INTERACT
WITH HISTORY
It is the autumn of 1980. You are a campaign manager for Republican
presidential candidate, Ronald Reagan, former film star and past governor
of California. Reagan must defeat President Jimmy Carter, who has lost
support. Carter has failed to bring home the hostages in Iran and to revive
the economy. Reagan, an optimist, pledges to do both. He also plans to cut
taxes and cut back on government programs.
What campaign slogan will you create?
Examine the Issues
• What qualities in your candidate will win support?
• What issues are important?
• How can you present Reagan as a winner?
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The Conservative Tide
TIME LINE
The United States
The World
1980 Ronald Reagan is elected president.
1980 Zimbabwe claims independence.
1981 Sandra Day O’Connor becomes the first
woman appointed to the Supreme Court.
1982 Equal Rights Amendment fails to win
ratification.
1982 Great Britain and Argentina go to war over
the Falkland Islands.
1984 President Reagan is reelected.
1984 South African Bishop Desmond Tutu
receives the Nobel Peace Prize.
1985 The Soviet Union suffers a disastrous
accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
1986 Iran arms deal is revealed.
continued . . .
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The Conservative Tide
TIME LINE
The United States
The World
1987 President Reagan and Soviet leader
Mikhail Gorbachev sign the Intermediate-Range
Nuclear Forces Treaty.
1988 George Bush is elected president.
Reverend Jesse Jackson runs for the Democratic
presidential nomination.
1989 The Chinese government kills student
protesters in Tiananmen Square. Germans
dismantle the Berlin Wall.
1991 Persian Gulf War breaks out.
1991 Soviet Union breaks apart.
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1
A Conservative Movement Emerges
KEY IDEA
The new conservatism begins with the
defeat of Barry Goldwater in 1964 and
triumphs with the election of Ronald
Reagan in 1980.
OVERVIEW
ASSESSMENT
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1
A Conservative Movement Emerges
OVERVIEW
MAIN IDEA
WHY IT MATTERS NOW
Conservatism reached a high point
with the election in 1980 of
President Ronald Reagan and VicePresident George Bush.
In the early 21st century,
conservative views strongly
influenced both major political
parties.
TERMS & NAMES
• entitlement program
• New Right
• reverse discrimination
• affirmative action
• Moral Majority
• conservative coalition
• Ronald Reagan
ASSESSMENT
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1
A Conservative Movement Emerges
ASSESSMENT
1. Look at the graphic to help organize your thoughts.
List eight conservative issues.
Reduce
entitlement
programs
End affirmative
action
Reduce the size
of the federal
government
End busing
Conservative Issues
Prayer in school
Defeat the ERA
Eliminate legal
abortions
Stop the
regulation of
guns
continued . . .
1
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A Conservative Movement Emerges
ASSESSMENT
2. How did the leaders of the conservative movement of
the 1980s want to change government? Think About:
• the difference between the conservative view of
government and the liberal view
• the groups that made up the conservative coalition
• conservatives’ attitudes toward existing government
programs
ANSWER
Conservatives wanted to reduce the size of federal government; lower
taxes; end gun control, affirmative action, and busing; increase
defense spending; and promote traditional family values.
continued . . .
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1
A Conservative Movement Emerges
ASSESSMENT
3. What role did the Moral Majority play in the
conservative movement of the 1970s and early 1980s?
ANSWER
The Moral Majority represented a religious revival that
stressed a literal interpretation of the Bible and argued
for restoration of traditional values.
continued . . .
1
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A Conservative Movement Emerges
ASSESSMENT
4. What personal qualities in Ronald Reagan helped him
to win election as president in 1980?
ANSWER
Reagan, known as the Great Communicator, had the
ability to simplify issues and offer clear-cut answers.
End of Section 1
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GRAPH
2
Conservative Policies Under Reagan and Bush
KEY IDEA
President Reagan puts in place conservative
policies that affect the nation’s budget and
the federal government.
OVERVIEW
ASSESSMENT
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GRAPH
2
Conservative Policies Under Reagan and Bush
OVERVIEW
MAIN IDEA
WHY IT MATTERS NOW
Presidents Reagan and Bush
pursued a conservative agenda that
included tax cuts, budget cuts, and
increased defense spending.
The conservative views of Reagan
and Bush created policies and
priorities that affect government
spending and budgeting today.
TERMS & NAMES
• supply-side economics
• deregulation
• Sandra Day O’Connor
• Reaganomics
• Geraldine Ferraro
• George Bush
• Environmental Protection
Agency
• Strategic Defense Initiative
ASSESSMENT
GRAPH
2
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Conservative Policies Under Reagan and Bush
ASSESSMENT
1. Look at the graphic to help organize your thoughts.
Define “Reaganomics,” and then list its short-term and
long-term effects.
DEFINITION OF REGANOMICS
Policy advocating tax cuts to bolster private investments, leading
to increased national supply of goods and services.
Short-Term Effects
Falling interest rates, decreased inflation, economic growth
Long-Term Effects
Increased national debt, budget deficit, trade imbalances, higher
taxes
continued . . .
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2
Conservative Policies Under Reagan and Bush
ASSESSMENT
2. Why did President Reagan and President Bush think it
was important to appoint conservative justices to the
Supreme Court?
ANSWER
The Supreme Court decides which laws are constitutional.
Both Reagan and Bush had conservative agendas and
wanted the Supreme Court to support those agendas.
continued . . .
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2
Conservative Policies Under Reagan and Bush
ASSESSMENT
3. In your opinion was Reagan’s first term a success?
Think About:
• how his tax cuts impacted the rich and the poor
• the economy
• the federal budget
ANSWER
Reagan’s first term was a mix of success and failure—
stopped the growth of inflation but the federal deficit rose.
continued . . .
GRAPH
2
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Conservative Policies Under Reagan and Bush
ASSESSMENT
4. Read the following excerpt from Ronald Reagan’s
speech at the 1992 Republican Convention.
“ We mustn’t forget . . . the very different America that existed
just 12 years ago; an America with 21 percent interest rates
and . . . double-digit inflation; an America where mortgage payments
doubled, paychecks plunged, and motorists sat in gas lines; an
America whose leaders told us . . . that what we really needed was
another good dose of government control and higher taxes.”
What picture did Reagan paint of the Carter administration?
ANSWER
That high interest rates, high inflation, gas lines, and too
much government marked Carter’s administration.
End of Section 2
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Social Concerns of the 1980s
KEY IDEA
Social issues of many kinds continue to
concern the nation during the conservative
backlash.
OVERVIEW
ASSESSMENT
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Social Concerns of the 1980s
OVERVIEW
MAIN IDEA
WHY IT MATTERS NOW
Beneath the surge of
prosperity that marked the
conservative era of the 1980s
lay serious social problems.
Issues involving health care,
education, civil rights, and equal
rights for women continue to
challenge American society.
TERMS & NAMES
• L. Douglas Wilder
• pay equity
• Lauro Cavazos
• Jesse Jackson
• AIDS (acquired immune
deficiency syndrome)
• Antonia Coello Novello
ASSESSMENT
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Social Concerns of the 1980s
ASSESSMENT
1. List several of the social problems of the Reagan and
Bush years and how the government responded to them.
Social Problems
Government Response
Abortion
Supreme Court restrictions
Drug use
“Just say No!” campaign
Education
America 2000 education initiative
Women’s rights
Day care budget cuts; pay equity in some states
Equal rights for
minorities
Supreme Court reversal of affirmative-action decision
continued . . .
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Social Concerns of the 1980s
ASSESSMENT
2. How might improvements in the educational system help
solve other social problems? Think About:
• the impact education might have on health-related problems
• the impact that education might have on urban problems
• the impact that education might have on unemployment
ANSWER
Education might help discourage unsafe sex and drug use.
Education would lead to future job opportunities and lower
unemployment rates.
continued . . .
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Social Concerns of the 1980s
ASSESSMENT
3. Compare the political gains and losses experienced by
various groups during the Reagan and Bush administrations.
ANSWER
More jobs and political opportunities for women and minorities;
Native Americans gained support for gambling casinos on their
native lands; Asian Americans were the second fastest-growing
minority population; several states outlawed anti-gay discrimination.
continued . . .
3
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Social Concerns of the 1980s
ASSESSMENT
4. Why might a widening gap between the richest and
poorest citizens of a country be a cause for concern about
that country’s future?
ANSWER
A widening economic gap could lead to a permanently
divided society.
End of Section 3
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4
Foreign Policy After the Cold War
KEY IDEA
Major changes throughout the world have a
great impact on the direction of U.S. foreign
policy.
OVERVIEW
ASSESSMENT
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4
Foreign Policy After the Cold War
OVERVIEW
MAIN IDEA
WHY IT MATTERS NOW
The end of the Cold War, marked
by the breakup of the Soviet Union
in 1991, led to a redirection of
many U.S. goals and policies.
After the Cold War, the United States
provided and continues to provide
substantial economic support to the new
capitalistic and democratic nations.
TERMS & NAMES
• INF Treaty
• glasnost
• Operation Desert Storm
• Tiananmen Square
• Contras
• Mikhail Gorbachev
• Sandinistas
• perestroika
ASSESSMENT
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4
Foreign Policy After the Cold War
ASSESSMENT
1. Explain U.S. foreign policy in Europe, in Central
America and the Caribbean, and in the Middle East.
U.S. Foreign Policy
Europe
INF Treaty; START II Pact; Cold War ends
Central America and Caribbean
Cut aid to Sandinistas; send aid to Contras;
invasion of Grenada
Middle East
Iran-Contra affair; Operation Desert Storm
continued . . .
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4
Foreign Policy After the Cold War
ASSESSMENT
2. What factors caused the end of the Cold War?
Think About:
• events in the Soviet Union
• events in Germany and Eastern Europe
• how U.S. leaders responded to those events
ANSWER
Collapse of Soviet economy, Gorbachev’s reforms in the Soviet
Union, unification of East and West Germany
continued . . .
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4
Foreign Policy After the Cold War
ASSESSMENT
3. What factors do you think determined whether or not the
United States intervened militarily in other nations?
ANSWER
The United States intervened when essential United States
interests and assets—American lives, democracy, oil—
were at stake.
continued . . .
MAP
4
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Foreign Policy After the Cold War
ASSESSMENT
4. Is it possible for an authoritarian government to make
economic reforms without also making political reforms?
ANSWER
POSSIBLE RESPONSES:
Yes: China, for example
No: Soviet Union, for example
End of Section 4