The Turbulent Sixties
Kennedy Intensifies the Cold War
John
F. Kennedy, “Cold Warrior”
Flexible Response
– Poured massive amounts of money into
building up the conventional armed
forces, the nuclear arsenal, and the
Special Forces
Crisis
over Berlin
Kennedy Intensifies the Cold War
Continued
Containment
in Southeast Asia
– 16,000 American military “advisors”
– Military coup
Fidel
Castro: The Bay of Pigs Fiasco
The Cuban Missile Crisis
The New Frontier at Home
The Congressional Obstacle
– Congress controlled by southern Democrats in
league with Republicans
– Kennedy did not challenge Congress
Economic Advisors
– Kennedy stimulated the economy by increased
spending on space and defense
– In 1963, Kennedy pushed tax cut through
Congress
– Kennedy’s economic policies doubled the rate
of growth and cut unemployment
However, poorest part of the population
reaped no benefits.
The New Frontier at Home Cont’d
Moving Slowly on Civil Rights
– Kennedy campaigned on a strong civil-rights
platform, but did not want to alienate southern
Democrats in Congress.
“I Have a Dream”
– Kennedy was forced into a more active role
– Civil-rights leaders organized a march on
Washington in August 1963,highlighted by
King’s speech.
The Supreme Court and Reform
– 1962 case of Baker v. Carr
“one
man, one vote”
“Let Us Continue”
Kennedy’s
assassination by Lee
Harvey Oswald left the nation
stunned.
Johnson in Action
– Johnson was energetic and forceful, but
appeared crude and insincere on TV.
– Succeeded in gaining passage of the
1964 Civil rights Act.
“Let Us Continue” Cont’d
The
Election of 1964
– Johnson chose to make America’s
persistent poverty his own special issue.
The
Triumph of Reform
– Medicare and Medicaid
– $1 Billion in education
– Voting Rights Act of 1965
Johnson Escalates the Vietnam
War
The Vietnam Dilemma
– Diem was killed.
– Saigon was on the verge of collapse
– Relied instead on economic aid, military
advisors, and covert actions.
Escalation
– Johnson began a steady escalation of the
war
– He did not want to divert resources needed
for the Great Society to fight Southeast
Asia
Johnson Escalates the Vietnam
War Cont’d
Stalemate
– Johnson’s policy of gradual escalation
failed.
– Committing half a million troops by
1968 and after massive bombing raids,
the U.S. was no closer to victory than
ever.
Years of Turmoil
1965
to 1968 was one of exceptional
unrest at home and continued
escalation of the war in Vietnam.
The Student Revolt
– 1964 at Berkeley
Protesting
the Vietnam War
– Driven by a sense of guilt because they
were exempt from the draft, college
students vigorously protested the
Vietnam War.
Years of Turmoil Cont’d
The
Cultural Revolution
– In such aspects of life as clothing,
drugs, sex, and especially music, the
new generation rejected older values.
“Black
Power”
Ethnic Nationalism
– American Indians, Puerto Rico, Italians,
and Poles emulated African Americans
by asserting their own cultural
distinctions.
Years of Turmoil Cont’d
Ethnic
Nationalism Cont’d
– Cesar Chavez
– National Farm Workers’ Association in
1965
Women’s
Liberation
– 1963, Betty Friedan’s The Feminine
Mystique
– Equal Rights Amendment to the states
in 1972
The Return of Richard Nixon
1968,
presidential election.
– Richard Nixon: national reconciliation
Vietnam
Undermines Lyndon Johnson
– 1968, Tet Offensive
– March, President Johnson announced he
would not seek another term.
The
Democratic Divide
The Republican Resurgence
– Republicans harmoniously nominated
Richard Nixon.
A Crisis in Confidence
1969-1980
Nixon in Power
Reshaping
the Great Society
Nixonomics
Building a Republican Majority
Détente
– Nixon’s closest foreign advisor Henry
Kissinger
– Managed
– Use trade and improved relations with
China to neutralize Russia.
Nixon in Power Cont’d
Détente Cont’d
– Nixon’s visit to China in February 1972
– Persuaded the Russians to agree to the
Strategic Arms Limitations Talks (SALT) Treaty
in Moscow in 1972
Ending the Vietnam War
– Nixon followed a three-part plan to get the
U.S. out of Vietnam
– Reduced the number of American troops there
– Intensified bombing and adopted a hard line at
peace talks
– 1970 invasion of Cambodia
The Crisis of Democracy
The
Election of 1972
– Gained George Wallace’s followers when
Wallace was shot and disabled.
– He gained most of the middle class
when the Democrats nominated George
McGovern.
– In general, only Africa Americans, Jews,
and the poor remained strongly
Democratic.
The Crisis of Democracy Cont’d
The
Watergate Scandal
– Crisis demonstrated how much the
power of the executive branch had
grown, but it also illustrated the vitality
of American institutions.
– Press, the federal judiciary, and
Congress had all behaved splendidly.
– Watergate destroyed the trust the
American people had in their
government and began a mood of
cynicism.
Energy and the Economy
The
Arab oil boycott of 1973
The October War
– October 1973, the U.S. supplied Israel
with weapons to repel a surprise attack
by Egypt and Syria.
– In retaliation, the Arab oil nations
boycotted the U.S.
Energy and the Economy Cont’d
The
Oil Shocks
– Jumped abruptly at the time of the Yom
Kippur War in 1973
– By 1974, the nation was in recession
– In 1979, oil prices again soared because
of the Iranian revolution, and again the
American people panicked.
– Faith in the future was shaken, and they
blamed President Carter for their
troubles.
Energy and the Economy Cont’d
The
Great Inflation
– The rapid increase in oil prices was the
primary cause.
– The prices of homes, cars, food, and
other items skyrocketed.
Politics After Watergate
The
Ford Administration
– Gerald Ford doomed his presidency by
pardoning Nixon for any and all crimes
he might have committed.
The
1976 Campaign
– Jimmy Carter won the presidency by
campaigning as someone outside the
political establishment who would
restore decency and mortality to
government.
Politics After Watergate Cont’d
Disenchantment
with Carter
– In 1979 he publicly blamed the
American people for a “national
mistake” that they very much reflected
his own lack of substance.
From Détente to Renewed Cold
War
Retreat
in Asia
Accommodation in Latin America
The Quest for Peace in the Middle
East
– Camp David agreement, paving the way
for an Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty.
– Carter administration supported the
Shah long after he had lost the ability to
rule his country.
From Détente to Renewed Cold
War Cont’d
The
East
Quest for Peace in the Middle
– By the time Khomeini came to power,
the U.S. was commonly regarded as the
enemy, and in Nov. 1979, the U.S.
embassy in Tehran was invaded and 58
Americans taken hostage.
– Carter tried, but failed to secure their
rescue and his failure in the crisis
became a running sore on his
presidency.
Cold War Resumes
Carter
continued to address the
human rights abuses with the USSR,
the increased missile defense
spending, and increased aid to china,
which all revived the Cold War.
The USSR contributed to the tensions
by invading Afghanistan in 1979.
The Reagan-Bush Era
The
Conservative Resurgence:
Reagan in Power
– Carter blamed for Iranian hostage crisis,
high interest rates, inflation and
recession.
– Reagan, came across warm and genial,
thus winning the 1980 election, easily.
– Republicans also take over Senate!
Cutting Spending and Taxes
Reagan
believed:
– Less govt. spending = more private
investment
– Regan pushes Congress to cut federal
spending by $40 billion and cut taxes by
25%.
– Major cuts made to social services
Limiting the Role of the Govt.
Regan
relaxes regulations
Fired air traffic controllers who went
on strike
No support for civil rights legislation
Ignored women in making judicial
appts.
Reganomics
In
first 2 years, economy faltered
and unemployment hit 10%.
1983, the economy boomed.
– Consumer spending soared
– Prices remained low
– Worldwide energy prices remained low.
Growing Deficit
Basis
of Reagan prosperity was
massive deficit spending and
massive inflows of foreign
investment.
Fed. Budget deficit topped $200
billion in 1983.
Politics of Prosperity
Reagan’s
economic policies helped
the rich, left the poor impoverished,
and hurt the middle class.
However, American people believed
things were getting better and thus
re-elected Reagan in 1984 over
Mondale.
Republicans also lost a few more
congressional seats.
Social Dilemmas
AIDS
epidemic
– First detected in 1981
– Believed only in gay community.
– Disease spread through drug users.
– Some $ for research, but nothing for
education and prevention.
– 1996, death rate finally dropped, and so
did rate of infections.
The War on Drugs
Cocaine
(used by middle class) gets
turned into Crack = addictive and
cheap.
Leads to explosion in crime rate.
Major govt. plan was to keep
smuggling of cocaine out of US, but
has failed, even into today.
Reagan and the World
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