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