Chapter 33
The Conservative Tide
A Conservative Movement Emerges
Conservatives argued that state governments, businesses, and individuals needed more freedom from Washington
By 1980 government spending on entitlement programs was almost $300 billion a year.
New right formed and focused on controversial social issues, like abortion, the Equal Rights proposed amendment, and court-ordered busing
The conservative coalition was formed in the 1960s
The Moral Majority started coming to the front of the coalition, led by televangalists
Conservative groups started a movement to bring back "traditional family values"
In 1980 Reagan wins the Republican nomination and chooses George Bush as his running mate
Reagan became a Republican in the 1950s saying the Democrats left him rather than him leaving them
In 1966 Reagan is elected governor of California, reelected in 1970
Reagan ran on issues including abortion, pornography, teaching of evolution, and prayer in the public schools
Reagan won in 1980 with only 51% of the vote, but he won 44 states and 489 electoral votes
Republicans gained control of the Senate for the first time since 1954.
Reagan worked to translate conservative ideas into public policy
Conservative Policies Under Reagan and Bush
Reagan worked toward reducing the size and influence of the federal government
Progams such as urban mass transit, food stamps, welfare, job training, medicaid, school lunches, and student loans were cut by 10%, while most middle class programs stayed intact
Reagan relied heavily on supply-side economics: cutting taxes on investment income and reducing income taxes on the wealthy
Also known also as "trickle down economics," it was hoped by favoring the wealthy they would use their windfalls to create more jobs for everyone else
Meanwhile between 1981 and 1984 the defense budget doubled as Reagan hoped to pressure the USSR with increased military power
Reagan called the Soviet Union in his first term an "Evil Empire"
The B-1 Bomber and MX missle system were key military priorities
The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) was a favorite Reagan program, expected to cost trillions of dollars; It was hoped it would provide a Missle Defense Shield to protect American cities, also known as "Star Wars"
Between July 1981 and November 1982 the U.S. had its worst recession since the Great Depression
In 1983 the economy took an upward turn and the market experienced a boom that lasted until late 1987 with a dramatic Stock Market Crash
Reagan made three appointment to the Supreme Court to shift it to the right: Sandra Day O'Connor (first woman to be on the Court), Antonin Scalia, and Anthony Kennedy
He replaced Warren Burger with William Rehnquist as Chief Justice
Pres. Bush would place Clarence Thomas and David Souter on the Court during his term as president
Pres. Reagan worked to scale back government regulation of many businesses and industries, including oil, airlines, nursing homes, savings and loans banks, and many more
Mr. Reagan argued that government regulation (interference) hurt business productivity and profitability and that it was largely unnecessary because consumers would avoid corporations that were harmful to their interests
The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) experienced budget cutbacks as well
The Dept. of Interior sold off millions of acres of public land to private developers, timber companies and mining corporations
Oil companies received the right to drill on public lands and on the continental shelf
The Reagan Coalition consisted of business interests, conservative Southerners and Westerners, and Reagan Democrats (one time Democrats who were uncomfortable with the liberal agenda of many Democrats)
In 1984 Reagan and Bush won a huge landslide against former vice-president Walter Mondale and Geraldine Ferraro; their victory was comparable to Nixon's win in 1972 against Sen. George McGovern; in both elections the Democrats won only 1 state and Washington DC
In 1988 George H.W. Bush followed in Reagan's footsteps and won a major victory against Gov. Michael Dukakis of Massachusetts, promising no new taxes
The 1988 election saw the Willie Horton attack ad and Dukakis attacked for being a "card carrying ACLU member"
Social Concerns in the 1980s
AIDS, drug abuse, abortion and education were all major issues in the 1980s
AIDS emerged as an epidemic in the early 1980s chiefly among the gay population; it later spread to needle sharing drug users
In 1973 Roe v. Wade established the right of all American women to gain access to a first trimester abortion with interference from the state authorities
This sparked an intense backlash among many conservative activists, particularly in religious circles
A "Pro-Life" Movement surged into the Republican Party to work to reverse Roe
The Reagan Administration made "the war against drugs" a major priority, both dealers and users would be aggressively prosecuted
Nancy Reagan appeared in national ads urging kids to "say no to drugs"
"A Nation at Risk" national commission report alarmed many Americans with statistics and analysis showing that American students were falling further and further behind their counterparts from other nations
It argued for more rigorous standards and curriculum, longer school days and an extended school year
The homeless population greatly increased through the 1980s because of growing levels of poverty and demolishment of low income housing; also more mental health patients were released who previously would have been institutionalized in the past
The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) failed to be ratified with the necessary 38 states by 1982; a major victory for conservative women's groups such as Phyllis Schafly's Eagle Forum
The "feminization of poverty" became more noticeable in the 1980s with women earning on average $.75 of what males earned; 31% of female headed households lived below the poverty line
Pay Equity became a goal of women's organizations and labor unions
Maternity leave, flexible hours, job sharing and stay-at-home work became more common
Black political leaders enjoyed success in the 1980s, in Atlanta Andrew Young and Maynard Jackson would be popular mayors in this decade; L. Douglas Wilder would be the first black governor of a state (Virginia)
The Latino or Hispanic population would grow rapidly through the 1980s reaching 9% of the population by 1990
Foreign Policy at the End of the Cold War
The Cold War was a serious challenge to American foreign policymakers through the 1980s
Pres. Reagan hoped to more aggressive confront communist nations than Mr. Carter or other earlier presidents
The USSR (Soviet Union) however had been experiencing a deep decline in its economic capabilities since at least the 1960s
Many of its citizens had lost faith in the Soviet system to provide a satisfactory life for themselves and their families
The Communist Party leadership had become corrupt and infected with rampant cronyism
By the early 1980s the Soviet Union was a gray and demoralized society led by aging leaders who ruled by fear and inertia
In March 1985 a new Soviet leader emerges to attempt to reform and reenergize the system: Mikhail Gorbachev
Younger and more charismatic than earlier Soviet leaders
He pushed for glasnost (openess) and perestroika (restructuring of the economy and society) while fearing truly radical reforms
Gorbachev, understanding the harmful effects of excessive military spending, negotiated a INF Treaty (Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces ) with Pres. Reagan
Both leaders would be criticized for the treaty but to their credit it reduced the dangers of nuclear war, especially in Europe
In November 1989 the East German government allowed for the Berlin Wall, separating East Berlin from West Berlin, to be torn down; the Soviets did not block this action
In 1990 the two Germany's merged into one nation, Germany
Other East European nations repudiated their communist pasts and became independent of Soviet rule as well
Eventually Gorbachev's reforms led many to question the viability of Soviet communism altogether and in 1991 the national government collapsed, replaced with 15 independent nations, the largest is Russia