Key Terms from Of the People, A History of the United States by Oaks et. al.
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| The Search for Absolute Truth. Good vs. Evil. Believed the West suffered from moral decay - called for return to civilization based on Christian values. Values grounded in Christian tradition. Conservative Definition of Freedom - required men and women to lead virtuous lives. Or the government to force men and women to be virtuous. Wanted less government involvement in economy, but needed government to regulate morality. | ||
| Wanted a return to old Christian Values. Condemned women's liberation, abortion, gay rights, and liberal great society programs. Believed welfare programs eroded the work ethic of the unemployed. Wanted prayer in public schools. | ||
| wanted to tame big government. Cut spending programs, which included defense. Cut NASA's budget. Nixon believed in "New Federalism" which would return a greater share of control to the state and local governments and to the people. Lastly, he left New Deal and Great Society programs in tact. Enacted the Environmental Protection Agency(EPA), The Occupational Safety and Health Administration(OSHA), The National Transportation Board, The food stan program (AFDC). | ||
| They were "realists." - wanted stability rather than a relentless conflicts. Nixon knew all communist states were not necessarily unified. In February1972, Nixon flew to China. His visit sparked a dramatic increase in trade between US and China. 1979-full diplomatic relations between the two countries had been established. Nixon became the first American president to visit mainland China and the Soviet Union. Engaged in negotiations with the Soviet leader. Enacted SALT (named for the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks underway since 1969) which froze each countries arsenal of intercontinental missiles.The Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty - banned the development of the ability to intercept incoming missiles. "détente" (cooperation) would replace the hostility of the Cold War. | ||
| A lessening of tensions between U.S. and Soviet Union. Besides disarming missiles to insure a lasting peace between superpowers, Nixon pressed for trade relations and a limited military budget. | ||
| two rounds (Salt I, Salt II) of bilateral talks and corresponding international treaties involving the US and Soviet Union. It occurred to discuss the issue of armament control, gradually leading to the limited disarmament of both military powers. | ||
| treaty that prohibited either the US or the Soviet Union from using a ballistic missile defense as a shield, which would have undermined mutually assured destruction and the basis of deterrence | ||
| (RN), 1972, The events and scandal surrounding a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in 1972 and the subsequent cover-up of White House involvement, leading to the eventual resignation of President Nixon under the threat of impeachment, Ford becomes President | ||
| Nixon's conservative rhetoric and critique of young people protesting the government got favorable conservative opinion. | ||
| Promoted cuts in spending and some deregulation of industry in the hopes of increasing spending. Supported the Federal Reserve Bank's decision to raise interest rates. But oil prices kept rising, thanks to the overthrow of the shah of Iran. Inflation continued. Carter presided over a period of national decline. | ||
| In November 1979, revolutionaries stormed the American embassy in Tehran and held 52 Americans hostage. The Carter administration tried unsuccessfully to negotiate for the hostages release. On January 20, 1981, the day Carter left office, Iran released the Americans, ending their 444 days in captivity. | ||
| political organization of the United States which had an agenda of evangelical Christian-oriented political lobbying. Formed by Jerry Falwell. Organization made up of conservative Christian political action committees which campaigned on issues its personnel believed were important to maintaining its Christian conception of moral law. This group pressured for legislation that would ban abortion and ban the states' acceptance of homosexuality. | ||
| (1980) Carter, the current president, was forced to deal with the recession, rising unemployment, a high rate of inflation, and the crises in Afghanistan and Iran. He simply claimed Regan was reckless and a warmonger. Regan blamed Carter for inflation and the Soviet invasion of the Middle East, promising instead a military buildup and a rise in wages. Reagan wins with his "Reaganomics" program of reducing taxes and spending - "supply-side" and "trickle-down" economics | ||
| wanted to reduce stagflation, wanted to restore America's role in the world. Condemned school busing. Against affirmative action. Against the ERA. Against moral permissiveness. | ||
| 1) 1981- top tax rate reduced from 70% to 50% 2) 5 years later the Tax Reform Act reduced the rate on the wealthiest Americans to 28%. | ||
| Also referred to as "Star Wars", this was a ballistic missile defense system designed to protect the U.S. from any Soviet missile launch. It was a demonstration of America's determination to win by technology, and to some, SDI hurried the fall of the Soviet Union. | ||
| Although Congress had prohibited aid to the Nicaraguan contras, individuals in Reagan's administration continued to illegally support the rebels. These officials secretly sold weapons to Iran in exchange for the release of American hostages being held in the Middle East. Profits from these sales were then sent to the contras. Reagan denied knowledge of the illegal proceedings, but the affair undermined confidence that he controlled his own administration. | ||
| During the Cold War the Soviet Union had fallen behind economically. They relied increasingly on economic imports in order to feed their people. Gorbachev's glasnost (political openness) and perestroika (economic reform) policies encouraged negotiations with the U.S. Between 1985 and 1987 they agreed to eliminate intermediate and short-range nuclear missiles in Europe. In 1988, Gorbachev began pulling Soviet troops out of Afghanistan. Having entered office as an ardent Cold Warrior, Reagan left with hostilities between the two countries much diminished. By the time Reagan left office, the US and USSR had reached their highest level of cooperation since WWII. | ||
| The process by which US industry transferred industrial plants abroad to take advantage of cheaper labor and tax breaks. Between 32 and 38 million jobs were lost during the 1970's. Especially affected northeastern US, where factory closures could affect entire communities. Led to the decline in the power of labor unions under the threat of moving jobs overseas. | ||
| "young, urban professionals," who graduated from law and business schools & wore ostentatious gear such Rolex watches or BMW cars. => symbolized the increased pursuit of wealth and materialism of Americans in the 1980s. | ||
| The new savings and loan institutions (S&Ls) extended enormous loans to real estate developers and risky ventures. S&Ls owners reaped lavish profits but when real estate values began to plunge, S&Ls went bankrupt. Congress bailed out the S&Ls industry and the cost of the bailout fell on the American taxpayer. The crisis deepened the federal deficit. |
