Chapter 40: Ronald Reagan's 80s-Kerris Lassley

What does it mean to be a conservative? (Republican)

Historically, the central themes in American conservatism have included respect for American traditions, support of Judeo-Christian values, anti-Communism, advocacy of American exceptionalism and a defense of their view of Western civilization from perceived threats posed by feminism, cultural marxism, moral relativism, multiculturalism, and liberal internationalism. Liberty is a core value, with a particular emphasis on strengthening the free market, and opposition to high taxes and government or labor union encroachment on the entrepreneur. Historians argue that the conservative tradition has played a major role in American politics and culture since the 1790s. However they have stressed that an organized conservative movement has played a key role in politics only since the 1950s. The recent movement is based in the Republican Party, though some Democrats were also important figures early in the movement's history. The history of American conservatism has been marked by tensions and competing ideologies. Fiscal conservatives and libertarians favor small government, low taxes, limited regulation, and free enterprise. Social conservatives see traditional social values as threatened by secularism; they tend to support voluntary school prayer. Some also want the teaching of intelligent design or creationism allowed, as the topics are currently judicially prohibited in public schools. The 21st century has seen an increasingly fervent conservative support for Second Amendment rights of private citizens to own firearms. Religiously oriented social conservatives emphasize their opposition to abortion and same sex marriage.

Nicaragua Affair, Contras

It occurred on August 20, 1985 - March 4, 1987. A political scandal under Reagan's second term administration. The administration secretly sold arms to Iran. It started as a plan to free the seven hostages that were being held in Lebanon. The contras- Rebels in Nicaragua that used who used terrorist tactics to hurt their government. They received military, logistical, and financial support from the United States.

Strategic Defense Initiative aka Star Wars program (military spending under Reagan)

It occurred on March 23, 1983. Ronald Reagan's military spending. It was done to develop a complex anti-ballistic missile system in order to prevent missile attacks from other countries, specifically the Soviet Union. The nickname "Star Wars" associated the program with creativity and innovation, making it well accepted by the public. Thirty billion dollars had been invested in the project, but it was never followed through with and was later abandoned

Fall of the Berlin Wall

It occurred on November 9, 1989. East German government declared that citizens of the GDR could freely visit back and forth between the border. Ecstatic Germans on both sides crossed the border and began chipping away at the wall. Official demolition began on June 13, 1990 and was completed in October 3, 1992. This huge step paved the way for much needed German reunification

Affirmative Action

One of the New Right's key issues focused on the unequal treatment of individuals, in an effort to provide minorities with equal opportunity. Reverse discrimination became a key issue for these groups, since many companies began to favor women and minorities, over other groups. This policy, known as affirmative action, often allowed groups such as women and minorities to be hired, despite the fact that they were not necessarily the best or most qualified for the job. The New Right was very critical of this policy, which is still around and debated in the United States today. The policy was designed to redress past discrimination against women and minority groups through measures to improve their economic and educational opportunities

Ronald Reagan

Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 - June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor, who served as the 40th President of the United States from 1981 to 1989. Prior to his presidency, he served as the 33rd Governor of California from 1967 to 1975, following a career as a Hollywood actor and union leader. Having been a lifelong Democrat, his views changed. He became a conservative and in 1962 switched to the Republican Party. In 1964, Reagan's speech, "A Time for Choosing", in support of Barry Goldwater's floundering presidential campaign, earned him national attention as a new conservative spokesman. Building a network of supporters, he was elected Governor of California in 1966. Ronald Wilson Reagan was a transformational President. His leadership and the symbiotic relationship he forged with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev during their four summit meetings set the stage for a peaceful resolution of the Cold War.

What does it mean to be a liberal? (Democrat)

The Liberal Democrats exist to build and safeguard a fair, free and open society, in which we seek to balance the fundamental values of liberty, equality and community and in which no-one shall be enslaved by poverty, ignorance and conformity. The Liberal Democrats (often referred to as the Lib Dems) are a liberal political party in the United Kingdom. The Liberal Democrats were formed on 3 March 1988 by a merger between the Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party, which had formed a pact nearly seven years earlier as the SDP-Liberal Alliance. The Liberal Party, founded in 1859, were descended from the Whigs, Radicals and Peelites, while the SDP were a party created in 1982 by former Labour members, MPs and cabinet ministers, but also gained defections from Conservatives.

Conservative Movement "The New Right"

The New Right was comprised of a group of individuals who had focused on a variety of different key issues, many of which were viewed as controversial. The New Right was formed during the rise of the conservative movement, as many groups across the country shared similar opinions and political views. These groups criticized many government policies, and favored more strict conservative ideas, which they wanted to bring back into the United States. Young citizens involved with this movement were witnessed by a woman named Peggy Noonan, who stated "the thing the young conservatives were always talking about,... was freedom." This is true in that numerous individuals desired resolutions to the same issues, and the growing support for these groups triggered the rise of the New Right. The movement brought national attention to these matters, many of which are still debated today. The New Right held positions on many issues, and their ideas would influence the country economically, socially, and politically, well into the 21st century.

Reaganomics (Republican economic policy)

The federal economic polices of the Reagan administration, elected in 1981. These policies combined a monetarist fiscal policy, supply-side tax cuts, and domestic budget cutting. Their goal was to reduce the size of the federal government and stimulate the economy. During the campaign of 1980, Ronald Reagan announced a recipe to fix the nation's economic mess. He claimed an undue tax burden, excessive government regulation, and massive social spending programs hampered growth. Reagan proposed a phased 30% tax cut for the first three years of his Presidency. The bulk of the cut would be concentrated at the upper income levels. Tax relief for the rich would enable them to spend and invest more. This new spending would stimulate the economy and create new jobs. Reagan believed that a tax cut of this nature would ultimately generate even more revenue for the federal government. The Congress was not as sure as Reagan, but they did approve a 25% cut during Reagan's first term. The results of this plan were mixed. Initially, the federal reserve board believed the tax cut would re-ignite inflation and raise interest rates. This sparked a deep recession in 1981 and 1982. The high interest rates caused the value of the dollar to rise on the international exchange market, making American goods more expensive abroad. As a result, exports decreased while imports increased. Eventually, the economy stabilized in 1983, and the remaining years of Reagan's administration showed national growth

Deregulation

The lifting of restrictions on business, industry, and professional activities for which government rules had been established and that bureaucracies had been created to administer. It is when government reduces its role and allows industry greater freedom in how it operates. Deregulation was a policy under the Carter administration that Reagan put into place as a way to reduce federal regulation on business. This was to assist large corporations and industry by reducing restrictions on saving and loan institutions, emissions and auto safety and mergers and takeovers. This had a negative effect on the environment because environmental protection was reduced and federal lands were opened for coal and timber production as well as offshore waters for oil drilling