2. “Reaganomics” takes over
A. Cutting the federal budget
1. cut spending on:
-- mass transit, food stamps, welfare benefits,
Medicaid, student loans
2. left social security, Medicare, Veterans benefits
alone
3. B. Tax cuts
1. relied on supply side economics
--cut taxes so people would save more and
businesses could borrow
those savings to build business and
create jobs
-- didn’t really work
4. C. Increased defense spending
1. Strategic Defense Initiative
--plan to be able to shoot down Soviet
Missiles
--called “Star Wars”
5. D. Deregulating the Economy
1. cut rules for many businesses like airlines and
trucking
--fewer rules mean lower costs to do business
--fewer rules mean lower costs to consumers
and higher profits for
businesses
2. cut funding for the EPA
--
6. Issues in the 1980s:
1) Equality in the workplace
a. Equal Rights Amendment failed to pass
--more women entered politics
--more lawsuits in the workplace
7. 2) HIV and AIDS
3) Abortion
4) War on Drugs
--Nancy Reagan’s “just say NO” campaign
8. 5) Education
--US behind 22 nations in Education people
concerned ( I was on the task force)
6) White Flight to the Suburbs
7) Gay Rights movement
9. •Foreign Policy during the 80s
•A. Soviet Union collapses and Cold War ends
•1. Soviets spent too much money on their military
•2. glasnost – new openness and freedom in USSR
•3. perestroika– restructuring Soviet society
4. Could not keep control of Communist nations of
Europe
10. B. Communism continues in China
1. had restructured the economy earlier
2. Tianamen Square– students revolt to try and
change government
-- government shoots
students
11.
12. •C. US illegally supports rebellion in Nicaragua
•--known as the Iran-Contra affair
D. Invades Panama to arrest leader for dealing drugs in
US
E. Invades Grenada to keep them from becoming
Communist
--puts a US friendly leader into place
13. President Bush is Elected in 1988
A. Promised to carry on the Reagan prosperity
B. First Gulf War in 1991 to throw Saddam Hussein out
of Kuwait
C. Bad recession kept him from getting re-elected in
1992
-- “read my lips, no new taxes”
