c ELECTION:

1944: Roosevelt v. Dewey M FDR won

 FDR agreed to change his VP candidate from Wallace to Truman
 Despite concerns over his health and the nation¶s economic state, he still got re-elected
by a comfortable margin
c 1945- Yalta- Stalin renews his pledge to enter the war against Japan; in exchange US agrees to
help get territory lost during the Russo-Japanese War, agree to establish the UN with a General
Assembly and a Security Council, Stalin promised to include Western poles in his government
and he promised to hold free and unfettered elections
c April 1945- FDR dies and Truman institutes a ³get tough´ strategy with the Soviet Union, but his
leverage was limited and he eventually agrees to legitimize the government in Poland hoping for
more Western participation in the future
c July 1945- Potsdam conference where they disagree over reparation payments for Germany and
it became clear that Germany would be divided
c Allied forces wanted a strong China under Chiang Kai-shek to provide a stable Asia, but since he
government was corrupt it became clear that he would lose the civil war to Mao Zedong, yet the
US couldn¶t do anything but support hisM turned their hopes for stability by promoting the revival
of Japan
c 1946- America changed its strategy from an open world order to containment based on George
Kennan¶s strategy and as a result Truman asked Congress for $400 million to support Greece
and Turkey
c 1947- US realized the it would have to support the economic revival of Europe in order for their to
be stability M Marshall PlanM money to any country planning a recovery program, but Stalin and
his satellites refused to participate
c 1947-48 M US increases its military readiness by re-institution the Selective Service Act ad the
draft and the National Security Act provided for a National Security Council, a Department of
Defense, and the CIA M president got more power
c 1948- Allies agreed to merge their three zones of Germany into oneM Stalin got made and
blockaded Berlin M Berlin airlift
c 1949- Germany was officially divided and 12 nations agreed to start the NATO and USSR
responded with the Warsaw Pact in 1955
c 1949- change in American policy due to the Soviet explosion of the atomic bomb and the fall of
China
c Post-War Society
 Rapid end to war in Japan had caused serious economic problems as many people
wanted a return to peacetime economy and despite a sharp decrease in federal
spending, consumer spending prevented a recession
 GI Bill of Rights provided economic assistance to veterans and helped boost the
economy
 Inflation was a serious problem after the repeal of the price controls but in 1946 the OPA
was extended
 There was labor unrest as Lewis and the UMW struck in April of 1946 and two major RR
unions struck, stopping the railroads until Truman intervened and threatened to seize the
RRs
 The adjustment period for women and minorities was difficult as many were forced out of
jobs when all the men came back but there was a high demand for employment among
women and so they moved into the service sector
c FAIR DEAL
 Truman issued domestic proposals that included rise of minimum wage, extension of
Social Security, permanent existence of the FEPC, government programs to ensure full
employment, public housing and slum clearance, public works planning, promotion of
scientific research, and national health care
 However, it was rejected by a Conservative Congress led by Senator Taft who
encouraged everyone to eat less when they whined about rising inflation
  Conservatives wanted to less the power of labor with the Taft-Hartley Bill of 1947 which
would illegalize the closed shop and allowed states to pass right-to-work laws (Section
14b) and president had to call for a cooling off period
c ELECTION:
 1948: Truman v. Dewey M Truman surprisingly won
 The Democratic party split before this election
 The conservative right split off to form the Dixiecrats (strom Thurmond) over Truman¶s
addition of a civil right¶s plank
 The left wing formed the Progressive Party with Wallace as its candidate
 Truman faced New Dealer Dewey but surprisingly won 303 to 189
c FAIR DEAL REVIVED
 Truman sought to promote his reform agenda and Congress passed an extension of SS,
a rise in minimum wage to 65 cents, and a public housing program but they rejected
measures that dealt with education, civil rights, and health care
 Truman moved to desegregate armed forces and end discrimination in the hiring of
federal employees
c Advent of nuclear power produced both fear (constant air raid drills, fallout shelters, and testing of
emergency broadcast system) and awe (cheap electricity and way to increase prosperity for the
nation)

1950s- Truman and Eisenhower

c 1950- NSC 68 M Americans were to stop communist expansion in all parts of the world,
regardless of areas of vital or lesser interest and increase in defense budget
c KOREAN WAR
th
 Korea was divided along the 38 parallel with Western government in the South and
Soviet government in the North and desire for unification was strong increased by US
refused to say that SK was in its defense perimeter
 SK invades NK and Truman receives UN aid to send a force under Douglas McArthur
th
who wants to liberate Korea after pushing the NK back to the 38
 However as the western forces reach the northern border, the Chinese intervene and the
th
troops are pushed back but by 1951 its stabilizes at the 38 parallel
 Truman¶s negotiated settlement earns him much criticism by MacArthur (Martin Letter) so
he removes him from command, something that was criticized
 Domestic commitment was really limited although an Office of Defense Mobilization was
stabled to combat inflation and seize the railroads
 However despite an economic boom, the nation¶s inability to win led Americans to believe
there must be incompetence or sabotage
c CRUSADE AGAINST SUBVERSION
 The failure in Korea led the republicans to capitalize on the issue of communist influence
in the Democratic government
 1947- the HUAC started investigating the film industry and later turned their attention to
government M trial of Alger Hiss state official who passed classified documents to the SU
 In response, Truman initiated a loyalty program in 1947
 1950- Congress passed the McCarran Internal Security Act M communist organizations
had to register with the federal government
 1949- Soviet explosion of bomb led to greater fear and suspicions of espionage emerged
(Julius and Ethel Rosenburg trial)
 Rise of Senator McCarthy in these confusing times and beginning in 1952 he conducted
a series of investigations of federal agencies without uncovering evidence of communist
influence
c ELECTION:
 1952: Stevenson v. Eisenhower M Eisenhower won
 Truman decided not to run again facing widespread criticism
  Despite Stevenson¶s popularity especially with liberal Democrats, he stood no chance
against Eisenhower, the hero of WWII M won on basis of personality and promises to end
corruption
c 1954- Support for McCarthy began to wane and his downfall came during the Army-McCarthy
hearings when a televised account exposed his as a bully and thug and the senate voted to
censure him
c EISENHOWER-DOMESTIC
 He was a moderate who believed in limited federal activities and encouraged the private
enterprise, but he didn¶t make any move to dismantled the federal welfare state of the
New Deal
 He appointed business leaders to cabinets, but they believed in the Keynesians state
 He supported private development of natural resources, federal support for farm prices,
removed the last limited wage and price controls, opposed creation of new social service
programs, and strove to reduce federal expenditures
 Extended social security to 10 million people and provided unemployment comp to 4
million people and increased minimum wage to $1
 Most significant accomplishment was the Federal Highway Act of 1956M largest public¶s
work project
c ELECTION:
 1956: Stevenson v. Eisenhower M Eisenhower won easily won
 He won by an even greater landslide than before -57% of the popular vote
 Democrats retained control of both houses of Congress
c EISENHOWER-COLD WAR & MASSIVE RETALIATION
 Dulles was Ike¶s secretary of state and he denounced Truman¶s passivity and wanted a
³rollback´ of communist expansion M innovation was the idea of Massive Retaliation and
more ³bang for the buck´
 Quick settlement in Korea but trouble brews in Vietnam and the French are finally
defeated at the battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954 after which Vietnam is divided along the
17th parallel in anticipation of national elections in 1956
 US supported Diem in the South against HCM in the North and agree to his decision not
to run the 1956 elections due to Minh¶s definitely victory
 Middle East M CIA to help support over-throw of communist leader in Iran and instituted
Pahlevi; Egypt M US punish Nasser for closer relations to the SU so they withdrew
support for massive dam project, but also restricted effort by UN and Israel to retain
control of the Suez Canal because US believed that would anger Arab states to the point
of a third world war
 Latin America M over-throw of left-wing gov¶t in Guatemala; Cuba M when Batista
overthrown by Castro in 59 the US cuts diplomatic relationships
 1956- Soviet crushing of uprising in Hungary convinced Americans that nothing changed
in the USSR and Khrushchev demands in 1958 that NATO powers give up Berlin
 Plans for Summit in 1960, but U-2 Crisis caused Khrushchev to cancel it
 Ike managed to stem calls for greater foreign activism and a buildup of military
establishment and he warns against Military-Industrial-Complex (MIC)
c ECONOMY
 Nation underwent a period of growth due to government spending on schools,
infrastructure, public welfare, and military spending
 Baby boom led to a 20% population increased as well as increased consumer demands
as well did the growth of suburbs M automobile and housing industry
 West grew spectacularly due to lavish government spending and investing in
infrastructural projects and military contracts
 Increased automobile use and federal highway system stimulated the oil industry in TX
and CO and irrigation brought adequate water supplies which led to significant migration
 Two economic ideas dominated the decade: Keynesian economics and the idea that the
economy would grow permanently (shift in that people believed now increasing
production would be the way to decrease poverty)
  Consolidation was the business trend during the 50s as 4000 corporate mergers took
place partly due to government contracts, but this is also true in agriculture (decline of
family farm)
 Post-war contract- businesses made concessions such as escalator clause, increases in
salaries and benefits in exchange for promises not raising ideas like planning production
and control of the workplace M benefitted labor leaders but not the rank and file members
 1955- merger of the ALF-CIO and organized labor became corrupt while unorganized
labor made few gains
c SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
 Great explosion in the medical field M antibiotics and vaccinations (1954- Jonas Salk and
polio & 1960- Sabin oral vaccination) M led to declines in infant mortality, child death
rates, and rise in the life expectancies
 Discovery of DDT which was used to combat insect diseases and only later was it figured
out that it had harmful effects on humans and animals
 Development of TVs, transistors, and integrated circuits M led to commercially produced
computers (CBS used it to predict election results in 1952) and soon IBM started
producing data-processing computers
 Because of the ongoing cold war, much research was focused on the military and in 1952
the US detonated the first H-bomb which because it relied on nuclear fusion was way
more powerful and soon the US and the SU was developing un-manned missiles to
distribute these bombs to their targets (ICBMs)
 1957- Soviet launch of the Sputnik, which caused greater resources being devoted to
scientific education and schools and in 1958 the US launched explorer I and NASA was
founded
 The SU was the first to launch a man into space, but the US put a man on the moon in
1969 and later efforts focused on the development of the space shuttle
c PEOPLE OF PLENTY
 Growing middle class became obsessed with consumer goods because of growth of
advertising and ease of getting consumer credit (increased by 800%) M national crazes
like the hula hoop and Walt Disney products showed the effects of marketing and a new
pattern of consumption
 Rise of the Automobile (increased by 400%) M Federal Highway Act of 1956M decline of
traditional downtowns M people could move farther away from where they worked M rise of
fastfood chains and motels
 Rise of suburbs due to want of privacy and safety, better education, want to be with
people of like age, closer to nature, and desire to escape ethnic and racial diversity
 Innovations in home-building came from William Levitt M Levittowns were monotonous
neighborhoods of nearly identical, affordable houses for middle/lower- middle class
(mostly white families one step away from urban living) but there was a lot of diversity in
them
 Women were expected to stay at home because of child-rearing ideas and role of men in
families but many women had to work because of the economy and there was an
increase in the number of married working women M feminism ebbed by experiences of
women volunteer organizations (PTAs and YMCAs) and frustrations about increasing
work demands helped play a role in feminist movement
 Rise of commercial television (1957- 40 million sets) which came directly from the radio
industry and driven by advertising M cultural homogeneity by portraying nuclear family
and races in ways that were not threatening but also helped to increase social discord by
making more Americans aware of the situation
 Growth of travel and recreation caused by rise in paid vacations M more Americans
concerned about nature M fight for Echo Park which was won
 Critics M as white collar jobs increased and growing bureaucracies in labor, corporations,
etc people were worried about what this would do to society M Education was focused on
preparing people for successful careers and writers like Whyte (The Org. Man) and
Reisman (The Lonely Crowd) focused on decline of individualism; young writers known
as beats were also critics and Ginsberg¶s ³Howl´ and Kerouac¶s ³On the Road´ signaled
 the restlessness of youth M prosperity brought unlimited possibilities but also restricted
the freedom of the youth M focus on juvenile delinquency like in The Blackboard Jungle
and James Dean (icon) caused great fear in older generation
 Rock µn¶ Roll became popular during this time period as a symbol of the growing needs
and aspiration of American Youth M Elvis Presley helped define the decade and American
Bandstand and DJs and Jukeboxes furthered this phenomenon
c The OTHER AMERICA
 There was also a significant number of people who did not share in the prosperity and in
1962 Michael Harrington published a book called the Other American about those who
were in constant poverty
 One group was the farmers (since about the late 1800s except for a few periods of
growth) and in the period of the 1940s-60s, surpluses caused a decline in the percentage
of national income of farmers M Sharecroppers and tenant farmers especially hard hit
 There was also rural poverty M Africans Americans (3 million) and Latinos moved to the
cities where they faced great poverty (either b/c of their own values or because of culture
of poverty) M response was urban renewal (tear down poorest buildings and replace with
either housing developments of office buildings, stadiums, etc)
c CIVIL RIGHTS
 Rise of Civil Rights was due to experience of WWII, the rise of an urban black middle
class, the greater visibility of racial prejudice due to TV, and the fact that white Americans
became more sensitive to black aspirations because of pressures of the Cold War and
growing influence of blacks within the Democratic party
 1947- baseball desegregated with Jackie Robinson and the Brooklyn Dodgers
 1950s- Truman desegregated the armed forces
 Racial issues became a central struggle during this decade
 1954- 

 

 
M separate but equal education facilities are not
constitutional
 1955- 
 M SC ordered desegregation of schools with all deliberate speed
 Some areas desegregated rapidly, but in some areas in the South, governments reacted
with massive resistance thought local governments (pupil placement laws) and
organizations like the White Citizens¶ Council M 1957 only 684 of 3000 school districts
segregated and in those that had, white mob action arose and parents placed their kids in
segregation academies
 1957- although Eisenhower viewed Brown with skepticism, he sent federal troops to Little
Rock to protect black students from governor Orville Faubus and segments of the
Arkansas public life
 1955- Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus and her arrest led to the
Montgomery Bus Boycott which caused bus companies to end their discriminatory
seating policies M new form of racial protest and elevated Martin Luther King Jr to the
national spotlight and raise his nonviolent approach based on Gandhi and Thoreau
 1957- Civil Rights BillM protected those African Americans seeking to vote

1960s- Kennedy and Johnson

c ELECTION:
 1960: Kennedy v. Nixon M Kennedy won by a narrow margin
 During this election two new leaders offered bold, active leaderships as opposed to the
passivity of the Eisenhower administration
 Kennedy won despite his youth and concerns about his Catholicism
c Kennedy¶s domestic program was dubbed the New Frontier but conservative Democrats and
Republicans shot down many of his efforts M had a lot of popular support
c 1963- Kennedy gets shot and Johnson takes over and he could not have been more different
from JFK M shared commitment to activist government and his program was known as the Great
Society
 MedicareM health care for the elderly; Medicaid M health care for the poor
 War on poverty M Office of Economic Opportunity and community action programs
c ELECTION:
  1964: Johnson v. Goldwater M LBJ won easily
 He won by the largest popular majority in American history
c 1965- Griswold v. Connecticut- right to privacy established
c 1965- Elementary and Secondary Education Act M overcame fears of Catholic and non-Catholic
groups by giving money to schools based on need of students not the school itself
c 1965- Immigration Act M got rid of National origins system and increased diversity of people
c 1966- created the Department of Housing and Urban Development because of increased
awareness of urban areas
c 1966- Model Cities Program M federal funds for urban redevelopment program
c People became disillusioned by the Great Society because of increased federal spending and
failure of certain programs but it did reduce hunger and bring about the greatest decline in
poverty in American history
c CIVIL RIGHTS
 Kennedy took a moderate stance on civil rights by building on existing laws and using
courts to overturn segregation without alienating large segments of the public and
conservative southern democrats
 Greater federal action was needed after AAs tried to desegregate lunch lines in
Greensboro, NC M formed the SNCC to battle segregation
 CORE started freedom rides to try to desegregate buses and the SCLC tried to mobilize
black workers, housewives, farmers, and other groups
 Federal courts also continued their efforts and Meredith entered University of Mississippi
despite protests in 1963
 1963- MLK Jr leads demonstrations in Birmingham, Alabama to the opposition of Connor
and Wallace
 Summer- Kennedy was convinced that greater federal action was necessary and he
called civil rights a moral issue M MLK¶s March on Washington where he delivered I have
a dream M JFK¶s assassination provided support for the Civil Rights Act of 1964
 Blacks focused now on voting rights and they took part in the freedom summer which led
to the creation of the MFDP
 1965- King led demonstration in Selma with opposition from Jim Clark and this violence
helped spread support for Civil Rights Act of 1965
 mid-60s- struggle for equal rights shifted to the north and focused on de facto
segregation where they were being discriminated by housing and jobs M people began to
argue for affirmative action
 1965- Watts race riot led to Johnson¶s Commission of Civil Disorders which called for
nation action to combat discriminiaton and address black poverty
 beginning of black power movement which emphasized own culture and they stopped
working with organizations who worked together with sympathetic whites
 leading organization was Black Panthers led by Malcolm X M violence against oppression
if necessary and he was one of the most influential symbols
c COLD WAR & FLEXIBLE RESPONSE
 Kennedy wanted to compete with Soviet Union in developing third world countries so he
supported the creation of the Green Berets
 Wanted to improve relationships with Latin American through the Alliance for Progress,
Agency for International Development, and the Peace Corps
 He also supported a failed effort to over throw Castro and after the Bay of Pigs incident,
Khrushchev and Kennedy meet in Vienna in 1961 where Khrushchev tries to convince
Kennedy to abandon commitment to West Berlin M Berlin Wall
 1962M Cuban Missile Crisis and only after Kennedy threatened air and naval blockade is
SU agree to remove missiles from Cuba if US does not invade
 Johnson seized on disorder in the Dominican Republic to prevent the rise of a pro-Castro
government
c VIETNAM
 US had appeals to support both the French and the Vietminh in Vietnam but US
increased its commitment to France, although not giving aid at Dien Bien Phu
  During this battle, negotiations were going on Geneva which agreed to divide Vietnam
th
along the 17 parallel with national elections in 1956
 US provide large amounts of aid to Biem and supported his decision not to participate the
elections in 1956
 1959 the NLF is founded by the Vietminh in order to combat Biem¶s efforts to get rid of
communist influence in the South and in response to the assassinations, Biem increase
authoritative control over his government M overthrow and assassination in 1963
 Johnson had pressures to expand American influence in Vietnam because it was
consistent with Cold War policy and although in the beginning, he did relatively little, he
used an attack at the Gulf of Tonkin to get a blank check from Congress
 ³Stable´ government in south Vietnam still threatened by pro-com forces in the
countryside
 US became involved in military efforts but it was not going so well because they were
using conventional battle techniques against guerilla warfare, the NV had a bond with the
population, and the bombing did not destroy supply lines because HCM trail keeps
moving
 1965- students start to protest the war beginning with teach-ins as University of Michigan
 1967- large numbers of American students were protesting the war and journalists and
Congress began to question the war effort
 Growing economic challenges in the US because of promise of both bred and butter
 1968- Tet OffensiveM massive offensive caused widespread disillusionment and even
though Americans were inflicting serious casualties on the NV, images of communist
infiltration and SK brutality caused a sharp drop in the support for the war
c April- 1868 MLK Jr. was assassinated and race riots broke out
c ELECTION:
 1968: Humphrey v. Nixon M Nixon won by a slim majority
 The Democrats wanted to nominate Eugene McCarthy but the Robert Kennedy entered
the race and he was very strong until Humphrey eventually was the party-forerunner
 Robert Kennedy was killed and now Humphrey faced only little opposition although
events in Chicago caused public dismay
 Conservative candidates show the concern over disorder
 Wallace got the most popular support of a third-party candidate in over 60 years and he
criticized forced busing, proliferation of federal welfare, and laxness in dealing with race
riots
 Nixon captured the votes of the silent majority and he provided law and order, less
frequent intervention in American life, and peace with honor in Vietnam
c Youth Culture
 Baby boom generation became increasingly assertive starting out the in the civil rights
movement as university students began to question values of society around them
 1962- founded Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) which issued the Port Huron
statement
 1964M free speech movement at Berkeley turned into a debate about the fundamental
nature of the university
 Antiwar movement and opposition to the draft furthered the youth movement
 1969 M People¶s Park battle that the students won
 Relatively few students embranced violence (Weathermen) although the middle class
viewed them as increasingly chaotic and disruptive M spring mobilization and Vietnam
moratorium make the direction of the war a central issue in American politics
 Related to the rise of the New Left was a youth culture that openly rejected the ways of
the middle class and sough other ways to find personal fulfillment M hippies and rock
music such as the Beatles became prominent and used to express social and political
themes (Woodstock)
c Native Americans
 They had the worst grievances of any social group and the Ameican termination policy
which eneded tribal recognition of land was focused on assimilation M unsuccessful
because of corruption of white officials and efforts of native Americans
  1861M gathering of tribes in Chicago where they expressed a growing sense of self-
consciousness and wanted to redress grievances M organization was the Amirican Indian
movement who in 1968 seized Alcatraz in response to fishing controversy in Washington
and then protest at Wounded Knee, which didn¶t do much
 SC cases were more successful than Indians in advancing Native American goals b/c the
movement struggled to form a national identity as well as reconcile conflicting goals M but
it did confront discrimination and bring the movement into the public
c Latinos
 Fastest growing minority group in the US and they struggled with unifying their movement
because of diverse group with diverse socioeconomic status
 Operation wetback was the US try to deport illegal immigrants, but they just kept coming
and by the 1960s they had some degree of influence
 Adopted Chicano and La Raza Unida raised public awareness over concern of Mexican
Americans and Cesar Chavez leader of the United Farm Workers managed to get
concessions from the grape farmers to migrant workers
c Challenge of the melting pot idea M cultural pluralism where each culture could take pride in own
heritages M ethnic studies programs in colleges and affirmative action programs
c Homosexuals
 Despite the unwillingness to discuss and acknowledge homosexuality, during this time
period the gay community also wanted more rights M started with the Stonewall riots
which were reactions against a police raid and arrest of people of the Stonewall inn M gay
men and women became more assertive and open, but actual policy was slow and
controversial (Clinton- don¶t ask don¶t tell rule in the military)
c Feminism
 Women formed the numeric majority but began to identify with minority groups in seeking
more rights and a greater voice M Betty Friedan¶s Feminine Mystique is often cited as
starting the new feminism, but it was just giving a voice to a movement already taking
shape M Kennedy had issued a President¶s Commission on the Status of Women and
worked for equal pay for women and he gave women the same rights to protection as
African Americans under Civil Rights Act of 1964
 New feminism was driven by the contrast between domestic ideal and harsh reality M
1966 National Organization for Women founded and by the late 1960s, the movement
turned from emphasis of personal fulfillment to larger critique of society M led to women
dominated institutions
c Environmentalism
 They had for a long time been lobbying to protect the environment for aesthetic purposes,
but now they focused on the ideas of ecology (influenced by Rachel Carson and Aldo
Leopold) to provide a scientific reason to save the environment
 Ecology rose because of support from non-profit environmental agencies such as the
Sierra Club, which gained prominence during this tie period
 Environmentalism was also supported by influential people like Lady Bird Johnson who
supported the program of beautification and issues such as water and air pollution that
came after post-war economic boom

LATE 20th Century

1970s
c Feminism
 Early 1970s women were making some gains such as affirmative action programs (1971)
and increased acceptance into professions, academia, and sports
 1972- Equal rights amendment passed by never ratified because people were afraid of
the social changes with such a document
 1973- abortion legalized with g
 which used the right to privacy as basis for
decision
c Environmentalism
  April 22, 1970- first Earth Day was celebrated as a moderate way for people of all parties
to celebrate the environment
 1970- EPA was created to monitor pollution and the Clear Air/Water Acts helped
government fight environmental damage
 it became successful because of duo goal as influence of public policy and larger national
goal
c VIETMAN WAR
 Nixon wanted to achieve peace with honor but he did little to clarify how he would do that
M help of national security advisor Kissinger M decrease dissent against war by doing
away with the draft and supporting the Vietnamization of the war which replaced the us
troops with Vietnamese troops
 Nixon and Kissinger believed the best way to proceed would be to invade Cambodia, but
this caused anti-war feelings to shoot way up and on May 4th four college students were
killed at Kent State and two black students died at Jackson State
 Congress limited the presidents power and public opinion was inflamed by the release of
the Pentagon papers and Calley¶s trial of the My Lai massacre M Nixon responded by
discrediting domestic opposition, supporting Vietnamese invasion of Laos, and bombing
Hanoi and Haipong
 Negotiations with NV and before the election Kissinger said that Peace is at Hand and
after Christmas bombings in 72, US finally settled a peace agreement with NV in which
SV can keep its government but NV can keep the troops there
 Agreement quickly broke down and Vietnam reunified under communist rule in 1975 M in
Cambodia the Khmer Rouge take over the government and institute a genocide in which
they kill 1/3 of the population and American war efforts cost 150 billion and 55,000
American lives
c Nixon Foreign Policy
 New international order based on ideal of multipolarity instead of bipolarity of US-SU
system and pursued a policy of détente because Nixon believed tensions with the Soviet
Union were wasting American resources
 Feb 1972- Nixon announced a visit to China and formal diplomatic relationships began
 1972- signs SALT I treaty to limit US and SU nuclear weapons at current level
 Third World was volatileM pursued Nixon doctrine of the aid to the countries but main
responsibility lies with them M support overthrow of Salvador Allende in Chile and in the
Middle East they limited Israeli gains during the Yom Kippur War of 1973
c Nixon¶s Domestic Strategy
 He wanted to return some degree of control to the states under the banner of New
FederalismM wanted to get rid of the Great Society Programs but he did revise nation¶s
welfare system M Family Assistance Plan, but was shot down in the Senate
 The ³silent majority´ did not like the rulings of Chief Earl Warren M more rights to
criminals, get rid of prayer in public schools, limit fed¶s government to curb porn and
reapportionment of state legislative districts (Bakker v. Carr) to ensure equal
representation
 Nixon wanted to create a more conservative court M Burger and justice with known
conservative record but in regard to direction of social reform they actually moved farther
through school integration, capital punishment, and reproductive rights
c ELECTION:
 1972: McGovern v. Nixon M Nixon won by a substantial majority
 He was in a strong position to win because an assassination attempt left Wallace
paralyzed and Dem¶s nominated liberal McGovern
 Won 60% of the popular vote and only failed to win Massachusetts and DC
c Economy
 Transformation of economy M rising energy costs due to OPEC bargaining caused
massive levels of inflation but also decline of industrial sector because of foreign
competition
 So Nixon tried anti-inflationary procedures but inflation did not subside because of
stagflation M remained throughout the 70s
 c Watergate
 Because of the domestic and international crisis, Nixon believed that he could justify any
effort to stifle dissent against their policies M break-in at the Democratic National
Committee offices in Watergate M Nixon did not know about it but revelations of a secret
taping system led to battle if Nixon participated in efforts to cover up the affair by
interfering in a federal investigation M claimed executive privilege, but was forced to give
them up
 1973- resignation of Spiro Agnew because of charges of income tax evasion and Gerald
Ford became VP
 1974- three articles of impeachment against Nixon and in August the release of tapes
showed that he had ordered the FBI to halt investigations of the Watergate affair, which
forced his resignation M reveals disillusionment of many Americans
c Ford becomes president and he has to restore public confidence in the presidency as well as
restore prosperity to the nation M he was seen as a man of integrity but he lost some popularity
when he immediately pardoned Nixon M he did not solve the problem of inflation with voluntary
wage and price controls
c Foreign Policy- Ford M he and Kissinger set up negotiations for SALT II, agreed to recognize post-
war boundaries in Europe (conservatives saw this as affirming soviet control over Eastern
Europe) while through the Helsinki Accords Soviets agreed to respect human rights
c ELECTION:
 1976: Carter v. Ford M Carter won a narrow victory despite a last minute push from Ford
c Domestic Policy
 He inherited many of the problems Ford did and was not successful M continuing inflation
and his policy was hurt by his refusal to have experienced White House politicians near
him M 79 delivered the malaise speech where he blamed the American people of the
country¶s problems
c Foreign Policy
 Carter wanted to defend human rights but did really say how he was going to achieve
that M returned control of Panama Canal to Panama, negotiated a peace between Israel
and Egypt in the Camp David Accords, and completed the negotiations of SALT II but it
was not passed
 Middle East was a problem for him especially IranM US had been supporting Iran since
the 1950s, but a revolution toppled the existing Shah and replaced him with Khomeini (a
fundamentalist group) and that government seized the American embassy and kept them
as hostages M in 79 SU invades Afghanistan which the US sees as an expansionist move
so Carter responds by imposing economic sanctions on the SU and boycotting the 1980
Olympics in Moscow
c Rise of the New Right
 Most significant demographic phenomenon was the rise of the Sunbelt (CA, Southeast,
and Southwest) that grew to surpass the older regions of the Northeast M in these regions
there was hostility to federal regulations and social programs which provided support for
conservative candidates (Sagebrush Rebellion was against federal environmental
regulations) M helped by growth of suburbanization and Orange County became the
center of right wing politics
 Conservatism was reinforced by the greatest religious revivalism since the 2 GA as
Evangelical Christians who were ³born again´ became a powerful group in American
society as in groups like the Moral Majority and Christian Coalition
 Evangelical movement helped fuel the rise of the New Right which was supported by
great success in fundraising and new candidates such as Ronald Reagan M success was
fueled by public dissatisfaction with Ford¶s domestic and foreign policy
 1978- beginning with popular movement against property tax rates in CA (Prop 13), the
conservatives seized on the issue of opposition to taxes instead of opposition to
government funded programs

1980s
c ELECTION:
 1980: Carter v. Reagan M Reagan easily defeated Carter
 Carter attracted little popular support despite defeating Edward Kennedy in the primaries
 During his election Reagan emphasized an opposition to federal taxes and a desire to
regain American strength and prestige abroad
 Republicans gain control of the Senate since 1952
c Reagan was supported by a new coalition of conservative groups consisting of traditional ³free-
market´ conservatives like business leaders who feared federal interference with business and
costly social programs as hurting economic growth and neo-conservatives who were former
radicals upset with the ³excesses´ of the 1960s and sought to get back power from the left
c Despite being the oldest man ever to serve as president, he managed to appear vigorous and full
of energy and although he was not really directly involved with the day-to-day stuff, he
surrounded himself with efficient advisors and could defend his policies on TV
c Domestic policies
 He sought to restore growth through Reaganomics or supply-side economics which is a
policy based on the assumption that tax cuts would free up funds for more investment
 1981- congress passed significant tax cuts which was the centerpiece of Reagan's effort
to reduce the role of federal government in American life
 1982- serious recession
 1983- return of prosperity due to Reagan¶s policies as well as falling energy prices
 he promised to balance the federal budget but he managed to make unprecedented
growth in the national debt because of cuts in taxes, increased military spending, and
increasing costs for federal entitlement programs and cuts in discretionary programs like
school lunches did not make up for the growth in other areas
c Foreign Policy
 He argued that the US should vigorously support any country fighting communism and
the Soviet Union (which he called the evil empire) and he proposed a defense program
called SDI (Star wars) that would provide for a shield over the US to protect against
nuclear attacks, but opponents said this would increase the arms race
 In the Third World Reagan¶s Doctrine was the support of people opposing communism
everywhere M esp true in Latin America where admin supported anti-com efforts in El
Salvador, Nicaragua, and Grenada M ME: Americans sought to provide stability for
Lebanon but pulled out in 1983 after a bombing killed 241 Americans
c ELECTION:
 1984: Mondale v. Reagan M Reagan easily won
 Geraldine Ferraro was the first women to appear on the national ticket
 Democrats gained a seat in the Senate and remained in control of the House
c Reagan two terms in office coincided with changes in the Soviet Union where Gorbachev pledged
polices of glasnost and perestroika M communist states transformed into tradition, left-wing
democracies relatively quickly M China things were not as successful as communist government
put down a demonstration in Tiananmen Square in 1989 but the economy did focus on western,
capitalistic ideas
c 1988- US and SU sign a treaty to removed INF in Europe
c During Reagan¶s second term, scandals reduced his credibility M government forced to bail out
large banks that expanded as soon as government regulations were removed M Iran-Contra Affair
(US sold military weapons to Iranian government in exchange for releasing American hostages
despite Reagan¶s promise not to negotiate with terrorists and then some of that money was used
to fund the anti-communist Contras in Nicaragua despite congresses can on that)
c ELECTION:
 1988: Bukakis v. Bush M Bush won relatively easily
 Democrats thought they would win because of declining support for Reagan
c Bush administration had much success in international affairs but this was because of
cooperation with Gorbachev and not a vision on Bush¶s party
c 1988- Bush pledged no new taxes- Read my Lips speech
 c 1989- American invasion an Panama led to overthrow of Noriega and replacement by elected,
pro-American government

1990s
c 1990- Bush raised taxes to balance the federal budget and alienated moderates by taking
conservative stances on issues like abortion and affirmative action in order not to alienate right
wing conservatives
c 1990- beginning of a recession that was the biggest challenged for the Bush administration
c 1990- US became involved in an effort to oust Saddam Hussein and his military forces from
Kuwait, which they were able to do with a week of intense bombing, but Hussein remained in
power for more than a decade.
c 1991- the Soviet Union collapsed as Gorbachev resigned in the face of fragmentation and
declining legitimacy M led the US to chose on focusing on domestic affair or continuing to use its
power to defend interests abroad (Bush chose latter)
c ELECTION:
 1992: Clinton v. Bush M Nixon won by a slim majority
 Bush was in a vulnerable position because of his inability to deal with the nation¶s
recession
 Clinton skillfully exploited concern over nation¶s economy with Ross Perot tapping into
American dislike of the federal bureaucracy
 Clinton was elected with 43%, Bush got 38%, and Perot got 19%
 Democrats remained in control of both houses of Congress
st
EARLY 21 Century

2000s