Today we continued our blog discussion with President Carter.
-Elections
- Won against Gerald Ford and they were really close
- Lost against Ronald Reagan
- 1980 election lost because of high inflation that was caused by him
-Iran Hostage Crisis
- Ayatollah Khomeini- became the leader and started the Islamic Revolution
- Between US and Iran
- New government of Iran took 52 Americans hostage for 444 days
- We controlled Iran
- Islamic Revolution= Threw out the government that we liked
- After the old government leader, Shaw, died
- Iraq invaded Iran and negotiated to release the hostages
- Iraq and Iran still don’t get along today
- Deal before that we give them Shaw, and they give us the hostages
- That didn’t happen
- War happened between Iraq and Iran
-Ronald Reagan
- 40th president
- 1981-1989
- Was a radio broadcaster in Iowa, and actor and Governor of California
- In the military service
- Republican
- Broadcasted the Iowa Hawkeyes football games for a few years
-elections
- 1980 election
- Between Carter and him
- Worried about Reagan being president because he was older
- Beat Carter
- Blowout
- Reagan won because no one liked Carter
- Cut inflation and help the economy
- 1984 election
- Walter Mandell won 1 state and DC
- Reagan won again
- HUGE BLOWOUT
-Assassination Attempt- 1981
- John Hinckley JR.
- Barely been president
- Had an obsession with Jodie Foster
- Seen a film that she was in and the main guy was going to kill the President
- Stalked Jodie Foster to gain her affection
- Thought that she loved him
- He tried to kill the president to get Jodie Foster’s affection
-Accomplishments
-How the Cold War came to an end
- 1983 invasion of Grenada
- 1986 bombing of Libya
- Publicly describe the USSR as an “evil empire”
- Supported anti- communist movements worldwide
- Opposed to détente
- Ordered a massive military buildup in an arms race with the USSR
- Had numerous meetings with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev which helped bring an end to the Cold War
- Gorbachev was loved by everyone
-Why did the US win the Cold War?
- We had close ties with our Allies and the USSR didn’t
- China started siding with us after 1972
- The Soviet economy was in shambles whereas the US’s was flourishing
- Huge deficit, high inflation, corruption, Social problems, shortage of basic needs (food, housing)
- USSR was supporting the military more than the people
- The strong anti- communist presidency of Reagan
- Gorbachev’s willingness for change and reform
- Glasnost and perestroika, admitted Soviet mistakes, took blame for the Cold War, communist system had failed
- Allowed Eastern Europe to do what they wanted
- Arms Reduction Talks
- SALT, INF, Reagan- Gorbachev meetings
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