Today we continued discussions
-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
-Why the USSR lost
- Invasion of Afghanistan
- Ignoring social concerns
- Spend everything on military and not on their citizens
-Accomplishments
- Ended the Cold War
- Reaganomics- lower taxes, spend less
- Unemployment went down
- Believed in peace through strength
- Big on military spending
- Space shuttle challenger explosion
- Reagan announced a War on Drugs in 1982 due to crack epidemic
- Nancy Reagan “Just Say No”
-Iran Contra Scandal- 1986
- US used the money from secret weapons sales to Iran to fund the Contras (anti- communists) in Nicaragua which Congress had outlawed
- Goal to free 7 hostages in Iran at the time
- Court of Justice ruled that the US had violated international law in doing so
- Reagan said he knew nothing of it
- 11 people from the Reagan Administration were convicted
- Oliver North
-George H.W. Bush
- 41st president
- 1989-1993
- Served as the Vice President of the US under Ronald Reagan (1981-1989)
- Was a congressmen from Texas
- Was Ambassador of the US to the United Nation
- Director of the CIA
- Currently the oldest surviving former President
-Accomplishments
- Disability act- no discrimination against disabled
- Had to use cleaner burning fuels
- Persuaded Congress to cut back spending
- Berlin wall came down in 1989- more so Reagan than Bush
- Happened under Bush’s Presidency
- Increased immigration by 40%
-Elections
- Ran against Michael Dukakis
- Easy victory
-Persian Gulf War
- Iraq invaded Kuwait
- Leader of Iraq Sudam Hussein
- Invaded because Kuwait had a lot of oil
- Wanted control of Kuwait
- Felt like Kuwait was stealing their oil
- Iraq wanted more control over the Persian Gulf
- US ordered Iraq to pull out of Kuwait
- Started because of the Operation Desert Shield- save Saudi Arabia from being attacked
- the Operation Desert Storm- started bombing, and forced the Iraqi’s out
- Results:
- Coalition Force victory, Iraqi withdrawal from Kuwait, destruction of Iraqi/Kuwait infrastructure
- Coalition- 482 dead, Iraq- 20,000- 35,000
- 1991-2003- No- fly zone, weapons inspectors, WMD’s
- We never leave Saudi Arabia
- Started seeing us as invaders
- No Fly Zones were put in Iraq- flew across Iraq to see if they were following the rules
- Weapons inspectors-had rights to inspect if Iraq had WMD’s
-Random
- Took down Manual Noriega in Panama
- Tried to help with the Somali Civil War with UNITAF
- Signed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)- free trade between the US, Canada, and Mexico
- Eliminated the most tariffs on products traded among the US, Canada, and Mexico to encourage trade between the countries
-Why did the President Bush lose the 92 election?
- Raised taxes when he said that he wouldn’t
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