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The Triumph of Conservatism,
1969-1988
Chapter 26
Unit 7: 1969-Present
Nixon’s Domestic Policy
• “New Federalism” allowed
states to use federal grants
however they wanted
• Established new federal
agencies (EPA, OSHA, and
NTSB) and expanded welfare
programs
• Endangered Species Act and
Clean Air Act were first
federal protections of the
environment
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Supreme Court and Gender Equality
• Court continued to protect right to privacy
and guarantee equal access to education
– Roe v. Wade (1973) legalized abortion
– University of California v. Bakke (1978): allowed
race to be considered in admission decisions
(affirmative action)
• Title IX banned gender discrimination in
higher education
– Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) passed Congress
in 1970 bus was not ratified
Nixon’s Détente
• Nixon and Secretary of state
Henry Kissinger were realistic
about the cold war
• In 1972, Nixon visited the
People’s Republic of China, and
supported Beijing’s participation
in the UN
• Strategic Arms Limitation Talks
(SALT) with the Soviet Union led
to the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty
of 1972
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Vietnam
• “Vietnamization” planned to
replace American troops with
South Vietnamese soldiers
– This and the failed invasion of
Cambodia escalated the war
• NY Times released details of
the 1968 My Lai Massacre in
which American soldiers
killed 350 civilians
• The classified Pentagon Papers revealed how
several presidents mislead Americans about
the war
• War Powers Act (1973) requires the President
to get congressional approval before sending
troops overseas
• Paris Peace Agreement withdrew American
troops
– Saigon fell to communist forces in 1975
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Watergate Scandal
• In 1972, burglars broke into the
Democratic Party headquarters
– Washington Post reporters
learned that the orders came
from someone close to the
President
• Congressional hearings
uncovered extensive abuses of
presidential power
– Impeachment recommended but
Nixon resigned in 1974
Stagflation and Recession
• Low economic growth and high
inflation in the 1970s
– Companies sent manufacturing jobs
overseas
– 1st trade deficit in the 20th century
meant we imported more than we
exported
• In 1973, the Middle East placed an
embargo on oil sales to the U.S.
– America’s dependence on foreign oil
became obvious
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Ford and Carter
• Gerald Ford pardoned Nixon
– Encouraged Americans to spend
wisely and save money to
combat inflation
• Jimmy Carter elected in 1976
– Inflation due to high oil prices
continued
– Nuclear power initiatives
stopped after Three Mile
Incident released radiation in
1979
The Middle East
• Carter negotiated the Camp
David Accords, a peace treaty
between Egypt and Israel, in
1979
• Iran’s American-supported shah
was overthrown in 1979
– 53 hostages were taken from the
American Embassy and held until
1981.
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Rise of Conservatism
• Neoconservative
movement argued for less
govt. regulation, lower
taxes and renewed focus
on the Cold War
• Moral Majority led by Jerry
Falwell: Evangelical
Christians argued that
moral standards and family
values were in decline
Reagan Revolution
• Ronald Reagan won the 1980
election with 91% of the
electoral vote
• Reversed the trend of federal
control that started in the
Progressive era
• Reagan hoped to rebuild
American confidence with an
optimistic view of the future
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Reaganomics
• Supply Side (Trickle Down)
Economics: Cut taxes for
businesses and the wealthy
and reduced welfare benefits
• Deregulated industry and
relaxed anti-trust laws
• Increased military spending to
stimulate economy
Foreign Policy
• Reagan Doctrine: U.S. should
work to “roll—back”
Communism by supporting
freedom fighters
– U.S. invasion of Grenada
• “ Peace through Strength” to
stop aggression
– Announced Strategic Defense
Initiative (Star Wars): Plan to use
lasers to shoot down missiles
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Iran-Contra Affair
• Officials sold arms to Iran in
exchange for American hostages
in Lebanon
– Money was than sent to anticommunist rebels (Contras) in
Nicaragua
• Undermined Reagan’s
statement that we would not
negotiate with terrorists
End of the Soviet Union
• At the beginning of his presidency,
Reagan took a hardline, calling the
Soviet’s an “Evil Empire”
• In 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev
introduced political and economic
reforms
• Negotiations between the nations
reduced the number of nuclear
weapons in Europe
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