America 1970’s - TODAY Government Deception

America
1970’s - TODAY
Government Deception
President Nixon
• The Energy Crisis & Stagflation
• Stagflation – high inflation & unemployment (U.S.
$$$ losing value)
• Energy Crisis – scarce energy sources & rising oil
prices
– OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting
Countries): hoped to maintain a high price for oil by
controlling its production & sale
– revealed how dependent America is on foreign oil
– Project Independence (Nixon’s plan): end use of
foreign oil… use Alaskan oil pipeline
OPEC members
President Nixon
• Realpolitik – foreign
policy of cooperating
with communist nations
– China – became close
Allies & helped weaken
Chinese support for
communist war effort in
S. Vietnam
– Soviet Union – “detante” –
limited number & types of
nuclear missiles each
country could have
Watergate
• office complex in D.C. (housing the Democratic
National Committee headquarters)
• burglary of camera equipment & secret electronic
recording devices; burglars worked for Nixon’s
administration
• this incident led to the revealing of hidden illegal
campaign contributions & dirty tricks used by Nixon’s
administration (“Tricky Dick”)
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWWA0hlUjK0
Watergate
• “Deep Throat” – anonymous whistleblower
• Woodward & Bernstein – journalists who reported
the story
• Nixon had all his conversations taped while in
office; he was forced to turn over those tapes; he
refused  Nixon resigns
• Gerald Ford, Speaker of the House, becomes
President & pardons Nixon (disliked for this, does
not win reelection)
President Jimmy Carter
• PROBLEM: economy & energy crisis!!!
• Inflation & oil prices still on the
rise… tries to convince Americans to
conserve oil!
• Reject realpolitik & pushed for
human rights
– giving less aid to former foreign
allies & giving more aid to
developing countries (ex. Africa
& apartheid)
– lost connection/”friendship” with
Soviet Union
– Iran hostage crisis
Problems with the Middle East
• U.S. got involved in Iran’s govt. in 1950’s & helped put
the shah in power
• in the 1970’s, Iranians rejected this shah’s power
(western thinker) & wanted the Ayatollah Khomeini (a
Muslim religious fundamentalist) in power
• Iran hostage crisis – revolutionaries attacked U.S
Embassy in Iran & captures 53 Americans (they were
tortured)
• Carter cut off ties with Iran
• Americans
blamed President
Carter…
Reagan in office
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fG1iCCS7gDo
“Reaganomics”
• supply-side economics – govt.
could balance budget by cutting
taxes
– which would increase personal
income & business profits… people
would then invest their extra
income into the community thus
expanding economy & creating jobs
• Reagan increased defense
spending (military industrial
complex), causing…
– deficit – amount by which a govt.’s
expenditures exceed its revenues
Iran-Contra Affair
• political scandal involved selling
weapons to Iran (an enemy) & used
the proceeds to fund the Contras (an
anti-communist guerrilla organization
in Nicaragua)
• Oliver North – Reagan’s man who
coordinated this
• 2 evils America is supporting…
why???
– Iran – in exchange for hostages &
become “friends” with them again
– Contras – fight communism in S.
America
• the affair is still a big secret
The End to the Cold War
• Gorbachev tore
down the Berlin
wall… symbolized
the ending of the
Cold War between
U.S. & Soviet Union
• But is it really???
President George Bush
• War on Drugs – an organized
effort at home & abroad to
end illegal drug trade
– using law enforcement to end
drug use
• The Gulf War – remove Iraqi
forces from Kuwait (invaded
bc of oil) & ensure that Iraq
would not invade Saudi Arabia
– Desert Shield/Storm – air
attacks against Iraq
• Success with the War on
Aggression!
• But Bush let Saddam Hussein
stay in power… why???
•
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inN4noTRsU
President Bill Clinton
• American foreign policy = policing the world (ex.
Bosnia, Iraq, Haiti)
• “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” – his policy of allowing
homosexuals the right to serve in the military
• NAFTA
• terrorism – Oklahoma City bombing & foreign
embassies (ie. Africa)
• was impeached for the Monica Lewinski Trial, but
not kicked out of office
NAFTA
• North America Free Trade Agreement
between Canada, Mexico, & the U.S. to form
the world’s largest free trade area
• has brought economic growth & rising
standards of living for people in all 3
countries
• has also brought more open immigration
• What’s the border problem???
George W. Bush
– September 11th
– No Child Left Behind – increasing standards
in education (teaching requirements,
testing, etc)
– Partial-birth Abortion – prohibits a form of late term
abortion
– Hurricane Katrina – 2005; costliest natural disaster in
U.S. history; his response questioned
– War on Terrorism – war to stop the spread of
terrorism  HOMELAND SECURITY
– War in Iraq – war on stopping dictatorship, WMD’s, oil
supply, spreading democracy
– Patriot Act – tapping in to people’s phones, emails, &
records to unveil terrorists  NSA!
9/11
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmedslmeiUc
• Al Qaeda, led by Osama bin Laden & funded by the terrorist
group – the Taliban, attacked, by plane, the twin towers in NY,
the Pentagon in VA, & one plane crashed in PA (supposedly on
target to the Whitehouse)
• estimated 3,000 people died
• leads to War on Terror!
• Afghanistan is giving refuge to these terrorists; therefore, a
lot of fighting occurs in this country but we are NOT at war
with Afghanistan
– Iraq & Iran are completely separate issues!!!
War in Iraq
• supposedly had Weapons of Mass
Destruction, but these were never found
by the U.S. or the U.N. inspectors
• Sadaam Hussein was found, tried by the
U.N., and hanged by his own people
War In Iraq vs. War on Terror
TODAY:
Barack Obama
• Economy & Stimulus Package 
RECESSION & Sequestration
• Guantanamo Bay – closing no
 STILL OPERATIONAL
• War on Terror – continued
– ISIS (Islamic State)
• War in Iraq – ended 2014?!?
• Iran – diplomatic talks
• Obamacare
later than Jan. 2010
Global Climate Change
• change in average temperature & sea level
• caused by: greenhouse gas concentrations, ozone
depletion, pollution, deforestation, overgrazing,
irrigation, etc.
• Silent Spring – Rachel Carson’s book launched the
environmental awareness movement
• Earth Day – inspire awareness & appreciation of
Earth
• Rachel Carson – 1930’s; became 1st outspoken
environmentalist
• Green Peace – created to stop the U.S. govt.
testing nuclear devices in Alaska; also got involved
with global warming, whaling, and genetic
engineering
• El Nino – warming over Pacific; causes earth to
react  tsunamis
Environmentalist
Movement
• advocate the sustainable management
of resources and stewardship of the
environment through changes in public
policy and individual behavior
• Started in early 19th C – grew into what
it is today
• Go Green!
SUMMARY
QUIZ TIME
• 1. What international organization was
established to create a monopoly on
Middle Eastern oil?
– a. MEO
– b. NATO
– c. NAFTA
– d. OPEC
• 2. Which president is responsible for:
detante, realpolitik, and Watergate?
– a. George W. Bush
– b. Richard Nixon
– c. Jimmy Carter
– d. George Bush
• 3. Which of the following is FALSE
regarding the Iran Hostage Crisis?
– a. It was caused because American troops
invaded Iran
– b. It was initiated by rebels who were
angry with America’s involvement
– c. The Ayatollah was behind the rebellion
– d. The hostages were held captive for over
a year
• 4. Which president is being described?
NAFTA, impeachment, Don’t Ask/Don’t
Tell, Sex Scandal
– a.
– b.
– c.
– d.
Richard Nixon
Obama
George W. Bush
Bill Clinton
• 5. The War on Terror started as a war
against?
– a.
– b.
– c.
– d.
Middle Easterners
Jihadists
Saddam Hussein
Afghanis