SSUSH25

1. SSUSH25 c. Explain the Carter administration’s efforts in the Middle East; include the Camp David Accords, his response to the 1979 Iranian Revolution, and the Iranian hostage crisis. d. Describe domestic and international events of Ronald Reagan’s presidency; include Reaganomics, the Iran-contra scandal, and the collapse of the Soviet Union.

2. James Earl “Jimmy” Carter • Did not have any national political experience (had never been a Senator or Representative). • He had, however, been the governor of Georgia. • Carter won the presidential election of 1976 by a slim margin over Ford. • His campaign spoke of morality and honesty, energy development, tax reform, welfare reform, and national medical care.

3. Camp David Accords • The Camp David Accords was a peace treaty between Israel (Prime Minister Menachem Begin) and Egypt (President Anwar el Sadat) that was the first step in Carter’s plan to achieve “peace in the Middle East”. • It was formally signed in 1979, at Camp David a presidential retreat in Maryland. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZX9JzIYO5Zg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPtMafxVKeA

4. 1979 Iranian Revolution • The Revolution began when Ayatollah Khomeini smuggled small numbers cassette tapes into Iran. The cassettes outlined his plan for a new government. • January 1979 Mohammad Reza Shah left Iran, and on February 1 Ayatollah Khomeini entered Iran. People who still supported the Shah were quickly executed. • Ayatollah Khomeini brought new laws, like how women were required to dress to the country.

5. Response to 1979 Iranian Revolution • “Did the Carter administration "lose" Iran, as some have suggested? Gaddis Smith might have put it best: "President Carter inherited an impossible situation -- and he and his advisers made the worst of it." Carter seemed to have a hard time deciding whether to heed the advice of his aggressive national security advisor, Zbigniew Brzezinski, who wanted to encourage the Shah to brutally suppress the revolution, or that of his more cautious State Department, which suggested Carter reach out to opposition elements in order to smooth the transition to a new government. In the end he did neither, and suffered the consequences.” • http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/general-article/carter-hostage-crisis/

6. Iranian Hostage Crisis • In October 1979 the Shah entered the US for cancer treatment. • November 4, 1979 Iranian students stormed the American embassy in Iran taking 52 Americans hostage. • The students vowed to Ayatollah that they would not let the hostages go until the Shah was returned to Iran for trial and with the money they claimed he stole.

7. Iranian Hostage Crisis • Carter sent numerous rescue missions to try to save the hostages, each was unsuccessful and one even ended up deadly for 8 servicemen who died in a helicopter crash. • Carter lost the 1980 presidential election due to this crisis. • On the day Carter left the presidential office, January 20, 1981 the American hostages were released after 444 days of captivity. Carter met them in Germany on behalf of the new president, Reagan. http://abcnews.go.com/Archives/video/nov-11-1979-iran-hostage-crisis-11929103

8. Reaganomics Policies • Budget cuts- by cutting social welfare budgets, his policy hurt lower income Americans, and led to a severe recession • Tax cuts- 25% tax cut would help wealthy and businesses, but would never make it down to the lower income Americans (trickle down economics) • Increased defense spending

9. By 1984 the US had begun the biggest economic expansion in its history up to that time. Median income for families increased by about 15% by 1989. Unemployment dropped to about 5.5%, a 14 year low Reagan also appointed the first woman to the Supreme Court, Sandra Day O’Connor. Reagan won reelection in 1984 due to the good economy Reaganomics http://video.foxnews.com/v/4526673/would-reaganomics-work-today/

10. Iran Contra Scandal • Key words: • Sandinistas: Nicaraguan rebels who overthrew a pro-American dictator in 1979 and replaced him with a socialist government • Contras: anti-Sandinista guerrilla force armed by the Reagan administration

11. Iran Contra Scandal • When Congress found out about Reagan’s administration sending arms to the Contra’s, they prohibited that action. • Many individuals within the administration still found ways to illegally aid the Contras. • They secretly sold weapons to Iran in exchange for hostage release • Profits were sent to aid the Contras • Reagan testified that he had approved of the sale of arms, but knew nothing of the profits going to the Contras. This made his second term in office tainted. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwLiRMUmlR8

12. Collapse of the Soviet Union • President Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev met several times in 1987. They agreed to remove some nuclear weapons from Europe. • This agreement led Gorbachev to reduce Soviet spending on defense and aid to other communist controlled countries in Europe.

13. Collapse of the Soviet Union http://www.history.com/videos/the-fall-of-the-soviet-union#the-fall-of-the-soviet-union • When George H. W. Bush (Daddy Bush) took office in 1988, he continued Reagan’s friendly relationship with Gorbachev and Russia. • In 1989, several former Soviet controlled countries were allowed to form non-communist governments • In November of 1989, the Berlin Wall, which separated East (communist) and West (democratic) Berlin, Germany was torn down. • Trying to save their communist ways, communist leaders and some Russian Army officers tried to overthrow Gorbachev • Their coup was unsuccessful, and in December 1991, Gorbachev announced the end of the Soviet Union

14. Closing • What two Middle Eastern countries signed the Camp David Accords in an effort to achieve peace in the Middle East? • Why did Iranians take American hostages? How many days were the hostages held? When were they released? • What were the key elements of Reaganomics? • Explain the Iran Contra Scandal in your own words. • What was the significance of the collapse of the Soviet Union?