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Sec 3: __Bus____h Takes Over__  We started out in a drought of 10 vice presidents becoming president as a result of either presidents deaths, a president resigning or one was elected 8 years after being vice p resident. Finally in 1988 George H.W. Bush ended the 152 year drought.  Many set out against him, and the two main were Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis and the Reverend Jesse Jackson. Dukakis was the choice.Through all of the television programs, and all of the short films, the Reagan era continued. George H.W. Bush won with receiving 53 percent of the popular vote and getting 426 electoral votes.  Bush saw "A new breeze is blowing" and he promised a "kinder, gentler nation." He tried to keep some of the Reagan policies, but also took a more moderate course. The drug spread in the world was a main point that bush spoke out against in his campaign, and to help him out he appointed a man named William Bennett to be a special "drug czar." However the drugs still found a way to flow around the country. He made meetings on how to set national goals for education, but he wanted the states and local schools to raise the money to put these standards into affect. For the environment he passed a bill setting tougher standards to reduce air pollution. Another problem, nuclear wastes. When he took place in office 17 military plans that had manufactured nuclear weapons were closed. The cost of cleaning all of this up was estimated at $200 billion. The nations finances was becoming a problem.The saving and loans institutions were in trouble of going out of business. The Reagan campaign tried to deregulate S&Ls. The cost to bail out these banks was estimated at $600 billion over 10 years. The Federal budget still had a growing deficit. Bush promised "no new taxes." but how should the congress cut spending? He knew that he might have to make some tax cuts, but he insisted on a tax cut for investors who sold their stocks and bonds at a profit. This would stimulate the economy.The found a budget agreement that would cut the deficit by nearly $500 billion over 5 years. Burning the American flag was not aloud to be illegal according to a Texas supreme court, it was protected by the first amendment of the constitution. This was one thing that Bush did not agree with, and he set out to make a new amendment banning this crime. The amendment was defeated, it was one thing that just couldn't be changed.

Sec 4: __A World in Transition__ George Kennan who warned the president 40 years ago about acting toward the soviet aggression finally announced that the cold war was over. A few years later the United States, and the Soviet Union were on the same side.  Communist governments started to collapse and dissenters, once treated as enemies of the state started to come into power. It started in Poland when the government became Solidarity.  The Berlin wall was a huge symbol in this change. It was built by the East Germans to keep citizens from fleeing to the west. The wall symbolized cold war hostility, many were killed trying to cross this huge wall. In 1989 they planned to open the wall, hundreds streamed through the gates to visit the west. By 1990 they started a course toward reunion. On October 4, 1990 Germany became one nation again. In Czechoslovakia the communist government was forced to resign, and was taken over by a playwright who was jailed many times by the communist government. In Romania the dictator resisted the tide, and many protesters were shot and killed. He was later tried, and executed. Then this nation looked to the United States to help in making a constitution. For the problems in Nicaragua, and sending things to the contras, Bush decided to work out a bipartisan agreement with congress. In this agreement the U.S. would only send food, clothing, and medical supplies to the contras.  Manuel Noiega was considered a friendly dictator to the U.S. He had helped us fund the contras in Nicaragua. However with Panama being a banking center and shipping poin t for major drug dealers, he became heavily involved in drug smuggling. On December 20 1989 Bush sent military forces over into panama. In the beginning the army put up a good fight while there dictator stayed hidden, but soon he came out and surrendered and was taken to the U.S. to stand trial. We helped to rebuild the nations destroyed economy, and created a new government. In 1989 hundreds of thousands of people joined at Tienanmen Square in Beijing, to campaign for democratic reforms. With hopes of them starting their own reforms the Americans watched tanks roll in and kill or arrested thousands of protesters.  In South Africa the government went to pursue the policy of apartheid or separation of the races. It was opposed by Reagan, who thought it would hurt the black majority by destroying jobs. He adopted a policy of "constructive engagement" which just tried to keep public criticism to a minimum. The members of congress on the other hand wanted a process of economic sanctions, or limits on trade and investments to pressure the government into ending this policy. A bill was passed that stated American firms could not invest in South Africa or import products from there. Stocks were being sold in companies that operated in South Africa, this policy was created as divestiture. Many closed their sales outlets and factories there. As well as America, South Africa also named a new president. F.W de Klerk, this man freed a black opponent of the apartheid who was in prison. These two teamed up, and traveled together to the United States to meet with President Bush. The President kept the sanctions in place, for the time being. <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); background-color: rgb(128, 128, 128);"> After the Iran-Iraq war, Hussein rebuilt his military. Two years after the end of this war Iraq entered one of the richest oil-producing nations in the Middle East, Kuwait.In fear that Saddam Hussein would take over and control 80 percent of the oil President Bush immediately dispatched American forces to Saudi Arabia to try and stop <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); background-color: rgb(128, 128, 128);">him. We tried to get other nations to try and force him to leave Kuwait, even the United Nations including the soviet union approved a total trade boycott of Iraq. Ships joined from all over to stop merchant vessels headed for Iraq. Saddam however did have many Americans and other foreigners as hostages in Kuwait and Iraq that he promised to kill if the U.S. or any other country decided to bomb Iraq. <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);"> Iraqi tanks rumbled through the streets of Kuwait City, sending echoes of gunshots all over. All valuable goods were taken from all over and shipped back to Iraq. Women and children were allowed to go, and other Americans started to hide in fear of being taken hostage. <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> It was set, the deadline for Iraq's removal from Kuwait was set at January 15,1991. 200,000 troops were sent to the Middle East they would allow the U.S. to attack against Iraq if the president and congress considered it necessary. In December, the chance for negotiation was rejected, but most of the foreign hostages including Americans were released. As the deadline for withdrawal reached the U.S. and several other nations launched an air attack on Iraq on January 16. No one knew how operation desert storm was going to turn out.