George H. W.

1
George H. W. Daddy BushRepublican1989-1
993Texasborn June 12, 1924Vp Dan Quayle
2

Political Background 1967-71 U.S.
Representative from Texas 1971-73 U.S.
ambassador to the U.N. 1974-75 director of the
CIA 1981-1989 VP under Reagan 1989-1993 41st
President first sitting Vice Prez to win an
election since Martin Van Burean (1837)
3
(1) Election of 1988

• R George H.W. Bush/Dan Quayle
• D Michael Dukakis/Lloyd Bentsen
• The Election revolved around issues of the
  Iran-Contra Scandal and growing budget concerns
• Election Results
• 1. Popular Vote 48,886,097 (R), 41,809,074(D)
• 2. Electoral Vote 426 to 111

4
GreenBush BlueDukakis
5
(2) Pan Am Flight 103

• Dec 21, 1988 plane exploded over Lockerbie,
  Scotland, killing all 259 people on board as well
  as 11 on the ground.
• 189 of the 259 people on board were Americans
  (plane was traveling from London to NYC) this
  shattered the U.S.s sense of security!

6

• Suspicions focus on two Libyans it has never
  been decidedly proven, though one of the
• suspects is
• 
  serving
• a life sentence.

7
(3) Osama bin Laden / Al Qaeda

• Al Qaeda was founded in 1988 by Osama bin Laden
  to consolidate the international network he
  established during the Afghan war.
• Its goals were the advancement of Islamic
  revolutions throughout the Muslim world and
  repelling foreign (western/US) intervention in
  the Middle East.

8

• Following the first Gulf War, Al Qaeda shifted
  its focus to fighting the growing U.S. presence
  in the Middle East, particularly in Saudi Arabia,
  home to Islams most sacred shrines.
• This war on the U.S. has continued ever since!

9
(4) Read my lips No new taxes

• 1. Early campaign promise of Bush he came to
  later regret this statement- because we were in a
  recession
• 2. Long battles over the budget broke out Bush
  compromised with the Democrats on a federal
  deficit reduction that included tax increases,
  even after his promise
• 3. Conservatives were outraged!

10
(No Transcript)
11
Economic Recession

• In spite of the financial growth of the 1980s,
  14 of Americans were still living in poverty.
  The economy stopped growing in the early 1990s.
• This will cause major problems for Bush in 92
  when running for re-election!

12
(5) Tiananmen Square, China

• 1. Pro-democracy reformers (mostly Chinese
  students) protested the Communist government
• 2. June 4, 1989 Chinese govt tanks and troops
  moved to break up protestors killed an estimated
  2000 in Tiananmen Square
• 3. June 5 Bush suspended arms sales to China

13

• The demonstrations in Tiananmen Square have been
  described as the greatest challenge to the
  communist state in China since the 1949
  revolution.

14
(6) Fall of Berlin Wall

• 1. Mass demonstrations against the government in
  East Germany began in late September 1989.
• 2. Erich Honecker was forced to resign on Oct 18.
  
• 3. The wall (which divided east and west Berlin
  in Germany) was opened Nov 9.

15

• (6 cont.) Germany was united October 3,
  1990, as the Federal Republic of Germany led by
  Helmut Kohl and the parliament in the Berlin
  Reichstag.

16
(14) Dissolution (falling apart of) of USSR

• 1. 1990 12 Soviet republics began to issue
  declarations of independence (Armenia,
  Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan,
  Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine,
  and Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan all broke away)
• 2. 1990 Boris Yeltsin was elected the chairman
  of the Russian Republic Parliament
• 3. Attempted coup to overthrow Gorbachev after he
  refused to support military law

17

• 4. Military units were met by protest from
  Yeltsin and other republics
• 5. December 25, Gorbachev resigned new flag was
  raised on December 31
• led by Boris Yeltsin

(Russian Tricolour)-
18
(7) War on Drugs / invasion of Panama

• 1. U.S. invaded Panama in to arrest President
  Manuel Noriega known drug king
• 2. 22,500 U.S. troops sent in Dec. 89 -
  Operation Just Cause- trying to fight drugs out
  of South America

19

• 3. Noriega was captured on Jan 4 after seeking
  asylum from the Vatican embassy on December 24
• 4. U.S. troops played relentless rock music over
  loudspeakers - songs by The Animals, Bobby
  Fuller, and Bruce Springsteen to annoy him out

20
(8) Exxon Valdez oil spill

• Prince William Sound, Alaska, United States, on
  March 24, 1989.
• Considered one of the most devastating man-made
  environmental disasters ever to occur at sea.
• Spilled 10.8 million U.S. gallons of crude oil
  into the sea, which eventually covered
  11,000 square miles of ocean

21
(No Transcript)
22
(9) Hubble Telescope

• Space telescope
• carried into Earth
• orbit by the Space
• Shuttle in April
• 1990 named for the American astronomer Edwin
  Hubble.
• Although Hubble was not the first space
  telescope, it is one of the largest and most
  versatile, and well known as both a vital
  research tool and a public relations boost for
  astronomy

23
(10) Clean Air Act of 1990

• set new anti-pollution standards for fuel
  burning - established for the first time specific
  responsibilities for government and private
  industry to reduce emissions from vehicles,
  factories, and other pollution sources.
• In many ways, this far-reaching law has been a
  great success. Today's cars, for example,
  typically emit 70 percent to 90 percent less
  pollution over their lifetimes than their 1970
  counterparts.

24
(11) Americans with Disabilities Act

• Wide-ranging civil rights law that prohibits
  discrimination against people with physical or
  mental disabilities in employment,
• transportation,
• telephone
• services, and
• public buildings.

25
(No Transcript)
26
(12) Operation Desert Storm

• 1. August, 1990 Kuwait was attacked by Iraq,
  which also stationed armies near the borders of
  Saudi Arabia and Iran
• (Kuwait held 10 of the worlds oil
• reserves, Iran 10, S.A. 25)
• 2. Bush helped to create a broad international
  coalition against Iraq, which included support
  from most of the United Nations members.

27
(No Transcript)
28

• 3. UN imposed economic sanctions began bombing
  campaign on Jan 16, 1991
• 4. Bush ordered the largest deployment of troops
  (500,000) since the Vietnam War
• 5. January 1991 secured Congressional authority
  to use all necessary means to expel Iraq from
  Kuwait

29

• 6. February 1991, ground forces pushed Iraqi
  soldiers out of Kuwait (ground war was over in
  less than 100 hours)
• 7. Gulf war was over in less than 2 months about
  150 Americans were killed
• estimates of Iraqi deaths range from 20,000
  200,000!
• 8. Saddam Hussein remained in power

30
Saddam Hussein 1990s
31
(13) Supreme Court - Clarence Thomas

• 1. Nominee David Souter was easily confirmed
• 2. Clarence Thomas, (an African American) was
  nominated to replace Thurgood Marshall, was a
  very controversial appointment. Thomas was
  accused of sexual harassment of Anita Hill, a
  former co-worker at EEOC.

32
David Clarence Souter Thomas
33
(15) LA Riots/ Rodney King

• April, 1992
• 4 white policemen were acquitted of the
  videotaped beating of a motorist who resisted
  arrest
• The community of LA responded to this unfair
  verdict with riots, which lasted for six days and
  left 50 dead. (like Watts Riot!!!)

34
(16) 27th Amendment

• Ratified in 1992
• Any change in the salary of Congressmen will take
  effect only after the next election.
• This way, lawmakers cannot guarantee themselves
  an unfair raise!

35
Legacy of President Bush

• a. His handling of the Gulf War was regarded as
  his finest accomplishment
• b. Continues to remain politically active through
  his son George W. Bush
• c. Was appointed co-ambassador with Bill Clinton
  to help with relief efforts after the Indonesian
  tsunami