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=  = =Chapter 24 Section 3 =

The election of 1988.
 Republican George H.W. Bush became president after being Ronald Reagan's Vice President for 8 years. Bush went against Massachusetts governor Michael Dukakis for President. It was Bush who came out on top. He had 53% of the popular vote to Dukakis's 46 percent. Bush had 426 electoral votes, and Dukakis had 111.

The New President.
 Bush brought a wide range of experience to the white house. He won a medal for bravery. He left his home town of Connecticut, after the war, to start a successful oil business in Texas. He served as a member of Congress, an ambassador, and as the director of the Central Intelligence Agency. He tried to maintain a balance between continuing the policies of the Reagan years and working more closely with the Democratic-controlled Congress. He stressed a moderate course.

Drugs, Education, and the Environment.
 During the 1988 campaign, Bush spoke out on the need to control spread of illegal drugs. He warned that the deficit would rule out expensive new antidrug programs. The president also appointed a defender of the environment, William Reilly to head the Environmental Protection Agency(EPA). Nuclear wastes posed a special threat to the environment. When Bush became president, 17 military plants were closed. Investigations showed that the plants were unsafe or had been dumped dangerous nuclear wastes.

The Savings and Loan Crisis.
 Bank failures put pressure on the nation's finances. The savings and loan institutions, known as S&Ls had long financed mortgages, of loans, for Americans buying homes. During the Reagan administration, he held a campaign to deregulate S&Ls, which means to allow them more freedom from the governments control. But the profits would continue to grow only if real estate markets remained strong. But with falling energy prices, the real estate prices went tumbling down in the Southwest. This led to more bank failures. The Bush administration set up a federal agency to take over the failed banks, sell them, or sell off their assets.

Reducing the Deficit.
 The savings and loan crisis added to the growing deficit in the federal budget. To keep up with this, they needed to cut spending, or raise more money. President Bush was against highering and adding new taxes. After days of bargaining, the Congress and the President finally reached a budget agreement that would cut the deficit by nearly $500 billion over 5 years. This plan increased taxes on cigarettes, alcohol and gasoline.

The Elections of 1990.
 The new budget agreement had reduced the deficit more than legislation during the Reagan years. During the election campaign of 1990, members of Congress found voters in an angry mood. In 14 states, voters elected governors from a different party from those who had been in office. In most states, fewer than 4 out of every 10 eligible voters went to the polls.

Flags and the Supreme Court.
 Bush was angered by the Supreme Court early in his administration. When the court struck down a Texas law that made the burning of the American flag illegal, Bush got mad. The justices ruled that the burning of the flag is a way of protest with free speech and you can't go against the 1st Amendment.

=Chapter 24 Section 4. =

The End of the Cold War?
Since the end of WWII, Soviet dominated governments had control over the nations of Eastern Europe. Those who had power used it brutally. Those who attempted a revolt (freedom fighters) were harshly put down. During 1989 and 1990, the Eastern bloc changed radically. The communist governments collapsed, one after another. This all started in Poland. Moving out to the rest of Europe. A Wall Comes Down. No single event symbolizes the changes of the government in Europe than the opening of the Berlin Wall. Communist in East Germany had built the wall in 1961 to stop its citizens from going into West Germany. Anyone who tried to escape got shot down by the guards from East Germany. In November 1989, after months of protests by the East Germans, the East German government shocked the world by announcing the opening of the wall. On November 9th, 1989, hundreds of E. Berliners streamed through the gates to visit the West. By the summer of 1990, East and West Germany had charted a course toward reunion.  Moving Toward Democracy. Demonstrations against communism spread rapidly across Eastern Europe. In Czechoslovakia, the communist government was forced to resign in in1989. In Romania, dictator Nicolae Ceausescu resisted the tide of change and had protesters shot. But, when prodemocracy demonstrations continued, Ceausescu fled. Soviet President Gorbachev accepted the movement toward democratic reform in Eastern Europe.

The American Response.
<span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 255);">American responded enthusiastically to the democratic reforms in Eastern Europe. With the cold war possibly coming to an end, many members of Congress talked about a "peace dividend". Money that once funded arms race, could now to go the federal deficit. He continued to believe it necessary to maintain a strong defense. His 1990 budget called for a stall reduction in defense spending.

New Directions in Latin America.
====<span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 255);">Bush took a less militant approach toward affairs in Nicaragua than Ronald Reagan had. He didn't continue to press for military aid to the contras. Instead, the Bush administration worked on a bipartisan agreement with Congress, which had the U.S. provide the contras with food, clothing, and medical supplies. ==== <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);">Invasion of Panama. <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 255);">For many years, Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega had been considered a friend to the United States. He helped funnel U.S support to the contras in Nicaragua. During this time, he became a large drug smuggler, and Panama became a large banking center and a shipping point for major drug dealers. When federal court indicted him on drug smuggling charges, Noriega became defiant. The United States installed to help rebuild the nations shattered economy.

Unrest in China.
<span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 255);"> The wave of reform that swept communist Europe in shock waves through China. Bush disapproved of the return to repression for China, however, he rufused to take strong action against the Chinese government. He argued that the U.S. could better influence the Chinese behavior by keeping diplomatic channels open.

A Policy Toward South Africa.
<span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 255);">The worldwide move toward democracy also seemed to spread to S. African government. The South African government had continued to pursue the policy of apartheid. Although Reagan opposed apartheid, he argued economic actions taken against S. Africa would hurt black majority by destroying jobs. <span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 128);">economic sanctions-limits on trade and investment. divestiture-policy of selling of stock in companies that operated in South Africa. <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 255);">Early in Bush's term, events in S. Africa took a encouraging turn. New president elected, named F.W. de Klerk. After a meeting with Mandela and de Klerk, Bush decided to deep sanctions in place.

War Clouds in Middle East.
<span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 255);">Despite hopeful signs in other parts of the world, the Middle East remained a threat to world peace.

<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);">a complex threat.
<span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 255);">During the 1980s, the industrial nations had become more dependent than ever before on oil form the Persian Gulf. Worries were out that if Saddam conquered Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, he would control more than 80 percent of oil in the region. With that, he could cripple nations worldwide. <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"> the world responds. <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 255);">As a result, President Bush immediately dispatched American force to Saudi Arabia. He urged the Arab nations to join with other nations around the world to force Saddam out of Kuwait. In response to this, Saddam held hostages in Kuwait and Iraq. If U.S. or any other country bombed Iraq, he said, these people would die in the attacks.

Fugitives in a Desert Drama.
<span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 255);">Suddenly, hundreds of Americans living far from home faced an unpredictable and dangerous situation. Iraqi tanks rumbled through the streets of Kuwait City. Gunfires echoed ominously as the invaders looted Kuwaiti stores, businesses, and even hospitals, removing valuable goods and shipping them back to Iraq. Saddam Hussein allowed some foreigners to leave Kuwait, but only women and children. During this time, many Americans went into hiding rather than into custody. Other Kuwaitis paid a higher price. Many Kuwaitis who were caught helping U.S. were taken out of their homes and shot. Many Americans were looking for places to hide, because all buildings were getting searched. Most people hid in small places were no one would look. Nearly 4 months in hiding for most people.

War in the Persian Gulf.
<span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 255);">As hundreds of Americans waited to see if they could leave Kuwait and Iraq, they threat of war increased. President Bush convinced the United Nations Security Council to declare January 15, 1991 as a deadline for Iraq's removal from Kuwait. To prepare for and offensive strike, Bush sent 200,000 additional troops to the Middle East. in December, Hussein rejected a chance to negotiate but released most of the foreign hostages, including the Americans. As the prospect of war grew stronger, some members of Congress and a number of European nations, including France, and the Soviet Union, argued the United States should give the boycott against Iraq more time to work. As the deadline for Iraqi withdrawal from Kuwait passed, the U.S and other United Nations members, including Saudi Arabia and Britain launched an air attack on Iraq. They defeated Iraq in only six weeks. [: