LESSON 9 Decade of

1980 1989 Lesson 9 LESSON 9 Decade of 1980 1989 LESSON ASSIGNMENTS You are encouraged to be very attentive while viewing the video program. Review the video objectives and be prepared to record possible answers, in abbreviated form, as you view the video. The topics and time periods may differ from the chapters of the textbook your school system is using. Each video program chronicles a wide array of events and personalities during a specific decade of the 20th century. Keep in mind that one of the overarching goals of each lesson is to help you understand how past historical events and actions by historical personalities did not occur in a vacuum, and that they are inextricably interwoven in your society today. Video: The Decade of 1980 1989 from the series, The Remarkable 20th Century. Activities: Your teacher may assign one or more activities for each lesson. OVERVIEW The 1980s was the decade of the me generation of status seekers. Watchwords such as If you ve got it, flaunt it and You can have it all! defined the decade. Tom Wolfe dubbed the baby boomers as the splurge generation. Binge buying and credit were a way of life in the United States. Shop Til you Drop was the motto for the decade. Mega mergers spawned a new breed of billionaires and the meteoric rise of the rich and famous. Forbes list of the 400 richest people was the Holy Grail. A 1980 study by UCLA and the American Council on Education indicated that college freshmen were more interested in status, power, and money than any time during the past fifteen years. Business management was the most popular major. The spendthrift 80s also saw the rise of AIDS. The sexual revolution encountered a major adversary. Rock Hudson, the popular movie star, died of AIDS in 1985. The most frequent American victims were gay men or intravenous drug users; although, infected blood transfusions claimed many, including tennis star Arthur Ashe. Geraldine Ferraro was the first woman presidential candidate and Jesse Jackson was the first black candidate. Jimmy Carter was out and Ronald Reagan was in. Nancy Reagan said just say no to drugs and newly elected President Bush called for a kinder, gentler nation. On June 1, 1989, Cable News Network (CNN) gave television viewers their first chance to watch news coverage twenty-four hours a day. Fourteen months later, Music Television (MTV) joined CNN as a round-the-clock programming of music 77

Lesson 9 1980 1989 videos. Cable television exposed the population to vast quantities of information that was easily available. It was also a reminder of the powerful connection between the United States and the rest of the world. The world community was also undergoing dramatic changes. The Berlin Wall fell in 1989 and the Cold War was beginning to thaw. Shades of Watergate appeared with the Iran-Contra affair. Cable television enabled the world community to view international events instantaneously in living color. LESSON GOALS To reflect on the implications of a me mentality. To ascertain the repercussions of AIDS, materialism, and CNN cable television. VIDEO OBJECTIVES The following objectives are designed to assist the viewer in identifying the most significant aspects of the video segment of this lesson. You should take succinct notes while viewing the video. Video: The Decade of 1980 1989 1. Analyze President Reagan s political philosophy with reference to domestic issues. 2. Assess the impact of the following on the world community: AIDS cable television and computers firsts for women materialism 3. Evaluate the ramifications of the following on the Cold War: Tiananmen Square solidarity glasnost and perestroika Iran-Contra affair Berlin Wall Star Wars 78

1980 1989 Lesson 9 TIME CODES Time Code Year Topic Description 00:00 Opening Opening 00:30 1980 Overview Howard K. Smith intros the decade 02:15 Title Episode IX: 1980s 02:19 1980 World Politics War in Afghanistan; Iran Hostages: US commando mission fails, Iran/Iraq War 03:46 1980 Natural Phenomena Mount St. Helens erupts 04:10 1980 World Politics Carter boycotts Olympics /Entertainment 04:44 1980 US Politics Reagan beats Carter 06:40 1980 World Politics Solidarity in Poland & Lech Walesa 07:18 1980 Social Issues John Lennon is killed /Entertainment 07:34 1981 US Politics /World Politics Reagan inaugurated & Iran hostages freed 08:16 1981 US Politics Reagan shot 08:43 1981 World Politics Assassination attempt on Pope; Sadat is killed 09:35 1981 Discoveries & Technology Columbia Space Shuttle 10:52 1982 World Politics Prince Charles & Diana wed 11:52 1982 Entertainment Movies: Chariots of Fire, On Golden Pond; TV: "Dallas" 13:25 1981 US Politics Sandra Day O Connor first woman Supreme Court Justice 13:45 1981/82 World Politics Soviets ban Solidarity in Poland; Falkland Islands War; Prince William born in Britain 16:37 1982 Entertainment Theater: Andrew Lloyd Weber & "Cats"; Movies: E.T., Gandhi 17:54 1982/83 World Politics War in Lebanon: Marine headquarters blown up 20:15 1983 US Politics "Star Wars" defense program 20:58 1983 Discoveries & Technology Challenger & Sally K. Ride 21:30 1983 World Politics Thatcher re-elected; first free Argentina election; Invasion of Grenada 23:35 1984 Social Issues /Economy Yuppies 24:00 1984 Transportation Imported cars are top sellers 24:29 1984 US Politics Geraldine Ferraro first woman nominated as VP, but Reagan wins 25:15 1984 Entertainment Music: Michael Jackson & "Thriller"; break dancing & rap; Prince, Madonna 26:53 1984 World Politics Indira Gandhi assassinated; Desmond Tutu awarded Nobel Peace Prize; Apartheid in South Africa & Nelson Mandela 28:50 1984 Overview Howard K. Smith segues between 1st and 2nd half of 1980 decade: Hi Tech laptop computers; CDs replace vinyl records 29:30 1985 World Politics Gorbachev in Soviet Union 30:27 1985 Discoveries & Technology Titanic remains found 30:45 1985 Social Issues/ Entertainment Rock Hudson & AIDS/HIV; Famine in Ethiopia & Live Aid 79

Lesson 9 1980 1989 Time Code Year Topic Description 33:55 1985 Entertainment Sports: baseball & Pete Rose 34:24 1985 World Politics Reagan & Gorbachev meet in Geneva; PLO attack on Rome airport 35:02 1986 US Politics Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 35:27 1986 Discoveries & Technology Challenger explodes 36:57 1986 World Politics Corazon Aquino in Philippines 37:31 1986 Entertainment Movies: Platoon; TV: "The Cosby Show" 38:05 1986 Discoveries & Halley s Comet & Soviets Technology/ Natural Phenomena 38:32 1986 World Politics Chernobyl Meltdown 39:02 1987 World Politics Oliver North & Iran Contra; Thatcher re-elected 41:42 1987 Economy Stock market plummets 42:10 1987 Entertainment Movies: The Last Emperor 43:06 1987/88 World Politics Reagan & Gorbachev sign INF Treaty; Perestroika; Reagan goes to Moscow; End of Afghanistan War & Iran/Iraq War; Benazir Bhutto first woman Prime Minister of Pakistan 46:38 1988 Discoveries & Technology B2 Stealth Bomber 47:04 1988 US Politics Bush beats Dukakis 47:55 1989 World Politics Free Elections in Soviet Union & Poland; Tiananmen Square Massacre; Democratic Reform in Hungary; Czechoslovakia & Vaclav Havel; Berlin Wall knocked down; Invasion of Panama Capture of Noriega; Romanian Communism ends 52:43 1989 Overview Howard K. Smith talks about computers impact on fall of Soviet Union 54:16 Closing Closing Credits WEB ACTIVITIES These activities are not required unless your teacher assigns them. They are offered as suggestions to help you learn more about the material presented in this lesson. Activity 1 AIDS Access the following Web sites for background information: NOVA Surviving AIDS http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/transcripts/2603aids.html NOVA Teachers Guide http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/teachersguide/aids/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/index.htm 80

1980 1989 Lesson 9 Access the two maps at the following Web sites: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/aids/perspf.html http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/aids/perspective.html Answer the following questions: 1. How does the information provided by the two maps differ? 2. What are the three main ways HIV/AIDS is transmitted by adults? 3. What are the two main ways HIV/AIDS is spread in Africa? 4. What are the three main ways HIV/AIDS is spread in North America? 5. How many people in the world have been infected with HIV that causes AIDS? How many have died of the disease? 6. What percent of the HIV-infected people now live in the developing world? 7. In what decades did the AIDS epidemic begin in North America? Access the AIDS in Perspective chart at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/aids/ perspg.html and answer the following questions: 1. What continent has the greatest number of adults and children living with HIV/AIDS? 2. What percent of HIV-positive adults are women in North America? 3. What are the main modes of transmission for adults living with HIV/AIDS in Western Europe? Access three or more of the links indicated on the following Web site: http:// www.cdc.gov/hiv/index.htm and do one of the following activities: 1. Compare international statistics on HIV and AIDS cases with U.S. statistics. 2. Explain the role culture may play in HIV transmission and mortality. 3. Compare and contrast public health policy worldwide. Activity 2 Tiananmen Square, 1989 Access the following Web sites for background information: Tiananmen Square: The Declassified History http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/nsaebb/nsaebb16/documents/index.html China, Free Enterprise, and Tiananmen Square http://www.fsmitha.com/h2/ch31.htm China and the U.S. from Hostility to Engagement, 1960 1998 http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/nsa/publications/china-us/ Access Tiananmen Square, 1989 The Declassified History at http://www.gwu.edu/ ~nsarchiv/nsaebb/nsaebb16/documents/index.html. 81

Lesson 9 1980 1989 Then access the summary of and actual text for document 9, Secretary of State s Morning Summary for June 3, 1989 at http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/ NSAEBB/NSAEBB16/documents/09-01.htm. Answer the following questions: 1. Why was part of the text missing? 2. What was the main message of the summary? 3. For whom was the message prepared? 4. Were there any examples of the author s bias? Access one of the other 35 documents found at the following Web site, http:// www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/nsaebb/nsaebb16/documents/index.html and use the National Archives Written Document Analysis Worksheet located at http:// www.nara.gov/education/teaching/analysis/write.html as a guide to analyze the document you choose. PRACTICE TEST After watching the video and reviewing the objectives, you should be able to complete the following Practice Test. When you have completed the Practice Test, turn to the Answer Key to score your answers. Multiple-choice Select the single best answer. If more than one answer is required, it will be so indicated. 1. Ronald Reagan s major goal as president was to: A. slash military spending. B. expand federally funded social programs. C. reduce the size of the federal government. D. increase the federal budget. 2. Solidarity was: A. the nickname for southern Democrats who supported Reagan. B. a massive working class labor union of Polish dissidents. C. the mutual pledge by the United States and European nations to resist any Soviet efforts to divide their alliance. D. the slogan of the Moral Majority. 82

1980 1989 Lesson 9 3. The first woman to receive the vice-president nomination of a major political party was: A. Elizabeth Dole. B. Sandra Day O Connor. C. Jeanne Kirkpatrick. D. Geraldine Ferraro. 4. For the Soviet Union s new policies of glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) to work, it was essential that the: A. Soviets keep control of Eastern Europe. B. Cold War end. C. Middle East oil fields be controlled by Soviet allies. D. United States send aid to Russia. 5. The first woman appointed to the United States Supreme Court was: A. Elizabeth Dole. B. Sandra Day O Connor. C. Jeanne Kirkpatrick. D. Geraldine Ferraro. 6. Which of the following is an inaccurate statement about AIDS: A. African nations suffered some of the largest numbers of death due to AIDS. B. film star Rock Hudson died of complications of AIDS. C. the most frequent victims of AIDS in the United States were gay men. D. AIDS cannot be contacted through blood transfusions. 7. President Reagan s new Star Wars program altered the decades-long trend of thinking about nuclear weapons because it: A. called for a preemptive first strike when nuclear war seemed likely. B. proposed massive retaliation against Soviet cities in the event of nuclear war. C. emphasized defense against a nuclear attack as the most effective form of nuclear capability. D. effectively reduced the costs of the nuclear arms race. 83

Lesson 9 1980 1989 Essay/Problem Questions 8. What do you think were the three most important world events during the 1980s? Assess America s public reaction and presidential leadership in relation to these events. 9. What do you think were the two most significant American domestic issues in the 1980s? Do you agree or disagree with the presidential leadership exhibited with reference to these issues? Why or why not? ANSWER KEY Multiple Choice Essay/Problem Questions 1. C Ref. V 1 8. Ref. V 1; 2; 3 2. B Ref. V 3 9. Ref. V 1 3. D Ref. V 2 4. B Ref. V 3 5. B Ref. V 2 6. D Ref. V 2 7. C Ref. V 3 84