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=** Bush Comes To Office! **=

__**Section three:**__ For the Republicans, Vice president Bush was an obvious choice to succeed Ronald Reagan. For eight years, Bush had loyally supported the President. Bush's low profile encouraged Senator Robert Dole and television evangelist Pat Robertson to challenge him for the nomination. But Bush overcame his opposition. To the surprise of political observers, he chose as his running mate a largely unknown young conservative from Indiana, Senator J. Danforth. Bush brought a wide range of experience to the White House. As a pilot in WWII, he had one a medal for braver. After the war, he left his home stare of Connecticut to start a new successful oil business in Texas. In his inaugural address, Bush hinted that he would not simply follow old ideas and attitudes for the Reagan era. "A new breeze is blowing," he declared. During the 1988 campaign,George Bush had spoken out strongly on the need to control the spread of illegal drugs. As president, he appointed William Bennet to be special "drug czar". The President promised to chart a new course for the environment and education. In both areas, the Reagan administration. had cut back on government programs. In 1989, Bush called a conference of the nation's governors ot set nations goals for education When Bush became president all 17 military plants that had manufactured nuclear weapons were closed. A rash of savings bank failures put even more pressure on the nations finances. These savings and loan institutions, knows as S&Ls, had long financed mortgages, or loans, for Americans buying homes. Since the time of Franklin Roosevelt, the government had insured the deposits in S&Ls to encourage people to save money. The savings and loan crisis added to the growing deficit in the federal budget. To reduce it, congress and the president needed either to cut spending or raise more money. During the campaign of 1988. George Bush firmly pledged not to raise taxes. But the president and congress could not agree to cut spending. The new budget agreement had reduced the deficit more than any legislation during the Reagan years. But many Americans were dismayed by the wrangling in Washington. During the election campaign of 1990, members of the congress found voters in an angry mood. In 14 states, voters elected government from a different party from those who had been in office. In Texas they made a law that Burning the flag was a crime. The justices ruled that burning the flag in protest was a form of speech.
 * The Election of 1988**
 * The New President**
 * Drugs, education, and the environment**
 * The Savings and Loan Crisis**
 * Reducing the Deficit**
 * The election of 1990**
 * Flag and Supreme Court**



__**Section Four:**__ Since the end of the World War II, Soviet dominated governments had controlled the nations of Eastern Europe. Those in power brutally stifled dissent. In 1989 and 1990, however, the eastern bloc changed radically. One after another, communist governments collapsed. The first stirrings occurred in Poland. In 1981, the Polish government had outlawed Solidarity, and independent labor unions. However, the Solidarity movement and its founder, Lech Walesa, would not be silenced. George Bush took less militant approach toward affairs in Nicaragua than Ronald Reagan had. He did not continue to press for military aid to the contras. Instead, the Bush administration worked out a bipartisan agreement with Congress. Under its terms, the US would provide the contras with food, clothing and medical supplies. The of reform that swept communist Europe sent shock waves through China. In the spring of 1989, dissident Chinese students began to campaign for democratic reforms. The worldwide move toward democracy also seemed to spread to South Africa. During the early 1980s the South African government had continued to pursue the policy of apartheid, or separation of the races. Despite hopeful signs in other parts of the world, the Middle East remained a threat to world peace. After the Iran-Iraq war ended in 1988, Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein rebuilt his military. On August 2, 1990, his troops invaded neighboring Kuwait, one of the richest oil-producing nations in the Middle East. As Mills and hundreds of other Americas waited to see whether they would be allowed to leave Kuwait and Iraq, the threat of war increased. As it grew stronger, some members of Congress and a number of European nations, including France and the Soviet Union.
 * The End of the Cold War**
 * New Directions in Latin America**
 * Unrest in China**
 * A Policy Toward South Africa**
 * War Clouds in the Middle East**
 * War on the Persian Gulf**