Politician Jimmy Carter has made the career that every American dreams of. He went from a simple farmer to the White House, remained in US history, but did not deserve the great love of the population, could not hold the presidency. However, Carter played a role in world history, and his life path deserves interest.
Years of formation
Carter Jimmy was born into the family of a wealthy farmer, in the state of Georgia, on October 1, 1924. Nothing boded a brilliant political career, although the parents gave the child an excellent education: he studied at Southwestern State College and at Georgia University of Technology. But he did not plan to go into politics, but dreamed of becoming a military man. Therefore, he enters the US Naval Academy, hoping to achieve his dream. For 10 years, he successfully made a career in the navy, served in the nuclear submarine fleet, and became a senior officer.
But in 1953, family circumstances demanded his resignation from the army. His father died, and all the worries of managing the farm fell on Jimmy's shoulders. He was the only son, his sisters could not grow peanuts, and so Jimmy took control of the farm. His family had strict rules, his father professed Baptism and raised children in religious traditions. Jimmy inherited a certain conservatism from his father. But from his mother he was transmitted high social activity. She was engaged in social activities a lot and, even being already at an advanced age, did not leave her activities and worked, for example, in the peace corps in India.
Jimmy managed his farm so successfully that he soon became a millionaire and began to engage in social activities.
Way politician
In 1961, Carter Jimmy takes the political path, he becomes a member of the county council for education, then passes to the Senate of Georgia. In 1966, Carter put forward his candidacy for the position of governor of the state, but lost the race, however, did not recede from the intended goal and in four years took this peak. His election program was built on the elimination of racial discrimination, this idea was his guiding light in all elections in Georgia, it was organic to the character and views of the politician. Carter was a member of the Democratic Party and hoped that he would fall into the chair of the vice president during the administration of D. Ford, but he was left behind by Nelson Rockefeller. Then Jimmy has the idea of becoming president himself.
Election race
The situation in the United States has made people disappointed in the Republicans and the Democratic Party, including Carter, will have more chances in the struggle for the presidency. Carter made an incredible breakthrough, he quickly flew into the elite of American politics, for 9 months, having gone from an outsider to the race to its clear leader.
His election campaign took place immediately after the adoption of the law on state financing of all such events, this balanced the chances of the candidates and helped Carter. The Watergate scandal also played in his favor; after the Nixon fraud, the Americans no longer wanted to believe professional politicians who had discredited themselves. The Democratic Party took advantage of this by putting forward candidates from the people, which Carter was considered to be, for election. Support for Jimmy was provided by the leaders of the movement to protect the rights of the black population, this provided him with most of the votes. At the beginning of the race, Carter was ahead of D. Ford by about 30%, but in the end his advantage was always two percent. Nevertheless, a pronounced southern dialect interfered with him; in media coverage, he did not look as advantageous as his opponent. Carter did not have a good understanding with political elites, he was perceived as a political amateur, and this will interfere with him not only during the election, but also during the presidency.
No. 1 Man in America
On November 2, 1976, world news agencies reported: Jimmy Carter is the president of the United States. The campaign ended, but for Carter, difficult times were just coming. The US economy during this period was exhausted by the Vietnam War, as well as the brutal oil crisis, which was new to the country. New, radical measures were needed that would help restore the economy. The president had to fight high inflation, look for ways to restore economic growth, he makes an unpopular decision and raises taxes, which does not give the desired economic effect, but sets people up against government policy.
Gas and other goods are getting more expensive in the country; Carter Jimmy is looking for ways to overcome problems. In addition, he struggles not to resemble Nixon, the notorious president who resigned early. Carter refuses many of the benefits that the first person of the state owes: he does not want to ride a limousine on the day of his inauguration, he carries his bags, sells the presidential yacht. At first the population likes this, but later comes the realization that there is no content behind these actions, but only one formality.
To overcome the arrogance of political elites, Carter recruits young employees to the government who worked with him back in Georgia, the only mediator between the president and the state elite is Vice President Walter Mondale.
Jimmy Carter, whose domestic and foreign policies were inconsistent, sought to realize his best intentions, but he did not always succeed. He quickly became the object of ridicule and caricatures. For example, the story of a rabbit who allegedly attacked Carter while fishing turned into a satirical pamphlet illustrating the president’s weakness and indecision.
Loving president
Jimmy Carter's foreign policy was notable for protecting US interests, as well as a desire to reduce global tension. In his inaugural address, the president said that he would do everything he could to strengthen peace on the planet. But he did not succeed. Carter’s reign is marked by the fact that relations with the USSR have aggravated in the USA. He is making progress in agreements on limiting strategic weapons, but all this does not stop the Soviet government from introducing troops into Afghanistan. Carter responds with a boycott of the Olympic Games in Moscow. Relations are getting worse. Congress does not ratify the SALT-II treaty, and Carter’s peacefulness does not find real embodiment in the country's policy. It is under Carter that a doctrine appears that declares the right of the United States to protect its interests by any means, including military. In the end, he was forced to increase the cost of maintaining the country's defense capabilities, and this exacerbated the difficult financial situation of the United States.
The president manages to solve the problem of the Egyptian-Israeli conflict on the Sinai Peninsula, but problems with the Palestinians remained unresolved. He also reached an agreement on the sovereignty of the Panama Canal.
Carter's biggest foreign policy issue was the complication of relations with Iran. The United States stated that this region is a sphere of their interests that they are prepared to defend. During the reign of Carter, there is a revolution there, Ayatollah Khomeini declares the United States "the great Satan" and calls for the fight against this country. The conflict peaked when 60 employees of the US embassy were taken hostage in Tehran. This put an end to Carter’s hopes of becoming president for the second time. This acute conflict with Iran has not been completed to this day.
USA under Jimmy Carter
The country expected the new president to solve his problems. The severe energy crisis, the large state budget deficit, inflation - these were tasks that needed to be urgently addressed. Jimmy Carter, the president of the United States, who received the country in serious condition, tried to overcome US energy dependence, but Congress blocked the reform program. He was not able to curb the rise in prices within the country, and this caused serious discontent among the population.
Jimmy Carter’s domestic policy was inconsistent and weak, he had many good intentions, he planned to carry out a reform of the country's social security, wanted to lower the cost of medical care, but these projects also did not find support in Congress. The idea of radically transforming the bureaucratic apparatus was all the more unsuccessful and remained a project. Carter was unable to keep campaign promises to reduce inflation and reduce unemployment in the country due to the difficult economic situation. And Carter’s domestic policy turned out to be of little effect and only exacerbated the neglect of voters. The media accused Jimmy of helplessness and facelessness, they presented him with the claim that he could not answer most of the challenges of the time.
Attempt
President Jimmy Carter, like many of his White House colleagues, did not escape the attack. The media did not hear about this incident, as the security service was able to prevent shots. So, in 1979, during the president’s trip to California, in an address to the Latin American public, an armed attack was planned on the president. But in time, two members of the conspiracy were detained: Osvaldo Ortiz and Raymond Lee Harvey, who were supposed to make a noise using pistol blank cartridges so that other participants shot Carter with a rifle. The names of the conspirators immediately refer to the name of the murderer of John F. Kennedy and cause much doubt. Some journalists even accused the president of staging an attempt to entice voters to their side. The process did not receive publicity and judicial development, potential killers were released on bail. And all this became another drop in the patience of voters and political opponents of Carter.
Defeat
Carter’s entire presidential path is a path of mistakes, weaknesses and unsolved problems. Jimmy Carter’s policy was not strong, and so the defeat from Ronald Reagan was quite expected. The election headquarters of the latter very competently took advantage of the hostage situation in Iran, as well as all the miscalculations of the incumbent president. There is a version that George W. Bush, a member of the Reagan team, conspired with Iranian militants, persuading them to hold hostages until the election results are announced. One way or another, but the victory of Ronald Reagan was expected, and on January 20, 1981, Jimmy Carter resigned and five minutes later the terrorists in Iran released the hostages, who spent 444 days in captivity.
Life after the White House
The defeat in the elections was a big disappointment for Carter, but he found the strength to return to social activity. After completing his presidential career, Carter plunges into teaching, he became an emeritus professor at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, and has written several books. He later opens the Center for His Name, which deals with national and international issues of American politics.
Jimmy Carter, whose biography after the presidency returned to the mainstream of ordinary life, found himself in charitable and social activities. He is involved in resolving various conflicts, protecting human rights, justice and democracy, and preventing the spread of deadly diseases. This activity allowed Carter to realize his ideas about the correct world order, although of course he failed to solve all the problems. But among his achievements - a contribution to peace in Bosnia, Rwanda, Korea, Haiti, he was an active opponent of air strikes on Serbia. For his peacekeeping activities, 39 US President Jimmy Carter received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, this is the only time that a retired president receives such a significant prize. In addition, Carter was awarded the UNESCO Peace Prize and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. His efforts to combat the deadly disease of Africa, dracunculiasis, received worldwide recognition. In 2002, Carter became the first high-ranking American to violate the official blockade of Cuba, and visited the country with peaceful initiatives. He is a member of the Elders community of independent leaders organized by Nelson Mandela. This organization is engaged in resolving acute international conflicts, in particular, its members came to Moscow in search of a solution to the problems provoked by the annexation of Crimea to Russia. In 2009, a small airport in his hometown of Carter received his name.
Carter Jimmy became a champion among the presidents of the United States, who have resigned, in life expectancy after the White House. He is also one of the six former long-lived presidents who have reached the age of 90.
