The Political Rise of George H.W. Bush (1924-1989) | Full Documentary | American Experience PBS

The man behind a political dynasty. When George. H.W. Bush left the Oval Office in 1993, rejected after one tumultuous presidential term, his 30-year career in public service came to an abrupt and unexpected end. Despite soaring approval ratings following military victory in the Persian Gulf, his years as president after the war were marked by almost unrelieved decline. A sluggish economy and an earlier decision to raise taxes, despite an explicit campaign oath, led to his defeat. By the end of his term many observers dismissed him as an artifact of an irrelevant Cold War past. GEORGE H.W. BUSH reveals the 41st president as a pivotal player during a critical moment in U.S. and world history and in a powerful political dynasty, drawing upon unparalleled access to figures in George H.W. Bush’s private and public life, his personal letters, and interviews with his advisors and critics, including First Lady Barbara Bush, Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell, Mikhail Gorbachev, and more. PART ONE (1924-1989) follows George H.W. Bush from his childhood in Greenwich, CT, to his service in World War II, then on to the oil fields of West Texas where he became a leader of the Texas Republican party. The biography examines his role in the Watergate and Iran Contra Scandals, and his first months in the Oval Office during the fall of the Soviet Union. Watch PART TWO:    • The Tumultuous Presidency of George H.W. B...   Official Website: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexpe... | #ThePresidentsPBS © 2008 WGBH Educational Foundation 00:00 George H.W. Bush: America’s 41st President (Documentary Intro) 03:25 WWII Hero: The Youngest Pilot in the US Navy 07:28 George H.W. Bush Early Life & Childhood History 15:18 Meeting Barbara Bush: A Presidential Love Story 17:01 George H.W. Bush’s Texas Oil Career 23:45 Entering Politics: Building the Texas Republican Party 32:29 The 1964 Senate Race: Bush’s Rise to the Right 36:51 George H.W. Bush in Congress & The Civil Rights Movement 44:00 Bush’s 1970 Senate Defeat & Becoming UN Ambassador 52:19 RNC Chairman During Crisis: George H.W. Bush and the Watergate Scandal 58:46 Saving the CIA: George H.W. Bush as Director of Central Intelligence 01:05:53 Running Against Reagan: The Election of 1980 01:12:19 Bush’s Vice Presidency & The Iran-Contra Scandal Explained 01:16:07 “Read My Lips”: The 1988 Presidential Campaign & Victory 01:27:09 Ideological Housecleaning: The Bush White House Transition 01:32:36 Presiding Over the Fall of the Soviet Union (Cold War History) #GeorgeHWBush #GeorgeBush #History #Documentary #Presidents #Bush41 #GeorgeWBush #JebBush #RonaldReagan #CAVU #IranContra #SovietUnion #Gorbachev #BerlinWall This program is made possible by viewers like you. Support your local PBS station: https://www.pbs.org/donate Subscribe to the AMERICAN EXPERIENCE channel for more videos: https://www.youtube.com/c/AmericanExp... Enjoy full episodes of your favorite AMERICAN EXPERIENCE shows anytime, anywhere with the free PBS App: https://to.pbs.org/2QbtzhR FOLLOW AMERICAN EXPERIENCE Newsletter: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexpe... Facebook:   / americanexperiencepbs   Instagram:   / americanexperiencepbs   Threads: https://www.threads.net/@americanexpe...