Notes
The Reagan era
- Frustration with inflation and government fueled the New Right. Ronald Reagan (1980) promoted tax cuts, deregulation and a military buildup (Reaganomics).
- Inflation fell and growth returned, but deficits and the national debt grew. Supporters and critics still debate the results.
The end of the Cold War
- Reagan's pressure and Gorbachev's reforms (glasnost, perestroika) led to the INF Treaty (1987).
- The Berlin Wall fell (1989) and the Soviet Union dissolved (1991).
- The Iran-Contra affair raised questions about executive power.
A new world role
- The Persian Gulf War (1991) expelled Iraq from Kuwait. In the 1990s the U.S. intervened in Somalia, Bosnia and Kosovo, but not in Rwanda.
- Clinton: NAFTA, the 1994 Republican Congress, welfare reform, budget surpluses and impeachment with acquittal. The 2000 election was decided by Bush v. Gore.
Globalization and technology
- Trade, the internet and cell phones linked the world. Manufacturing jobs moved overseas while tech and service jobs grew.
- Immigration made the nation more diverse; the ADA (1990) protected people with disabilities.
September 11 and after
- Al-Qaeda's 9/11 attacks killed nearly 3,000 people. The U.S. invaded Afghanistan (2001) and Iraq (2003).
- The PATRIOT Act and Department of Homeland Security raised debates about security and liberty.
- Hurricane Katrina, the Great Recession and the election of Barack Obama (2008) marked the decade.
Topics in this unit
Each topic has its own short notes and practice.
Practice
Reagan argued that reducing government would free the economy to grow.
1985, 1987, 1989, 1991.
Without the Soviet rival, conflicts like the Gulf War, Somalia and the Balkans raised new questions.
Globalization moved some jobs abroad while new kinds of jobs grew at home.
Nixon resigned before an impeachment vote; Johnson (1868) and Clinton (1998) were impeached and acquitted.
The department combined many agencies focused on domestic security.
Free response
Write your answer first, then open the scoring guide.
Free-response question
From 1980 to the 2000s, the United States faced major changes at home and abroad.
(a) Describe TWO factors that contributed to the end of the Cold War.
Show the answer and scoring guide
The Soviet economy was weak and could not keep up with Reagan's military buildup. Gorbachev's reforms, glasnost and perestroika, allowed more openness, which helped peaceful revolutions spread through Eastern Europe in 1989.
Check off the points you earned:
(b) Explain ONE way globalization or new technology changed American life after 1990.
Show the answer and scoring guide
The internet changed how Americans communicated, shopped and worked. Email, websites and later smartphones made information instant, and many new jobs were created in the technology industry.
Check off the points you earned:
(c) Explain how the September 11 attacks changed U.S. policy, and describe ONE debate that resulted.
Show the answer and scoring guide
The U.S. declared a War on Terror, invaded Afghanistan to remove the Taliban and created the Department of Homeland Security. The PATRIOT Act expanded surveillance; supporters said it improved security, while critics said it threatened privacy and civil liberties.
Check off the points you earned: