U9 1980 - Present: Contemporary America

Flashcard deck · A.P. U.S. History · 1980 - Present - Contemporary America · History

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Flashcards covering Reagan, Reaganomics, supply-side economics, the Iran-Contra affair, Cold War, al-Qaeda, September 11, and culture wars in AP U.S. History.

Terms in this deck

Reagan, Ronald: 40th U.S. president whose 1980 election marked a conservative political shift, including tax cuts, deregulation, and Cold War buildup.
War on Terror: U.S. military and diplomatic campaign launched after 9/11 to combat terrorist organizations and state sponsors of terrorism worldwide.
service economy: Economic shift in which jobs in finance, technology, health care, and retail replace manufacturing as the primary source of employment.
September 11, 2001: Terrorist attacks on the United States by al-Qaeda that killed nearly 3,000 people and fundamentally redirected U.S. foreign policy.
Moral Majority: Conservative Christian political organization founded by Jerry Falwell in 1979 that mobilized evangelical voters to support Republican candidates.
Grenada invasion: 1983 U.S. military intervention in Grenada (Operation Urgent Fury) to remove a Marxist government; example of Reagan's anti-communist interventionism.
Soviet Union (USSR): Communist superpower and chief U.S. rival during the Cold War; its collapse in 1991 reshaped global politics.
Contract with America: 1994 Republican legislative agenda introduced by Newt Gingrich outlining conservative policy goals ahead of midterm elections.
social safety net: Government programs such as Medicaid and Medicare providing economic assistance to vulnerable citizens; debated by conservatives and liberals after 1980.
Medicaid: Federal-state health insurance program for low-income Americans; targeted by Reagan-era conservatives seeking to reduce government spending.
globalization: Increasing economic, cultural, and political interconnection among nations through trade, communication, and technology.
Falwell, Jerry: Baptist minister and founder of the Moral Majority who helped unite evangelical Christians with the Republican Party in the 1980s.
Medicare: Federal health insurance program for Americans 65 and older; central to debates about government's role in health care during Period 9.
deindustrialization: Decline of U.S. manufacturing industries as factories closed or moved overseas, shifting employment to service sectors.
Gingrich, Newt: Republican House Speaker who led the 1994 "Republican Revolution" and crafted the Contract with America.
War in Afghanistan: U.S.-led military conflict beginning in 2001 to dismantle al-Qaeda and remove the Taliban regime that harbored them.
collapse of the Soviet Union: Dissolution of the USSR in 1991, ending the Cold War and forcing the United States to redefine its global role.
Iran-Contra affair: Reagan administration scandal involving secret arms sales to Iran and illegal funding of Nicaraguan Contra rebels, undermining congressional authority.
supply-side economics: Economic theory holding that tax cuts for businesses and wealthy individuals stimulate growth that benefits all; foundation of Reagan's fiscal policy.
Cold War: Decades-long ideological and geopolitical rivalry between the United States and Soviet Union; its end is the focus of Topic 9.3.
deregulation: Government removal of regulations on industries, allowing freer market competition; a key Reagan domestic policy goal.
Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI): Reagan's proposed missile defense system, nicknamed "Star Wars," intended to intercept Soviet nuclear missiles; accelerated Cold War tensions and spending.
Reagan Doctrine: U.S. foreign policy under Reagan providing support to anti-communist resistance movements around the world.
al-Qaeda: Islamic extremist terrorist organization led by Osama bin Laden responsible for the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.
nuclear arms buildup: Reagan-era massive increase in U.S. nuclear and conventional weapons spending to pressure the Soviet Union.
conservatism: Political philosophy favoring traditional values, limited government, lower taxes, and free markets; dominant force in U.S. politics after 1980.
Gulf War (1991): U.S.-led coalition military operation that expelled Iraq from Kuwait; example of post-Cold War U.S. military interventions under KC-9.3.I.C.
Iraq War: U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 justified by claims of weapons of mass destruction; major example of post-9/11 interventionist foreign policy.
fall of the Berlin Wall: 1989 event symbolizing the collapse of communist regimes in Eastern Europe and a turning point in ending the Cold War.
Reaganomics: Reagan's economic program featuring tax cuts, deregulation, and reduced social spending, based on supply-side economic theory.
immigration: Movement of people from other countries to the United States; accelerated from Asia and Latin America after 1965 reforms, reshaping demographics.
Immigration Act of 1965: Law that abolished national-origin quotas, opening immigration to Asia and Latin America and reshaping U.S. demographics.
financial crisis of 2008: Collapse of U.S. housing and credit markets triggering a global recession; led to major government intervention and debates over financial regulation.
climate change debate: Political and scientific controversy over human-caused global warming and appropriate policy responses, intensifying in the late 20th century.
Clinton, Bill: 42nd U.S. president (1993–2001) who presided over economic expansion, welfare reform, NAFTA, and partisan impeachment proceedings.
immigration policy debates: Political disagreements over border enforcement, undocumented immigration, and pathways to citizenship, intensifying from the 1990s onward.
Latino/Hispanic population growth: Rapid increase in the U.S. Hispanic population due to immigration from Latin America, with major cultural and political consequences.
multiculturalism: Recognition and celebration of cultural diversity in American society; debated politically in relation to immigration and identity from the 1980s onward.
culture wars: Intense public conflicts over social values including gender roles, family structure, immigration, and diversity in late 20th- and early 21st-century America.
polarization: Growing ideological divide between Republicans and Democrats making political compromise increasingly difficult in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
environmental policy: Government regulations and laws aimed at protecting natural resources and public health; debated between conservatives and environmentalists after 1980.
Bush, George W.: 43rd U.S. president who launched the War on Terror after 9/11 and led invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.
internet: Global network of computers enabling instant communication and commerce; transformed American economic and social life after the 1990s.
AIDS crisis: Epidemic of HIV/AIDS beginning in the early 1980s that devastated communities and sparked political activism and public health debates.
Bush, George H. W.: 41st U.S. president (1989–1993) who oversaw the Cold War's end and led the Gulf War coalition but lost reelection amid economic concerns.
demographic shifts: Changes in the size, age, ethnic, and racial composition of the U.S. population with significant cultural and political consequences.
ACT-UP: AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power; militant advocacy group formed in 1987 demanding government action on the AIDS epidemic.
technology revolution: Rapid advances in computers, the internet, and digital communication that transformed the U.S. economy and society from the 1980s onward.
Tax Reform Act of 1986: Reagan-era law that simplified the tax code and reduced top marginal rates, reflecting supply-side economic philosophy.
free trade agreements: International treaties reducing tariffs and trade barriers; debated in the U.S. regarding job losses and economic benefits (e.g., NAFTA).
NAFTA: 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement eliminating most tariffs among the U.S., Canada, and Mexico; controversial for its effects on American manufacturing jobs.
tax cuts: Reductions in federal income and corporate tax rates; a central Reagan policy goal continued by later Republican administrations.
welfare reform: 1990s policy changes reducing federal entitlements and imposing work requirements on public assistance, reflecting conservative goals of limiting government.
Obama, Barack: 44th U.S. president, first African American in the office, whose administration addressed economic recession, health care reform, and troop withdrawals.
Affordable Care Act: 2010 health care law expanding insurance coverage; central to debates over government's role in health care and the social safety net.

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