American History Part 2: Unit 9, Lecture 4 Bush, Clinton, and the 90’s TYWL: Global interaction may be caused by conflict. / Forces of imperialism, nationalism, militarism and geo-political alliances, taken to the extreme, can lead to international conflicts. / Nationalism and the quest for power are often underlying causes for war. / Conflict occurs when compromise over land, national identity and colonial possessions is no longer an option between those in authority and those they serve. /

Question of the Day In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem. From time to time we’ve been tempted to believe that society has become too complex to be managed by self-rule, that government by an elite group is superior to government for, by, and of the people. Well, if no one among us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone else? All of us together, in and out of government, must bear the burden. The solutions we seek must be equitable, with no one group singled out to pay a higher price.… — President Ronald Reagan, Inaugural Address, January 20, 1981 The Reagan administration tried to deal with the situation described in this statement by limiting the role of the federal government increasing regulations on business reducing military defense expenditures expanding the power of federal employee unions

George H.W. Bush 1988, Reagan’s VP, George H.W. Bush elected President Builds on Reagan’s legacy Famously says “read my lips, no new taxes” only to later raise them Economic problems and government gridlock Begins NAFTA talks Promotes volunteerism with “Thousand points of light”

The Cold War Ends Cold War ends under Bush I Democracy movements throughout Europe Berlin Wall is torn down in November, 1989 President Mikhail Gorbachev initiates reforms in Soviet Union – perestroika, glasnost Collapse of Soviet Union, 1991

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Desert Storm 1990 – Saddam Hussein and Iraq invade neighboring country of Kuwait US leads international military coalition in Operation Desert Storm to liberate Kuwait US leaders Generals Colin Powell and Norman Schwarzkopf Rapid victory for US Bush approval rating soars, falls later due to recession

Clinton 1992, William J. Clinton, Arkansas Democrat, defeats Bush and 3rd Party Candidate Ross Perot First Baby Boomer President, “middle of the road” Democrat Increased taxes to reduce deficit spending 1st balanced budget in 30 years Gridlock with Republican Congress

Initiatives NAFTA signed into law opening free trade in North America – controversial Brady Bill passed- waiting period for handguns FMLA – Family Medical Leave Act National Healthcare debated, Child Tax Credits, Children’s healthcare Republicans dominate Congress – Contract with America

2nd Term Clinton re-elected in good economic climate Passage of Welfare reform Cleared in Whitewater Scandal over campaign contributions, but Impeached by Republicans in House over allegations of affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky Charged with perjury and obstruction of justice – partisan impeachment attempt fails Remainder of term mired in partisanship

Foreign Policy Military intervention in Somalia for humanitarian reasons, the Balkans to prevent ethnic cleansing, and Haiti to halt a military dictatorship Attempt to broker peace between Palestinians and Israelis fails Normalizes trade with China First President to visit Vietnam post war Leaves office with 65% approval rating

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From http://www.cnn.com From www.thekidswindow.co.uk From http://www.thetimes.co.uk From http://www.takemeback.to From http://www.archives.gov