1. 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. /

2. 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

3. 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”

5. 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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7. 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

9. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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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15. From http://www.cnn.com
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