1990s

A New World: Overly exuberant renewal led by Neoliberalism and the rise
of Technology
1990s-Key Points

 The official end of the Cold War (1946-1991)

with the dissolution of the U.S.S.R.
 A transition from Reagan and Bush
(Conservatism) to Clinton (Liberalism)
 An expansion of media (Internet, Cell Phones,
Wider use of computers)
George H.W. Bush (Elections)

Election of 1988 Election of 1992

Blue=Bush (53.37%), 426 EV Blue-Bush (37.05%), 168 EV
Red=Dukakis (45.65%), 111 EV Red-Clinton (43.01%), 370 EV
Perot- (18.91%)
George H.W. Bush (1989-1993)
 George H.W. Bush faced an enormously changing world. Changes included the end of the 40 year old Cold War
which caused the Communist empire to break up, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the rise of intense totalitarianism
in the Middle East.
 Under the Bush administration, the U.S.S.R. ceased to exist and reformist President Mikhail Gorbachev, whom
Bush had supported, resigned.
 While Bush heralded the march of democracy, he insisted on self-control in U. S. policy toward the group of new
nations. (Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, Central Asian Stans etc.)

 Bush sent American troops into Panama to overthrow the crooked regime of General Manuel Noriega, who was
threatening the security of the canal and the Americans living there. Noriega was brought to the United States for
trial as a drug trafficker. (1989-1990)

 When Iraqi President Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, Bush threatened to move troops into Saudi Arabia.
Vowing to free Kuwait, Bush rallied the United Nations, the American people, and Congress to send more than
425,000 American troops. 118,000 troops from allied nations such as Spain, the United Kingdom, and Saudi Arabia
also participated in what came to be known as Operation Desert Storm. Using more missiles than troops, the
coalition quickly routed Iraq’s million-man army. (1990-1991)

 Despite unprecedented recognition from his military and diplomatic triumphs, Bush was unable to withstand
disgruntlement at home. This disgruntlement resulted from a wavering economy, intensifying violence in inner
cities, and unremitting high deficit spending. In 1992 he lost his bid for reelection to Democrat William Jefferson
Clinton
1990
 Hubble Telescope launched
 Iraq invades Kuwait eventually leading to the Gulf War (1990-1991)
 Invasion of Panama leading to deposition of Noriega
 1.Safeguarding the lives of U.S. citizens in Panama. I
 n his statement, Bush asserted that Noriega had declared that a state of war existed
between the United States and Panama. Furthermore Bush maintained that Noriega
threatened the lives of the approximately 35,000 US citizens living within Panama’s
environs. A number of conflicts between US citizens and/or officials had previously
occurred.
 2.Protecting democracy and human rights in Panama.
 3.Fighting  against rampant drug trafficking. Panama had developed into an epicenter
for drug money laundering  Moreover, it functioned as a major exporter of illegal drugs
to both the United States and Europe.
 4. Defending the integrity of the Torrijos-Carter Treaties. Congress claimed that
Noriega threatened the impartiality of the Panama Canal and that the United States
had the right under the treaties to intervene militarily in order to defend the Panama
canal.
Operation Just Cause
1991

 Oakland Firestorm ($1.5 Billion in damages,

led to improved water cisterns and larger fire
hydrants)
 Cold War officially ends with dissolution of
Soviet Union (Gorbachev's laissez-faire attitude toward Eastern Europe
eventually included the Union itself. However, Bush criticized the January 1991 killings
in Latvia and Lithuania, warning that economic ties with the United States would be
frozen if the violence persisted. The death knell of the U.S.S.R. was the result of
a failed coup and an increasing number of Soviet republics, chiefly Russia, who
threatened to disaffiliate from the U.S.S.R. The Commonwealth of Independent States,
created on December 21, 1991, was formulated in order to "allow a civilized divorce"
between the Soviet Republics. The U.S.S.R. was declared officially dissolved on
Christmas Day 1991. 
Oakland Firestorm
1991 (Persian Gulf War)

 Persian Gulf War

 The initial conflict to banish Iraqi troops from
Kuwait began with an airborne
bombardment on 17 January 1991. This was
followed by a ground assault on 23 February.
This was a critical victory for the coalition
forces, who liberated Kuwait and advanced
into Iraqi territory. 
Persian Gulf War
Results of Persian Gulf War

 Imposition of sanctions against Iraq

 Removal of Iraqi invasion force from Kuwait
 Heavy Iraqi casualties and destruction of Iraqi
and Kuwaiti infrastructure
 Controversy over the use of Scud missiles
1992 (L.A. Riots)
 Los Angeles Riots (April 29, 1992, when a
jury acquitted four Los Angeles Police Department
officers accused in the videotaped beating of African-
American Rodney King following a high-speed pursuit.
Thousands of people in the Los Angeles area rioted
over the six days following the verdict. The riots
included widespread looting, assault, arson and murde
r. Property damages amounted to roughly US$1
billion. In sum, 53 people died during the riots and
thousands more were injured.)
L.A. Riots
L.A. Riots Impact and Fun Facts
 The Korean-American community in Los Angeles refers to the event as "Sa-I-Gu"
(literally 4-29, the first day the riots broke out). The riots prompted various
responses from the Korean-American community, including the configuration of
activist organizations such as the Association of Korean American Victims, and
increased efforts to build joint links with other ethnic groups.
 Almost as soon as the disturbances broke out in South Central Los Angeles, local
TV cameras were on the scene to record the events as they occurred. Television
coverage of the riots was continuous, much of which was the product of footage
from helicopter news crews. The extensive coverage provided a vivid and
comprehensive record of the violence occurring on the streets of L.A.
 Causes- effects of early 90s recession, ethnic flares, poverty, lack of employment
and opportunity
Recession of Early 1990s
 On Black Monday of October 1987 a stock collapse of unprecedented size lopped 22.6 percent off
the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The collapse was even larger than that of 1929. However, it was
handled well by the economy and the stock market began to quickly recover. On the other hand in North
America, the bumbling savings and loans industry was beginning to crumple, leading to a savings and
loan crisis. This ensuing crisis put the financial security of millions of Americans in jeopardy. (ex. Millen)
 A Savings and Loan is a financial institution in the United States that accepts savings deposits and makes
mortgage, car and other personal loans to individual members
 Causes- lack of net worth, end to nearly all inflation, widespread fraud within the system
1992 cont.
 27th Amendment-Amendment XXVII prohibits any
law that increases or decreases the salary of
members of the Congress from taking effect, until
the start of the next set of terms of office for
Representatives
 Election of William Clinton in 1992 Presidential
Race.
Evaluating the Bush Years
 Although he led the United States through the end of the
Cold War and garnered a great deal of military and diplomatic
success, Bush’s lack of insight during the Savings and Loans
crises, caused him to lose the 1992 Election. In addition the
influence of the L.A. Riots, rising racial tensions and the
continued use of deficit spending further faltered Bush’s
campaign. Moreover, Bush was perceived as out of touch with
the American public. He went from an enormously high
approval rating following the Gulf War only to be kicked out of
the White House. To many people, Bush seemed out of touch
with the economic plight that was occurring all over the
nation. (ex. Grocery Scanner Incident)
Election of 1992

 End of Reaganite Conservatism

 Election of first Democratic President since
1976
 Signal of shifting political ties from
Conservatism to Liberalism
 Potential Reason for Clinton victory- FRESH
FACE!
President William Clinton (1993-2001)
1993
 Branch Davidian siege in Waco, Texas (The Waco Siege began on
February 28, and ended violently 50 days later on April 19, 1993. The
siege began when the ATF attempted to execute a search warrant at
the Branch Davidian ranch at Mount Carmel. On Feb. 28th, shortly after
attempting to fulfill the warrant, an intense gun battle ensued. The battle
would last nearly 2 hours. The ATF's failure to execute the search warrant
led to a siege by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Seventy-six people
died in the fire, including more than 20 children, and two pregnant
women.
 The Davidians were rumored to possess large quantities of illegal
weapons and were rumored to participate in child abuse
 Class of 2011 is born!
 Oslo Accords
Waco Siege, 1993
1994
 Apartheid ends in South Africa with election of Nelson Mandela
 Civil war ensues in Rwanda between the majority Hutu’s and minority
Tutsi’s (Despite overwhelming evidence of genocide and knowledge as
to its executors, United States officials decided against taking a role in
confronting the slaughter in Rwanda.  US officials reserved themselves
to public statements, initiatives for a ceasefire, and attempts to contact
both the interim government perpetrating the killing and the RPF.   The
US did use its influence, however, at the United Nations, but did so to
discourage a robust UN response   In late July, however, with heavy
evidence of genocide in Rwanda, the US did launch considerable
operations to assist humanitarian relief efforts for those displaced by the
genocide.)
 Jimmy Carter gets North Korea to suspend its bomb program
 Hubble Telescope reveals existence of black holes
1994 cont.
 NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement is
signed between Mexico, Canada and the United States
 Northridge Earthquake kills 57 in California
 Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc.: The Supreme Court of
the United States rules that parodies of an original work
are generally covered by the doctrine of fair use

March 15 – U.S. troops are withdrawn from Somalia.

President Bill Clinton signs the Assault Weapons Ban,
which bans the manufacture of new weapons with certain
features for a period of 10 years.
NAFTA
1995

 The Oklahoma City Bombing by Terry Nichols

and Timothy McVey, where 168 people died
 Following the 1994 midterm elections
Republicans gain control of both the House
and Senate for the first time since 1955
Oklahoma City Bombing
1995 cont.

Dr. Bernard A. Harris, Jr. makes history as the



first black American to walk in space.


U.S. President William J. Clinton in a White
House memorandum calls for the elimination of
any program that "(a) creates a quota; (b)
creates preferences for unqualified individuals;
(c) creates reverse discrimination; or (d)
continues even after its equal opportunity
purposes have been achieved."
1995 cont.


For the first time in history a gas giant outside
our solar system has been found. Scientists
looked at the star Pegasi-51 using giant
telescopes on the ground and discovered the
star wobbled, meaning it has planets.

In Dayton, Ohio, a peace treaty was signed
between Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina and
Serbia & Montenegro; the wars of the
Yugoslavian sucession ended formally.
Ratko Mladic and Srebrenica

 Largest mass killing in Europe since WWII

(8000)
1995 cont.
 In one of their first acts as a majority in both houses of
the U.S. Congress, republicans craft a balanced
budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution that
would end the practice of deficit spending. The House
passes it 300-132. House democrats vote against it 72-
129, but House republicans overwhelmingly vote for it
228-2. It fails in the Senate by one vote, 66-34, as a 2/3
majority is needed for passage. All Senate republicans
vote for it 55-0. Only 11 democrats vote for it. Senator
John Kerry votes against it.
1995 cont.


In August 24, Microsoft released the Windows 95.

Bill Clinton Confirms Area 51 exists.

Yahoo! is founded in Santa Clara, California.

Mississippi ratifies the Thirteenth Amendment,
becoming the last state to approve the abolition of
slave.

The U.S. House of Representatives votes 246–188
to cut taxes for individuals and corporations.
Windows 95
1996


US Military barracks destroyed in Saudi Arabia
as a truck bomb exploded outside the barracks,
kill 19.

Flight 800 from New York crashes in July 18th.


The Oakland, California School board elects to
recognize Black English, termed Ebonics as a
separate language.
Flight 800
1996 cont.
 Scientists at NASA released a study describing possible microbe
fossils found on a meteorite which was strewn from the planet
Mars. This event marked the first scientific evidence for the
possibility of extraterrestrial life.

The Nintendo 64 was released.

Dolly was first created by cloning adult sheep cells

A beauty pageant contestant who was found murdered in the
basement of her parents' home in Boulder, Colorado, United States,
eight hours after being reported missing. The case drew national
attention in the United States when no suspect was charged and
suspicions turned to possible family involvement. The tantalizing
clues of the case inspired numerous books and articles that attempt
to solve the mystery.
Nintendo 64
Clinton’s First Term (1993-1997)

 After failing on health care reform and losing

Democratic majorities in Congress, Clinton
enacted welfare reform and a balanced
budget. This successfully redefined him as a
moderate, paving the way for his re-election.
Election of 1996

Blue- Clinton, 379 EV

Red- Dole, 159 EV
1996 cont.
 Whitewater scandal: U.S. First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton testifies
before a grand jury. (Real-estate scandal involving the Clinton’s)

President Bill Clinton signs the Line Item Veto Act of 1996, granting the


U.S. president line-item veto power. The Supreme Court of the United
States later finds this law unconstitutional

Romer v. Evans: The Supreme Court of the United States rules against
a law that prevents any city, town or county in the state of Colorado
from taking any legislative, executive, or judicial action to protect the
rights of homosexuals.

As Iraq continues to refuse inspectors access to a number of sites, the
U.S. fails in its attempt to build support for military action against Iraq
in the UN Security Council.
1996 cont.

In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a panel of federal
judges blocks a law against indecency on the
internet.

The child protection portion of the Communications
Decency Act (1996) is struck down as too broad by a
U.S. federal court

Bill Clinton signs welfare reform into law.

U.S. President Bill Clinton signs the Comprehensive
Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty at the United Nations.
1997
 Computer processer Pentium MMX introduced by Intel.
  U.S. President Bill Clinton is inaugurated for his second term.
  Madeleine Albright becomes the first female Secretary of State, after
confirmation by the United States Senate
  The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above 7,000 for the first time
closing at 7,022.44.
  In Roslin, Scotland, scientists announce that an adult sheep named
Dolly had been successfully cloned.
 U.S. President Bill Clinton bars federal funding for any research on
human cloning.
  Timothy McVeigh is convicted on 15 counts of murder and conspiracy
for his role in the 1995 terrorist bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal
Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
   .
Dolly
1998
 
 Ramzi Yousef is sentenced to life in prison for planning the first World Trade
Center bombing.
 Lewinsky scandal: On American television, President Bill Clinton denies he
had "sexual relations" with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky
 United States v. Microsoft: The United States Department of Justice and 20
U.S. states file an antitrust case against Microsoft
 1998 U.S. embassy bombings: The United States military launches cruise
missile attacks against alleged Al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan and a
suspected chemical plant in Sudan in retaliation for the August 7 bombings
of American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. 224 Americans were killed in
the bombings. The al-Shifa pharmaceutical factory in Khartoum is destroyed
in the attack.
 Google, Inc. is founded in Menlo Park, California, by Larry Page and Sergey
Brin.
Dar-es-Salaam Embassy Bombing, 1998
1999
 In one of the largest drug busts in American history, the United States
Coast Guard intercepts a ship with over 9,500 pounds (4.3 tons) of cocaine
aboard, headed for Houston, Texas
 Microsoft releases Windows 98 (Second Edition) (from 1998).
 Apple Computer releases the first iBook, the first Laptop designed
specifically for average consumers.
 NASA intentionally crashes the Lunar Prospector spacecraft into the
Moon, thus ending its mission to detect frozen water on the lunar surface
 The ExxonMobil Corporation merger is completed, forming the largest
company in the world.
 The U.S. turns over complete administration of the Panama Canal to the
Panamanian Government, as stipulated in the Torrijos-Carter Treaty of
1977.
 Bill Clinton is acquitted in an impeachment trial by the U.S. Senate
Clinton Impeached!
Regents Questions…
 One important conclusion that can be drawn as a result of
the United States experience in both the Spanish-American
War (1898) and the Persian Gulf War (1991) is that
1. only the President should decide issues of war and peace
 2. the media are a powerful influence in shaping American
public opinion toward war
 3. the public has little confidence in the ability of the
American military
 4. international organizations play a decisive role in
determining the outcome of a war
Regents Questions

 For the United States, the breakup of the

Soviet Union has had the greatest effect on
1. import quotas
 2. immigration policies
 3. advances in technology
 4. defense spending
Regents Questions

 One direct result of the Persian Gulf War was

that the United States
1. gained control of oil resources in the
Middle East
 2. liberated Kuwait from Iraqi control
 3. brought about peaceful relations between
Israel and its neighbors
 4. obtained overseas colonies in the Middle
East
Regents Questions

 The growth of modern technology has

resulted in
1. a decrease in the population of the world
 2. increasing interdependence among
nations
 3. a growing need for unskilled labor
 4. a sharp decline in the need for oil and coal
Regents

 In the United States in the 1990’s, cuts in defense

spending have been proposed because
1. Japan has assumed the peacekeeping
responsibilities of the United Nations
 2. military technology has become less expensive
 3. the United States has returned to an
isolationist foreign policy
 4. communist governments in Eastern Europe
and the former Soviet Union have collapsed
Regents

 The main reason that the United States sent

troops to Bosnia in 1995 was to try to
1. bring a peaceful end to a civil war
 2. contain the spread of communism
 3. take over the area as a protectorate
 4. resettle refugees in North America
Regents
 One similarity between the Korean War and the
Persian Gulf War is that in each conflict the
United States
 1. attempted to limit traffic through the Suez Canal
 2. sentiment of the American public turned against
the conflict
 3. United Nations took action to halt the aggression
 4. dictators of North Korea and Iraq were removed
from office
Regents

 This 1991 cartoon is criticizing President

George Bush for
 
 1. refusing to support the United Nations
 2. involving the United States in foreign wars
 3. using foreign affairs to hide domestic
failures
 4. ignoring the economic needs of developing
nations
Regents

 According to the cartoon, how was the United

States in the 1990s similar to the United States
in the 1890s?
 
 1. Little need existed for government regulation
 2. Investment in the stock market decreased
 3.The price of petroleum products decreased
 4. Business consolidation was accepted practice
Regents

 The beginning of the collapse of communism

in Eastern Europe is most closely associated
with the
1. fall of the Berlin Wall
 2. admission of Warsaw Pact nations to the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
 3. intervention of the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO) in Yugoslavia
 4. formation of the European Union
Regents

 Support for the North American Free Trade

Agreement (NAFTA) reflected the United
States commitment to
1. globalization
 2. Manifest Destiny
 3. collective security
 4. isolationism
Regents

 President Bill Clinton supported the North

American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
primarily as a way to
1. normalize trade relations with Cuba
 2. stimulate economic growth in the United
States
 3. restrict the flow of drugs into the United
States
 4. increase the United States trade deficit