Politics and Major Events of the 1990s

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Politics and Major Events of the 1990s
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Rise of Conservative Media

• In 1987, the Reagan Administration, in an effort
  to deregulate the communications industry, vetoed
  the reauthorization of the Fairness Doctrine.
  
• Since 1949, the Fairness Doctrine was used by the
  FCC to prevent the emergence of partisan press.
  
• Without the requirement for equal coverage for
  controversial subjects, AM stations created
  partisan programming.
  
• In 1988 Rush Limbaugh began his conservative talk
  show, which is currently airs on more than 600
  stations.

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Rise of Conservative Media

• The end of the Fairness Doctrine coincided with
  general dissatisfaction with the mainstream
  media.
  
• Many believed it was elitist and did not reflect
  their politics or values.
  
• Outlets such as FOX News, headed by former
  Republican communication consultant Roger Ailes,
  capitalized on this void.
  
• New stations offered plainspoken reporting and
  populist appeals to the middle class.

Roger Ailes
4
The Election of 1988

• The Election of 1988 pitted Vice President George
  H.W. Bush against Michael Dukakis.
  
• Bushs campaign presented itself as the inheritor
  of the Reagan legacy.
  
• Dukakis held an early lead, but the Bush campaign
  claimed that he was weak on defense and crime.
  
• Dukakis tried to counter this image by riding in
  a tank.
  
• This backfired when his helmet made him appear
  cartoonish.

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The Election of 1988

• This cartoon addresses each candidate's
  unwillingness to address the country's economic
  problems.

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The Election of 1988
On election night, Bush won decisively, meaning
four more years of Republican rule.
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The Exxon Valdez

• The Exxon Valdez spill in March 1989 was the
  largest ecological disaster in American history.
  
• The supertanker spilled 11 million gallons of oil
  that covered 470 miles of Alaska coast.
  
• Billions have been spent on the cleanup, but the
  damage in many places is irreparable.

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The Exxon Valdez
This image of an oil-covered duck illustrates the
impact of the disaster on wildlife. Over 50,000
birds, fish, and animals died.
This image shows lingering damage on a beach in
2003, 14 years after the spill.

9
Fall of the Berlin Wall

• After WWII, Berlin was divided between the 4
  occupying powers.
  
• The English, French, and American sections were
  combined to form West Berlin while the Soviet
  section became known as East Berlin.
  
• In 1961, the Soviets erected the Berlin Wall to
  separate their section from the remainder of the
  city.
  
• 246 people were killed by East German police
  while attempting to escape to the West.

10
Fall of the Berlin Wall

• In May 1989, Communist Hungary opened its border
  to Austria.
  
• Thousands of East Germans used this route to
  escape.
  
• Closing off access would have strained East
  German resources.
  
• The government opened the Wall in November 1989.
  
  
• Residents of Berlin poured on to the streets in a
  spontaneous celebration.
  
• The communist regime in East Germany soon fell.
• In October 1990, East and West Germany reunited.

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Iraq Invades Kuwait

• Iraq was nearly bankrupt after a war with Iran.
• Saddam Hussein saw his oil rich neighbor as the
  solution to his economic problems.
  
• In August 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait.
• Kuwait had virtually no military.
• Hussein then annexed Kuwait and threatened Saudi
  Arabia..
  
• Iraqi control of Saudi Arabia would allow Hussein
  to corner the world oil market.
  
• President George H.W. Bush announced that the
  invasion would not stand.

12
The Gulf War

• In November 1990, the U.N. authorized all means
  necessary to reverse the invasion.
  
• The war began in January 1991.
• After a month of intensive bombing, only a
  minimal ground assault was necessary to remove
  the Iraqis from Kuwait.
  
• After the war, President Bush said that the U.S.
  would support the overthrow Hussein.
  
• The Iraqi Shiites rose up but, when no American
  help materialized, they were crushed by Hussein.

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The Fall of the Soviet Union

• In August 1991, hard-liners in the Soviet
  government attempted a coup against the liberal
  rule of Gorbachev.
  
• Moscow Mayor Boris Yeltsin led a demonstration
  against the coup.
  
• The leaders of the conspiracy ordered soldiers
  and tanks into Moscow to arrest Yeltsin, but many
  soldiers switched sides.
  
• Gorbachev returned from house arrest overshadowed
  by Yeltsin.
  
• They negotiated a power sharing agreement, with
  Yeltsin assuming the presidency.
  
• In December 1991, with Yeltsin at the helm, the
  Soviet Union voted itself out of existence.

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Economic Troubles Recession of 1991

• Despite Bush's foreign success, he was dogged by
  economic troubles at home.
  
• By 1991, the American economy was in recession.
• Personal spending fell dramatically and
  unemployment rose.
  
• Bush was forced break his campaign pledge not to
  raise taxes.
  
• By 1992, domestic problems had eroded Bushs
  once unapproachable popularity.
  
• He was vulnerable in the upcoming election.

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The Los Angeles Riots 1992

• In 1991 Rodney King, a black motorist, was
  severely beaten by LAPD officers following a
  traffic stop.
  
• The incident was caught on tape.
• The officers were prosecuted acquitted in 1992.
• The verdict outraged the African American
  community.
  
• Lawless elements erupted into violence.
• For 3 South Central LA was wracked with rioting
• National Guard was deployed to restore calm.
• 55 people died, 2300 were injured, and 1100
  buildings were burned at a cost of over a billion
  dollars.

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The Election of 1992

• The Election of 1992 was a 3-way race between
  George H.W. Bush, Democrat Bill Clinton, and
  independent H. Ross Perot.
  
• Clintons candidacy was sunk while pursuing the
  Democratic nomination by a sex scandal.
  
• In the general election the presence of Perot, an
  eccentric Texas billionaire, split conservative
  vote and allowed Clinton a relatively easy
  victory

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Waco

• In February 1993, the FBI and ATF, acting on
  weapons violations and allegations of child
  abuse, raided the Branch Davidian cult compound
  in Waco, Texas to arrest leader David Koresh.
• The heavily armed Davidians fought off the
  agents, killing 4 and wounding 20.
  
• 51 day siege ensued. In April, agents again
  raided the compound.
  
• Koresh ordered his followers to burn the compound
  and commit suicide.
  
• Many believed that the initial raid was an
  infringement upon the religious liberty of the
  Branch Davidians.

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Health Care Reform, 1993-1994

• President Clintons major goal was reform of the
  healthcare system.
  
• Hillary Rodham Clinton to headed the Task Force
  on National Healthcare Reform.
  
• In September 1993, President Clinton presented
  the plan to guarantee coverage for all Americans
  to Congress.
  
• While the plan was popular with the public, its
  opponents were able to bog the legislation down.
  
• A year after proposal, Senate Majority Leader
  George Mitchell pronounced the bill dead.

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Republicans Take the House

• In 1994 Republicans took the majority House of
  Representatives for the 1st time in 40 years.
  
• Under Rep. Newt Gingrich, Republicans campaigned
  on the Contract with America.
  
• The Contract nationalized the campaign, turning
  the election into a referendum on Democratic
  leadership.
  
• Republicans gained 54 seats.
• By the end of 1995 most of the Contract died in
  the Senate or were vetoed.

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The Oklahoma City Bombing

• On 19 April 1995, the 2nd anniversary of the Waco
  raid, Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols bombed
  the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.
  
• McVeigh and Nichols were members of rightist
  fringe and white supremacy movements.
  
• 168 were killed.
• The bomb targeted ATF offices inside the
  building, but exploded near the facilitys day
  care, killing 19 children.

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The Election of 1996

• In the Election of 1996, President Clinton faced
  Republican Senator Robert Dole.
  
• Dole survived a bruising primary campaign while
  Clinton was able to focus his attention on the
  general election.
  
• Republican hopes were elevated by their control
  of the House and a minor Clinton fundraising
  scandal
  
• Clinton won a relatively easy reelection.

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Impeachment

• In August 1998, Clinton testified that he had not
  perjured himself in a sexual harassment case by
  denying a sexual relationship with former intern
  Monica Lewinsky.
• Clinton admitted on TV to having an improper
  relationship with Lewinsky.
  
• In December 1998, the House offered 4 articles of
  impeachment, 2 of which were accepted.
  
• The impeachment trial began in January 1999.
• Neither article garnered a majority.
• On his last day in office, Clinton agreed to
  surrender his law license and pay a 25,000 fine.
  

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