George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton

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George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton

• The End of the Cold War
• Presidential Elections of 1988
• Bush and Domestic Affairs
• The Gulf War
• Election of 1992
• Clinton and Domestic Affairs
• Clinton and Foreign Affairs
• Society and Culture in the 1990s

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The End of the Cold War

• Soviet Union economic problems, disillusionment
  among people
  
• Gorbachev glasnost and perestroika, friends with
  Reagan
  
• 1988 US and SU sign treaty eliminating
  intermediate-range nuclear forces (INF) from
  Europe
  
• 1989 every Soviet government in Europe
  overthrown
  
• 1989 Berlin Wall torn down

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The fall of the Berlin Wall
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The End of the Cold War

• China anti-communism met with violence,
  Tiananmen Square in Beijing

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The End of the Cold War

• South Africa apartheid broken down
• 1991 Soviet Union begins to implode, Gorbachev
  resigns, Communist Party disappears

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Presidential Elections of 1988

• 1986 Iran-Contra scandal and Savings Loans
  scandal help Democrats regain control of the
  Senate
  
• PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OF 1988

Democrat Michael Dukakis v. Republican George
H.W. Bush
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Presidential Elections of 1988

• Bush behind in polls until Republican Convention,
  when Bush launches attack campaign on Dukakis
  
• Bush wins presidency, but Democrats get majority
  in both houses of Congress
  
• Read my lips No New Taxes ? Soon becomes,
  Sorry, well have to implement taxes

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Bush and Domestic Issues

• Bush and Congress come up with plan to save
  Savings Loans industry
  
• 1990 Bush agrees to tax hike in order to reduce
  federal deficit
  
• Civil Rights bill to fight job discrimination
• Early 1990s Recession
• Many bankruptcies because of 1980s way of life
• Fear and frustration grow among middle- and
  working-class Americans

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The Gulf War

• Solution to the end of the Cold War shift focus
  from anticommunism to protecting American
  interests around the world
  
• August 2, 1990 Iraqi forces invade Kuwait,,
  Saddam Hussein announces he will annex Kuwait
  
• Bush, et al, begin trade embargo on Iraq and
  deploy military forces (425,000 US troops)
  
• Deadline of 1/15/91 for Iraq to leave Kuwait
  they dont leave we begin 6 week attack on
  Iraqis in Kuwait and then switch focus to Iraq
  itself
• Brief war over in February Under 200 fatalities

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Bush gears up for re-election

• Gulf War boosts Bushs popularity, but not enough
  to guide him back into presidency
  
• Bill Clinton becomes Democratic nominee
• Pat Buchanan challenges Bush, but Bush wins
  Republican nomination
  
• Ross Perot runs as a third-party candidate
  businessman, not a politician

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Bill Clinton (D) v. George H.W. Bush (R) v. Ross
Perot (I)
Bill Clinton wins the presidency
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Clinton and Domestic Policy

• Increased federal funding for Head Start, ups
  child care supports and Earned Income Tax
  Credits, grows AmeriCorps
  
• Weak Democratic majority in Congress makes it
  difficult for him to do more
  
• Clinton tries to end ban on gay men and women in
  the military
  
• Whitewater affair shady real estate deal in 80s

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Clinton and Domestic Policy

• Wins approval of budget that increases tax on
  wealthy, tries to help lift families out of
  poverty
  
• Wins approval of North American Free Trade
  Agreement (NAFTA) no more trade barriers between
  US, Mexico and Canada
  
• Health Care cant get it passed

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Clinton and Foreign Affairs

• Inexperienced in foreign affairs, didnt seem
  like much was going on in International Politics
  
• Bosnia civil war between Muslims and Serbian
  Christians
  
• UN sends peacekeeping mission, but unsuccessful
• Clinton launches aerial attack on Bosnian Serbs
• Clinton sends Richard Holbrooke to forge peace,
  he negotiates cease fire in 1995 and more
  permanent peace
  
• Critics charge Clinton with not doing much and
  even, perhaps, sowing seeds of future problems

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Clinton and Foreign Affairs

• Afghanistan
• US had trained bin Laden and al Qaeda in 1980s to
  oust Soviets
  
• By late 1980s, bin Laden and al Qaeda turn on
  western world and US
  
• 1993 bin Laden orchestrates attack on World
  Trade Center

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Bombing of World Trade Center, 1993
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Clinton and Foreign Affairs

• Afghanistan
• 1996 helps Taliban fight off Northern Alliance
• White House warns Taliban, begins military
  program against them, but just long-range bombing
  that is largely ineffective
  
• But, does Clinton have any other option?

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Society and Culture in the 1990s

• 1994 Republicans able to capture Congress
• Newt Gingrichs Contract with America changes
  in federal spending, balanced budget, tax
  reductions
  
• Clinton shifts agenda to center
• Contract, when actually implemented, unpleasant
  to many Americans and Gingrichs downfall comes
  as a result
  

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Society and Culture in the 1990s

• Television The Ellen DeGeneres Show features a
  lesbian actress portraying a lesbian character
  90210 talks about teenage sex, drug addiction,
  alcoholism NYPD Blue shows graphic violence
• Radio Gangsta Rap gains popularity and glorifies
  gangster life

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Society and Culture in the 1990s

• Politics Monica Lewinsky scandal shocks the
  nation

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Society and Culture in the 1990s

• Americans believe mass culture responsible for
  new generation of bad kids and in increasing
  social problems like divorce, violence, teen
  pregnancy, etc.
• School shootings seem to support this
• The rest is history in the writing or history in
  the making
  
• How you can shape your history? VOTE!