US HISTORY – 1990-Present

Post-Cold War Era

Post-Cold War, nations wanted their independence and adopted more western-style democracies. USSR leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, helped reform (called “glasnost”) and restructure (called “perestroika”) their economy and communist party. Poland elected non-communists in 1989, Germany tore down the Berlin Wall, Russia became independent, and the USSR ceased to exist in 1991. The U.S. and Russia were declared no longer enemies. At this point, the U.S. became the world’s only superpower.
Because of the U.S. having its superpower status, they became more involved in world affairs. The U.S. invaded Kuwait in the Persian Gulf War (1990) and fought against Iraq and Saddam Hussein. They led a UN coalition of 28 nations. The U.S. bombed Iraq using newer military technology (e.g. Tomahawk missiles, M1A1 tanks, GPS, stealth fighters and drones).
Next was the Balkans Crisis (1991-1999). In Yugoslavia, ethnic hatreds led to civil wars in Croatia, Bosnia, Kosovo and Slovenia. Genocide, massacres, and war rape by Serbs led the U.S. to NATO bomb them and then send in peacekeeping troops. Yugoslavia eventually broke up.
On September 11, 2001, al Qaeda terrorists crashed hijacked commuter planes into the World Trade Center towers in New York and the Pentagon in Washington DC. The attack was led by Osama Bin Laden. 3,000 people were killed and it showed that the U.S. was vulnerable to terrorism on its own soil and also a target of hatred.
George W. Bush continued the global war on terrorism by siding with alley nations. In 2001, the U.S. eliminated the Taliban government in Afghanistan and killed Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan in 2011. Later (2003-2011), when Iraq was not letting UN weapons inspectors in, the U.S. claimed Iraq had weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) and justified an overthrow but stayed to support democracy in Iraq.
After being involved in world affairs, Bush declared it was time for a “New World Order”. From 1992-2008, there was constant political change over back and forth from Republican to Democrat. Globalization and many advances in technology change the economy. Communications, transportation, biotechnology, international events, and multinational corporations advanced so quickly that new government policies were implemented to help the economy. Many changes have occurred in the last two decades. / Important People & Events
George H.W. Bush-Republican president who became more popular after Gulf War; declared “New World Order”
1992 election- Bill Clinton won election because Ross Perot took 19% of George W. Bush’s vote; Clinton won popular vote
Bill Clinton- Democrat president who was charismatic; signed NAFTA; involved in Lewinsky scandal
NAFTA- Free trade treaty between U.S., Canada and Mexico; labor/unions opposed—job losses
Lewinsky scandal- Bill Clinton’s improper relationship with Monica Lewinsky, an intern, in 1998
2000 election- Bush v. Gore; controversial Florida votes recount; Bush wins
George W. Bush- Republican president (son of first Bush president); lost popularity due to Iraq/Afghanistan war and response to Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina- hurricane disaster due to poorly planned levee construction
2008 election- Barak Obama won over McCain; Obama supported by Oprah Winfrey
Barack Obama- Democrat president who dealt with mortgage crisis/recession
Hillary Clinton- Obama appointed her as Secretary of State
Oprah Winfrey- self-made black, female millionaire who helped Obama win with popularity vote
Sonia Sotomayor- Hispanic female appointed by Obama to the Supreme Court
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009- Obama’s economic stimulus solution to give $788 billion in relief; signed for massive health care
Globalization- more connections between nations
Computing-quickly processing and storing digital data
Communications- satellites- email, cell phones, internet
Transportation- computers, GPS and robots helped
Biotechnology- genetics and microbiology helped advance agriculture and medicine
Genetically modified (GM)- changing genetic makeup of crops to be insect/herbicide resistant
Government policies- needed due to changes in currency, debt, tariffs and subsidies
International events- events in other countries affect U.S. economy
Multinational corporations- corporations could now be located in the most profitable locations
Bill Gates- founder of Microsoft; grew personal computers
Lionel Sosa-targeted his ad agency towards Hispanic voters
Robert Johnson-first African-American billionaire; fouded BET (Black Entertainment Television)