Chapter 39-42
War Powers Act
A congressional resolution designed to limit the US president's ability to initiate or escalate military actions abroad. The law also requires that the presidents notify Congress after deploying the armed forces and limits how long units can remain engaged without congressional approval and it was enacted in 1973 in order to avoid another conflict similar to the Vietnam War.
The Warren Court
A court created when Eisenhower appointed the previously conservative Earl Warren as chief justice over William J. Brennan Jr. The court is known for becoming a vehicle for social change and advocate for individual rights.
Earth Day
A day of celebration and awareness of global environmental issues launched by conservationists on April 22, 1970. It reflected the growing concern and interest in environmentalism.
Nixon Doctrine
A foreign policy which was announced President Richard Nixon in 1969 which the US would support the allies who were facing military threats with economic and military aid rather than with ground troops.
Ronald Reagan
A former actor and California governor who became the 40th US president from 1981 to 1989 after defeating Jimmy Carter in the election of 1980 and he was dubbed the Great Communicator, the affable Reagan became a popular two-term president. He cut taxes, increased defense spending, negotiated a nuclear arms reduction agreement with the Soviets and is credited with helping to bring a quicker end to the Cold War.
Moral Majority
A political group made up of fundamentalist Christians. Did not accomplish much, but did show that Americans were starting to worry about the moral fabric of society.
Whitewater
A series of scandals during the Clinton Administration that stemmed from a failed real estate investment for which the Clintons were alleged to have illicitly profited. The accusations prompted the appointment of a special federal prosecutor, though no indictments.
Vietnamization
A strategy that aimed to reduce American involvement in the Vietnam War by transferring all military responsibilities to South Vietnam. The increasingly unpopular war had created deep rifts in American society. President Nixon believed this strategy, which involved building up South Vietnam's armed forces and withdrawing U.S. troops and it would prepare the South Vietnamese to act in their own defense against a North Vietnamese takeover and allow the United States to leave Vietnam with its honor intact.
Oklahoma City Bombing
Bombing of a federal office that killed 168 by anti-government extremist Timothy McVeigh, presumably in retribution for a standoff in Waco, Texas between federal agents and a fundamentalist sect. Brought to light the proliferation of underground paramilitary private "militias".
Commonwealth of Independent States
Confederation of fifteen former Soviet states that formed after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. They repudiated communism and embraced democratic reforms and free-market economies.
Glasnost
Policy that was introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev in 1985. It allowed the openness to end political repression & move toward a greater political freedom for soviet citizens.
Saddam Hussein
President of Iraq from 1979 to 2003. Waged war on Iran in 1980-1988. In 1990 he ordered an invasion of Kuwait but was defeated by United States and its allies in the Gulf War (1991). Defeated by US led invasion in 2003.
Environmental Protection Agency
Proposed by President Richard Nixon, it was an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress.
New Federalism
Refers to President Nixon's program to return power and tax dollars to the states and cities; the key aspect was revenue sharing, which distributed $30 billion in revenues to the states. Political philosophy of devolution, or of transfer of certain powers from the United States federal government to the states.
Kent State University
Refers to massacre of four college students by National Guardsmen on May 4, 1970, in Ohio. In response to Nixon's announcement that he had expanded the Vietnam War into Cambodia, college campuses across the country exploded in violence in response to National Guardsmen
Jimmy Carter
The 39th president of the US who struggled to respond to formidable challenges included a major energy crisis as well as high inflation and unemployment. Diagnosis of the nation's "crisis of confidence" did little to boost his sagging popularity, and in 1980 he was soundly defeated in the general election by Ronald Reagan. Over the next decades, he built a distinguished career as a diplomat, humanitarian and author, pursuing conflict resolution in countries around the globe.
William J. Clinton
The 42nd president of the United States, he claimed to be a "new Democrat" to combat allegations against him. Main goals were to fix the economy, which he did by suppressing unemployment rates, controlling inflation, funding social programs, and installing NAFTA. Also caught in a scandal involving Monica Lewinsky, a White House intern.
George W. Bush
The 43rd president of the U.S., he was the eldest son of George H. W. Bush. Challenged research on global warming, didn't support abortions, limited research on embryonic stem cells, and allowed Vice President Cheney to hammer out his administration's energy policy behind closed doors.
Margaret Thatcher
The Conservative British prime minister of the 1980's and the first woman to lead a major European government. Her support of free-market economics and tough anticommunism made her Ronald Reagan's closest partner
Hillary R. Clinton
The First Lady from 1992-2000 during the Clinton administration. Maintained a significant career as First Lady: pioneering the idea of nationwide healthcare, and opening the field for later first ladies to be strong advocates for health, even if her idealistic plans didn't pan out. Attacked by conservatives and anti-feminists who believed her to be too commanding. Took a leading role in government affairs and promoted equality of sexes.
Roe vs. Wade
A Supreme Court case which protected women's right to abortion prior to it becoming a fetus due to the Supreme Court saying that the restrictive state law of abortion was unconstitutional.
Miranda vs. Arizona
A Supreme Court that ultimately ruled that the suspects must be informed of their rights to legal counsel and silence upon their arrest, and if they decide to remain silent or do not waive their rights, the interrogation must cease. Also, no confession can be admissible under the 5th or 6th Amendments unless a suspect has been made aware of their rights and has waived them.
Monica Lewinsky
A White House intern who had an affair with Bill Clinton who denied it under oath. Led to his impeachment for perjury and his resulting political battles kept him from being productive in his final term paving way for the seemingly moral Bush in 2000.
Menachem Begin
A Zionist leader who was prime minister of Israel from 1977 to 1983 and he won the Nobel Prize for Peace for their achievement of a peace treaty between Isreal and Edypt that was formally signed in 1979 at Camp David Accords, which had Israel withdrawing from Sinai Peninsula and Gaza Strip and returning the land to Egypt.
Contras
A Nicaraguan rebel group that got financial support from the CIA. Formed as a response to the overthrowing of Anastazio Somoza Debayle.
Gideon vs. Wainwright
A Supreme Court case that ruled that the defendants are entitled to a lawyer in any trial, even non-capital cases. Courts are required to provide a lawyer if the defendant cannot. The only way a defendant cannot have a counsel is if they knowingly waive their right.
Clarence Thomas
An African American jurist and a strict critic of affirmative action, he was nominated by George H. W. Bush to be on the Supreme Court in 1991. Accused of sexual harassment by Anita Hill. Hearings were reopened and became the second African American to hold a seat in the Supreme Court.
George McGovern
An American politician who was an unsuccessful reformist Democratic candidate for the US presidency in 1972 and also he campaigned on a platform advocating an immediate end to the Vietnam War. Had a campaign that was similar to the Great Society and it was broad program of liberal social and economic reforms at home.
Anwar Sadat
An Egyptian army officer and politician who was the president of the president of Egypt until his assassination in 1981 and he initiated serious peace negotiations with Israel and shared the 1978 Nobel Prize for Peace with Israel Prime Minister who wanted peace with the other country.
Sandra Day O'Connor
Arizona state senator from 1969 to 1974, appointed to the Arizona Court of Appeals in 1979. Reagan appointed her to the U.S. Supreme Court, making her the first female Justice of the Supreme Court.
Robert Dole
Attorney and retired United States Senator from Kansas who was the longest serving Republican leader. The 1996 presidential nominee for the Republican party but lost to Bill Clinton.
Operation Desert Storm
Encouraged by President George H.W. Bush, the UN condemned Iraq's invasion of Kuwait and gathered an international military force. In February 1991, the U.S. and its allies attacked Iraqi forces in Kuwait. The Iraqi's were driven from Kuwait, but Saddam Hussein remained in power in Iraq.
Dick Cheney
George W. Bush's Vice-President, he played a key role in the War on Terror, and response to 9/11 attacks. An early proponent of the Iraq war. Criticized for NSA wiretapping, enhanced interrogation techniques and the Bush administration's policies.
Sandinistas
Members of a leftist coalition that overthrew the Nicaraguan dictatorship of Anastasia Somoza in 1979 and attempted to install a socialist economy. The United States financed armed opposition by the Contras. Lost national elections in 1990.
NAFTA
North American Free Trade Agreement, it established free trade zone between Canada, United States and Mexico, net gain in jobs due to opening of Mexican markets
The Arab Oil Embargo
Occurred after the U.S. backed Israel in its war against Syria and Egypt, which had been trying to regain territory lost in the Six-Day War. The Arab nations imposed an oil embargo, which strictly limited oil in the U.S. and caused a crisis.
Black Monday
Occurring on October 19, 1987, it was when the leading stock-market index plunged 508 points, the largest one-day decline in history, which followed the bailouts of many banks as the federal and international trade deficit continued to grow as falling oil prices hurt the economy of the Southwest, slashing real estate values and undermining hundreds of savings and loan institutions.
9-11
Occurring on September 11, 2001, it was a series of four coordinated suicide attacks upon the United States in New York City and the Washington, D.C. areas. Nineteen hijackers seized control of four commercial jets; two planes flew into the World Trade Center towers, one crashed into the Pentagon, and the last one crashed in Somerset County, Pennsylvania.
Leonid Brezhnev
One of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev's most trusted proteges, he is selected as Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet—the Soviet equivalent to the presidency. This was another important step in Brezhnev's rise to power in Russia, a rise that he later capped by taking control of the Soviet Union in 1964. Brezhnev had been a trusted associate of Khrushchev since the 1940s. As Khrushchev rose through the ranks, so did his protege.
Americans with Disabilities Act
Passed by Congress in 1991, it banned discrimination against the disabled in employment and mandated easy access to all public and commercial buildings.
Welfare Reform Act
Passed by the newly Republican-controlled Congress, this conservative legislation made deep cuts in welfare grants, required able-bodied welfare recipients to find employment, and restricted benefits for immigrants.
McCain-Feingold Act
Passed in 2002, it sought to limit the amounts of money spent by and for candidates for elected office. Placed limits on "soft money," or funds raised by groups that are unaffiliated with a candidate but advertise for the candidate or against the opponent.
Watergate
Refers to the scandal during President Nixon's term which was a problem in Washington during the presidency of Richard Nixon. The members of an association working to have Nixon re-elected, CREEP, were involved in a burglary, and it was then linked to Nixon. The CREEP group had also gotten lots of money from unidentifiable places. Suspicion set in and Nixon was accused of getting illegal help in being re-elected. Nixon tried to use government to cover-up his involvement, but the impeachment proceedings were started but Nixon resigned from his office in August of 1974.
Contract with America
Republican agenda spearheaded by Newt Gingrich in 1994, it capitalized on the Clinton administration's failed initiatives and current anti-government sentiment and promised support for a balanced budget and radical reductions in welfare programs. Highly successful, allowing the Republican party to take control in both the House and the Senate
Iran-contra Affair
Scandal that erupted during the Reagan administration when it was revealed that US government agents had secretly sold arms to Iran in order to raise money to fund anti- communist "Contra" forces in Nicaragua. Directly contravened an ongoing US trade embargo with Iran as well as federal legislation limiting aid to the Contras. Several Reagan administration officials were convicted of federal crimes as results.
Pentagon Papers
Secret U.S. government report detailing early planning and policy decisions regarding the Vietnam War under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson. Leaked to the New York Times in 1971 and it revealed instances of governmental secrecy, lies, and incompetence in the prosecution of the war.
Kyoto Treaty
Signed in 1997, it required countries who sign it to reduce their gas emissions to levels below what they were producing in 1990.
Star Wars (SDI)
Strategic Defense Initiative, it was proposed US strategic defensive system against potential nuclear attacks which was originally to be from the Soviet Union and it was proposed by President Ronald Reagan on March 23, 1983.
Nelson Mandela
The 11th President of South Africa, he spent 27 years in prison after conviction of charges while he helped spearhead the struggle against apartheid. Received Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.
Gerald Ford
The 38th president of the US who took office on August 9, 1974 after President Richard Nixon's resignation who left the White House in disgrace after the exposure of the Watergate scandal. He was a longtime Republican congressman from Michigan who was appointed vice president less than a year earlier by President Nixon. He is credited with helping to restore public confidence in the government after the Watergate Scandal.
Silent majority
The Nixon Administration's term to describe generally content and law-abiding middle-class Americans who supported both the Vietnam War and America's institutions. As a political tool, the concept attempted to make a subtle distinction between believers in "traditional" values and the vocal minority of civil rights agitators, student protesters, counter-culturalists, and other seeming disruptions of the social fabric.
Newt Gingrich
The Republican speaker in the House, he pushed for more conservative legislation during Clinton's presidency. Developed the "Contract with America", a conservative campaign platform that led to a sweeping Republican victory in the 1994 mid-term elections.
Henry Kissinger
The Secretary of State under Richard Nixon and he was awarded the 1973 Nobel Prize for the Vietnam War accords, which was to negotiate a peaceful settlement of the Vietnam War. American Political Scientist that that was the adviser for national security affairs and was a major influence on shaping the US foreign policy from 1969-1976.
Mikhail Gorbachev
The Soviet leader that was installed as chairman of the Soviet Communist Party in March 1985. Believed in two policies: glasnost and perestroika, which promoted "openness" and "restructuring" of the economy. These measures, however, required that the Cold War be put to an end. Cooperation with Ronald Reagan has earned the two leaders great praise.
SALT I and II
The Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty, SALT I was an agreement signed by the US and Soviets to stop building nuclear ballistic missiles for five years While SALT II was signed by Carter and Brezhnev and it reduced and limited the number of missile launchers and bombers while the treaties helped to reduce tension between US and USSR.
Equal Rights Amendment
The constitutional amendment that declared that equal rights under the law could not be denied or abridged on account of sex. Also, it was championed by the women's movement and approved in Congress, it was quickly ratified by 26 states, but unable to achieve the required 38.
Reaganomics
The federal economic polices of the Reagan administration, elected in 1981. Combined a monetarist fiscal policy, supply-side tax cuts, and domestic budget cutting. Goal was to reduce the size of the federal government and stimulate economic growth.
Boris Yeltsin
The first President of the Russian Federation from 1991 to 1999. Presidency plagued with widespread corruption, economic collapse, and enormous political and social problems. Deeply unpopular figure in Russia with an approval rating as low as two percent by some estimates.
Warren Burger
The former Chief Justice of the United States who was a conservative Supreme Court chief justice who succeeded Warren. While, Nixon sought appointees who would strictly interpret the Constitution and refrain from engaging in social and political questions but despite Nixon's intentions, his court was reluctant to dismantle the liberal rulings of the Warren Court and even produced the controversial Roe v. Wade ruling
George H.W. Bush
The forty-first president of the United States, he sent troops to overthrow Manual Noriega in Panama and led the US to success in the Gulf War, forcing Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait. Responsible for the end of the Cold War.
My Lai Massacre
The military assault in a small Vietnamese village on March 16, 1968, in which American soldiers under the command of 2nd Lieutenant William Calley murdered hundreds of unarmed Vietnamese civilians, mostly women and children. Also, the atrocity produced outrage and reduced support for the war in America and around the world when details of the massacre and an attempted cover-up were revealed in 1971.
"New Isolationism"
The name given to the trend in the early 1970's to prevent long-term or open-ended overseas involvement by US forces and the term popped up after involvement in the Vietnam War
Detente
The period of relaxation of tensions between the United States and its two major Communist rivals, the Soviet Union and China.
Perestroika
The restructuring of the Soviet economy by introducing free-market practices; introduced by Gorbachev.
Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi
The unpopular ruler of Iran, who was put into power by the Soviets, Great Britain, and the U.S. during World War II to get rid of the pro-Germany shah of Iran at the time. His unpopularity causes unrest in Iran. Because of the unrest, Pahlavi stocks up on weapons, Iran becomes very militarily powerful and on Jan. 1979, Pahlavi is forced to flee by continuous riots and is replaced by Ayatollah R. Khomeini.
WMD
Weapons of Mass Destruction. Saddam Hussein had refused to cooperate with UN weapons inspections, a condition of the Iraq's defeat in the Gulf War; although UN inspectors were unable to find evidence of their existence, the US and their British allies launched an invasion of Iraq in 2003, leading to the fall of Baghdad and the end of Saddam's rule.
The Energy Crisis
When Carter entered office inflation soared, due to toe the increases in energy prices by OPEC. In the summer of 1979, instability in the Middle East produced a major fuel shortage in the US, and OPEC announced a major price increase. Facing pressure to act, Carter retreated to Camp David, the presidential retreat in the Maryland Mountains. Ten days later, Carter emerged with a speech including a series of proposals for resolving the energy crisis.
WTO
World Trade Organization, it was an international trade organization that prompted strong protests from anti-global trade forces in Seattle, Washington in 1999.
