The Cold War Era: 1945-1991

Happy Days
Post-War America

Demobilization
o Size of the armed forces was decreased- 1946- 12 million to 3
million
o Some still served in West Germany and Japan to ensure a smooth
governmental transition
Election of 1948
o Democratic Nominee: Harry S. Truman- Incumbent President
o Democratic Party Split- Opposed to Trumans stand on civil rights
o Republic Nominee: Thomas E. Dewey- Gov. of New York
o Truman- Campaigned by train- Whistle Stop
o TV was a factor (minor)
o Truman wins a close election
o Truman wanted to give the American people a Fair Deal
o Fair Deal- An extension of New Deal reforms

Atomic Energy

Atomic Energy Act- Preserved govt. control of fissionable materials

Atomic Energy Commission (AEC)- Encouraged private and government
research and development of atomic energy

National Security Act

Armed Forces- Placed under a new Cabinet department

Headed by a civilian: Sec. of Defense
Created the National Security Council and Central Intelligence Agency
(CIA)

Presidential Succession Act

Succession passed from Vice President to Speaker of the House and

then to the President pro tempore of the Senate
Truman- Believed the President should be someone elected to office

Twenty-Second Amendment

Limited any President after Harry Truman to two terms

o A reaction of FDRs time in office

Post-War America: Affluent Society and Culture

White Collar Jobs:

o Jobs that are mainly in sales and management

Blue Collar Jobs:
o Jobs that are physical in nature
o Construction, factory workers, miners
Labor
o Laborers- wanted wage increases
Many had not received them during the war, and inflation
concerns were growing
o Both the railroad and coal mines went on strike
Taft-Hartley Act:
o Goal: To achieve a better balance between labor and
management
o President- If strike endangered public safety, he could require
cool off period
o During this period: Unions could not call strike, and management
could not call a lockout
G.I. Bill of Rights
o Provided veterans of WWII with a variety of services
o Examples: Hospitals, Payments to vets without jobs, free tuition,
books and expenses for job training, college, or advanced
education
o Helped veterans with their transition back to civilian life

Multi-national Corporation

A corporation that has branches in other countries

Franchises

One person owns or operates several stores of a particular chain

Typically have a specific uniform and style
o Continuity

Baby Boom

Soldiers coming home from WWII

Number of babies increases exponentially
Baby Boom
o Typically born between 1946-1964

Consumerism

People desire the objects their neighbors have- keeping up with the
Jones
More disposable income= more spending
Luxury items

Advertising

People buying more

Companies market goods to try and sell
Advertising explosion

Levittown

Levittown, NY one of the first suburbs

Bill Levitt- mass produced similar looking homes
Houses were inexpensive
Other Levittowns spring up

Reasons for moving to the suburbs:

Escape crime and congestion

Better life
Picturesque environment
Affordability
Effect: Leads to urban sprawl

Technological Breakthroughs

Polio vaccination
Jonas Salk- 1954
Polio was a huge issue in the 1950s
We didnt know what caused it

Polio Vaccine

Jonas Salk first tests it on himself and family

Albert Sabin invents oral vaccination
Polio cases plummet across the USA

1950s Popular Culture and The Other Side of American Life

Rise of Television Popularity

TVs more affordable

1946- 7000 sets
1957- 40,000,000
Advertising finds a new outlet
Athletic events become very popular

Popular TV Programs of the 1950s

Comedy Shows
o Bob Hope and Jack Benny

Action Shows
o Lone Ranger, Gunsmoke, Dragnet
Variety Shows
o Ed Sullivan Show, quiz shows

Movies in the 1950s

TV grows; Movies decline

o Try different things
o 3-D
o Widescreen
o Drive-In Movies

Youth Culture

Rock n Roll
o Early forms grew from R&B
Music was ideal for dancing
o Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Bill Haley and the
Comets
Draws teens in

Music and Youth

Rock n Roll became the popular music of the teens

o Parents do not like it
o Youths rebel
People complain that Rock n Roll incites youths
o Generation Gap

African American Entertainers

TV tended to shut out African American Entertainers

o Few breakthrough
Chuck Berry, Ray Charles, Little Richard popular
o Female groups became popular

Other Side of American Life

In 1950, 1 in 3 were impoverished

o End of the 50s, 1 in 5
Most were blind to the nations poor
o Thought all were well
Not all Americans were a part of the affluent society
o Minorities and rural poor
The American Dream remained out of reach for these people

Decline of the Inner City

White families move to suburbs

o Tax money goes with these people
o Urban centers begin to decline
Urban Renewal
o Tear down slums
o Nice high rise towers
Overcrowded; leads to violence
African Americans in the 1950s
o City population increase
Mostly due to African Americans moving north during/after
WWII
o Life was typically not better in the north
Racial discrimination
last hired, first fired
Hispanic-Americans in the 1950s
o Bracero Program
Brings millions of workers to work on farms in SW
Temporary- Started during WWII
o Long Hours
10-12 hours a day
100 degrees
o Slept where they could, ate where they could

Native Americans in the 1950s

Made $1000 less than a typical African American worker

Termination Policy- federal government terminated separate status
o Forced them to assimilate into society
o Disastrous policy

Juvenile Delinquency

Increase 45% in the early 50s

Crime increases
o Car theft
o Muggings
Why?
o Stereotypes abound
Education system
Focus is thrown into better educating younger citizens

Interstate Highway System

Eisenhower and army personnel crossed the country in 1919

Autobahn

Eisenhower liked the autobahn in Germany

Thought it was efficient
o Kept that in his head
Autobahn- circa 1940
PA Turnpike- circa 1940

How it came to be

Eisenhower threw his support behind the creation of the Interstate

System
Revitalizing nations highway system was a high priority

Ownership and Operation

The individual states own and operate the Interstate System

Currently 46,876 miles of highway

Speed Limits

States control the MPH limit

o In 1974 it was 55
o You could go over, but lose federal funds

Numbering System
Hotness Level

How hot was the cold war?

o Level 1: Friends- Team you support (Phillies/Eagles)
o Level 2: Acquaintance- Team you mildly support/ indifferent
about (Pirates/Steelers)
o Level 3: Disliked Person- Team you dislike (Nationals/Redskins)
o Level 4: Strong dislike- Team you would never root for
(Braves/Patriots)
o Level 5: Mortal Enemy- Team you actively hate and root against
(Mets/Cowboys)

Early Cold War Foreign Affairs

United Nations

A new organization to replace the League of Nations

Organized to promote international security and cooperation
General Assembly included delegates from every member nation

Truman Doctrine

Attempted to contain communist growth

o Containment Policy
Did so by supporting those who resisted Communism
Peacetime military aid to other countries; Became our diplomacy
o Examples: Turkey and Greece

Marshall Plan

Sec. of State Marshall- Provide gifts to Europe.

Wanted to prevent economic, social, and political deterioration
o Also, the US was concerned that countries that were in disrepair
would turn to communism
Russia and satellites did not accept this aid

Berlin Airlift

June 1948- Russians banned all traffic between Allied controlled West
Berlin and Russian controlled East Berlin
Russians- wanted to drive Allies out of West Berlin by cutting off
supplies
US, England, and France supplied West Berlin by air
May 1949- Russians lifted the blockade

Fall of China

US former ally, Chiang Kai-shek, was driven out of mainland China

October 1949- Chinese Communists, led by Mao Zedong, controlled the
Chinese mainland
The fall of the mainland seemed like one more defeat (to communism)
for the US

N.A.T.O.

NATO- North American Treaty Organization

Allied US and Canada with ten W. European nations from Norway to
Portugal; Eventually 15 members
Signed April 4, 1949; An attack on one is treated as attack on all.
US joined the first peacetime alliance in its history
Gen. Eisenhower- Commander of NATO forces.

Korean War

Invasion by North Korea:

o 1949 & 1950- Skirmishes took place between N. and S. Korea
along the 38th parallel (Dividing Line).

o Suddenly on June 25, 1950 135,000 N. Koreans, armed and

organized by the Soviets, attacked S. Korea
Trumans Action

Had the attack brought before the UN Security Council

UN- called for an end to the fighting
Gen. MacArthur- Told to furnish arms and naval & air support to South
Koreans

UN Action

2 days after invasion, UN Security Council calls on member nations to

aid S. Korea
Gen. MacArthur- Put in command of UN forces

Inchon Landing

Early days of the war: N. Korea pushed S. Korea & UN forces south into
a small area around Pusan
September 15, 1950- MacArthur lands forces from sea at Inchon
A daring and successful flank maneuver

Chinese Communism in Korea

UN- Wanted to defeat N. Korea and create a unified, independent, and

democratic government.
China warned- If UN crossed 38th Parallel, the Chinese would defend N.
Korea
Chinese troops joined N. Korea after UN troops crossed the 38th Parallel

Truman vs. MacArthur

MacArthur- An entirely new war- wanted to bomb mainland China

Truman and Joint Chiefs of Staff refused him
Truman removed MacArthur from his position

Today:

The border (close to the 38th Parallel) is a Demilitarized Zone (2

miles wide).
It is the most heavily militarized border in the world

Eisenhowers Domestic Program

Election of 1952

Republican Nominee: Dwight D. Eisenhower

GOP- Grand Old Party: Nickname of Rep. Party
Democratic Nominee: Adlai E. Stevenson
Eisenhower won easily

Eisenhowers Farm Problem

Farm Problem: Surplus Farm Production

Eisenhower Administration- Discouraged overproduction
Soil Bank- Paid farmers for not planting their crops

Combatting Communism at home

Many believed that there was a strong communist conspiracy to take

over the U.S.
Truman- Issued an Executive Order to go after suspected communists
FBI and Civil Service Commission checked the loyalty of all Federal
employees; many were dismissed

McCarthyism and its demise

Senator Joseph McCarthy- Felt Communists had taken over many

government positions
Accused many individuals of Communist activities
TV exposed and defeated McCarthy- Influence rapidly declined

Election of 1956

Rep. Nominee- Ike

Dem. Nominee- Stevenson
Eisenhower wins his second term easily

Alaskan and Hawaiian Statehood

49th State- Alaska- Jan. 1959

50th State- Hawaii- Aug. 1959

Eisenhower and Foreign Affairs

Brinkmanship

Eisenhowers Sec. of State- John Foster Dulles

Dulles threatened massive retaliation against the Soviet Union or
Communist China if they attacked any country
Brinkmanship- Necessary to go to the brink of war to preserve the
peace of the world

Crisis in Indochina

Following WWII- Communist Ho Chi Ming liberated Vietnam

The French tried to regain control and set up a puppet government

US aid to the French

US aided the French because we felt they were helping us contain

Communism
1950- US helped the French with money and arms
1954- US paid for 80% of the cost of the war

Dien Bien Phu

Communist Viet Minh troops had trapped a large French force

Should the US assist the French? Decided against it.
French were defeated

Geneva Agreement

Vietnam would be divided in two

North: Communist
South: A free government

S.E.A.T.O.

Southeast Asia Treaty Organization

Special attention/support to Non-Communist nations an attempt to
keep communism from spreading

Hungarian Revolution, 1956

Hungarian people revolted against Communism

Crushed by Soviet tanks and troops
US could not provide much help

Eisenhower Doctrine

March 1957- US would help any Middle East country that requested aid
to resist military aggression from a Communist country
Came about as a result of the Suez Crisis

Sputnik and the Space Race

Rocket Development became very important

Operation Paperclip- Project to rescue German Rocket engineers from
WWII
Worked on rocket and space travel for the US
Oct. 4 1957- Russians sent up the first man-made earth satelliteSputnik
Feb. 1958 US launches its first satellite- Explorer I- Space Race is
on!
1958- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Scheduled Summit Conference

U-2 Incident:

May 5, 1960- Soviet forces shot down an American U-2 Spy plane
Khrushchev demanded an apology, Ike refused

Wreck of summit hopes:

The chance of a summit was now gone.

Rise of Castro in Cuba

1958- Forces led by Fidel Castro overthrew the Cuban Government

Set up Communist Government supported by the Soviets

Eisenhower Steps Down

Farewell address- warned of a military-industrial complex

He and others were concerned with the new relationship formed
between the military establishment and the defense industry
Many did not see a lasting peace in the future years, and feared
spending, on defense

Civil Rights Movement

1950s
Background

Jim Crowe Laws: Laws created to enforce segregation

Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in MLB in 1947

Brown vs. Topek Board of Education (1954)

Earl Warren- US Supreme Court Chief Justice

Supreme Court decided that public schools could not be separated by
race
Reversed the separate but equal clause of Plessy vs. Ferguson (1896)

Montgomery Bus Boycott

December 1, 1955- Montgomery, Alabama- Rosa Parks wouldnt give

up her seat to a white passenger
MLK Jr.- preached to blacks in Montgomery to stop using the buses
Supreme Court ruled that segregation on buses was illegal

Little Rock Arkansas

The south resisted integration (in schools).

Little Rock- National Guard prevented schools from opening/integrating
Federal Judge- Forced National Guard to be removed
Ike- sent 1000 paratroopers and opened the schools. First black
students- The Little Rock Nine

Civil Rights Act, 1957

First Civil Rights Act since Reconstruction

The Justice Department file suits on behalf of Blacks who were denied
the right to vote
Significance- It passed and was bipartisan (both democrats and
republicans agreed)

1960s

Riots
o
o
o
o

Race riots broke out throughout the US in the 1960s

Watts, Los Angeles- 1965
1967 saw the worst rioting- Detroit- 43 died, 5000 homeless
Many African- Americans were frustrated with the lack of
progress towards equality

Black Leaders

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.- Fought for African American rights
o Used non-violent protest
1967- Thurgood Marshall- First African American appointed to the
Supreme Court
Malcom X- Malcom Little- Black power movement
o Influenced African Americans to take pride in their culture and
believe in their ability

1963 March on Washington D.C.

Organized to pressure Congress into passing a civil rights bill

More than 200,00 Freedom Marchers gather before the Lincoln
Memorial
King delivered his I have a dream speech

Civil Rights Strategies

Sit-ins- Used in an effort to help integrate restaurants

Freedom Riders- Used to help draw attention to the Souths refusal to
integrate buses and bus terminals
Southern Manifesto- 1956- 19 Senators and 77 members of the House
of Representatives- signed a resolution condemning the 1954 Supreme
Court decision in Brown vs Board of Education

Selma to Montgomery March

King was attempting to register black voters in the south

Will help lead to the Voting Rights Act (1965)
The freedom march: began March 21, 1965
Marchers were protected by federal Marshals, FBI, and Alabama
National Guard- Seen on TV

Martin Luther Kings Assassination

April 4, 1968- King assassinated in Memphis, Tenn.

Rioting broke out across the nation

James Earl Ray- Arrested & convicted for the crime

Crisis of Change
Election of 1960

GOP nominee: Richard M. Nixon

o VP under Ike
Democratic Nominee: John F. Kennedy
The two appeared on TV for the great debates.
Kennedy benefited from the debates
JFK won one of the closest elections in history

New Freedom

Housing Act of 1961- Provided $4.9 billion for urban renewal

Minimum wage: Increased from $1 to $1.25 an hour
24th Amendment- Outlawed the poll tax

Kennedys Foreign Policy: Bay of Pigs

The US supplied money and arms to anti-Castro Cubans

1500 Anti-Castro troops land at the Bay of Pigs
Terrible defeat- 1200 troops captured

Berlin Wall

August 1961- Russia sealed off East Berlin/East Germany from West
Berlin by erecting a wall
1500 troops sent to West Berlin- Western powers would not give inKhrushchev backed down

The Cuban Missile Crisis

Summer 1962- USSR began to move ballistic missiles and nuclear

warheads into Cuba

JFK- Ordered a naval blockade on all offensive military equipment on

the way to Cuba
Missiles were dismantles and removed from Cuba
US pledged not to invade the island

Nuclear Test Ban Treaty

Outlawed nuclear tests in the atmosphere, outer space, or underwater

The first step towards mutual arms reduction
o Does not last

Peace Corps

Volunteers that helped work in underdeveloped countries

Was not the success people had hoped it would be

Deepening Involvement in Vietnam

Diem- Leader of South Vietnam

Kennedy- Supported Diem- Sent advisors to train S. Vietnamese Army
1963- Diem is overthrown and murdered- 16000 Americans in South
Vietnam

Assassination of JFK and the Warren Commission: Death in Dallas

Feelings toward JFK in Dallas were bitter

November 22, 1963- President motorcade passed through the city
Dealey Plaza- Shots heard- President Kennedy was shot in both the
neck and the head
He was rushed to Parkland Memorial Hospital where he was
pronounced dead
Lee Harvey Oswald- Seized for the crime
Oswald gunned down by Jack Ruby

The Warren Commission

Chief Justice Earl Warren- Headed a commission investigating the

shooting
Conclusion: Lee Harvey Oswald and Jack Ruby acted alone

Johnsons Domestic Program

LBJs honeymoon
Tax Cut- Originally asked for by Kennedy
o Lowered taxes by $11.5 billion
Economic Opportunity Act
o War on poverty- set up job and work training programs

Election of 1964

Republican Nominee- Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona

Democratic Nominee- LBJ
LBJ wins easily

The Great Society

Was a program of social reform

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Forbade racial discrimination/segregation in the use of federal funds

and in most places of public accommodation
Equal access to: restaurants, parks, libraries, and theaters
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission- Sought to protect AfricanAmerican rights to jobs

Medicare

Citizens over 65- Received low cost hospital insurance

Financed by the Federal Government (tax)

Medicaid

Federal Government financed health care (to states) to help needy

people (welfare recipients living below the poverty line) below the age
of 65

Elementary and Secondary Education Act

$1.3 billion for aid to education

Could not receive aid unless schools obeyed laws against segregation

Voting Rights Act

Increased the number of black voters by 50%

Outlawed measures used to suppress minority votes

Johnsons Foreign Policy

Deeper involvement in Vietnam: The Tonkin Gulf Resolution

August 2 and 4, 1964- Two US destroyers attacked by N. Vietnamese
gunboats
Tonkin Gulf resolution allowed the president to expand war powers in
Vietnam
Could repel any armed attack

Why we were in Vietnam

Jan 1965- LBJ- sent 20,000 more troops to help the 27000 already there
DOMINO THEORY- if S Vietnam fell to communism so would the rest
of southeast Asia
To stop aggression and protect our reputation
Dec 1965- 185000 American troops in S Vietnam

Effects of Vietnam on the election of 1968

LBJ- decided not to run for a 2nd term as a result of the Vietnam War
Robert F. Kennedy- assassinated after winning the California Primary
Sirhan Sirhan- fired the fatal shots

Election and results

Democratic nominee- Hubert H Humphrey

Bitter fighting between democrats at the convention in Chicago
Republican Nominee- Nixon
American independent Party- Governor George C. Wallace- Alabama
Nixon wins close election

Globalization
Nixons Domestic Affairs
Moon Walk

Space programs pushed for many years

Goal: putting a man on the moon by the end of the decade
Apollo 11- command ship for Aldrin, Armstrong, and Collins
July 20 1969- Eagle lands on the moon
Both Aldrin and Armstrong walked on the moon. Armstrong is the first
man on the moon

Domestic Policy

Cut costs of government and balance the budget

Made four Supreme Court appointments
Democrats in control of Congress; Nixon had trouble reaching his goals

Foreign Affairs during Nixons First Term

Vietnamization: Slowly bring American troops home, and turn war over to the
South Vietnamese

Anti-War protests
Opposition mainly occurred at colleges and universities
Kent State University- Four students killed by National Guard

My Lai Massacre (Vietnam)

US troops- Killed 300 civilians in village of My Lai

Most of the killed were women and children
The military attempted to cover-up the crime

SALT I Agreement: 1972

Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT)

Limited nuclear arms development
Dtente- French term- Nixon used the word to describe the reduction of
tensions between US and USSR

Election of 1972

Republican Nominee- President Nixon

Democratic Nominee- George McGovern
Nixon wins landslide

Foreign Policy during Nixons Second Term

Secret Cambodian bombings (1965-1973)

Bombed suspected Viet Cong bases in Cambodia (Operation Menu,
1969-70)
Congress and public were not told
Vietnam Bombing Intensifies
March 1972- Thousands of N. Vietnamese invade S. Vietnam
US response- Bombing raids all across Indochina

US aid to Israel, 1973

October 1973- Egypt and Syria attacked Israel on Yom Kippur (Yom
Kippur War)
Nixon aided the Israelis with various supplies

First Arab Oil Embargo, 1973

Arab Response to US aid to Israel- Embargoed oil shipments

US- Faced with gasoline shortages and higher prices

Domestic Affairs during Nixons Second Term

Watergate

A special investigations unit, Plumbers broke into the Democratic

National Committee Headquarters in the Watergate office building
Caught! Nixon attempted a cover-up
Reporter Bob Woodward, Washington Post, broke the story

Nixon under pressure

Ervin Committee- Investigated the Watergate situation

Nixon- fired two top aides
Tape recorded conversations- Hurt Nixon

Resignation of Agnew

VP Agnew- Accused of serious crimes

Resigned and pleased no contest to tax evasion
Nixon- Nominated Gerald R. Ford as VP

Resignation of Richard Nixon

Supreme Court ruling- Nixon had to hand over tapes

Nixon- knew he would be impeached
August 9, 1974- Nixon resigned the office of the President

Domestic Problems of Gerald Ford

Nixon Pardon- President Ford granted a full pardon to Nixon

Pardoning Nixon lost Ford much public support
Problems with Congress- Ford had problems dealing with democratic
congress

Foreign Affairs during ford Administration

South Vietnam never took control of Vietnam War; US evacuates South

Vietnam in October 1975
Arab Oil Embargo
Lasting Effects- OPEC, fuel efficiency, speed limit
Alaskan Pipeline

Election of 1976

Republican Nominee- President Ford

Democratic Nominee- Jimmy Carter- Gov. of Georgia
Carter wins close election

Carters Presidency

Foreign Policy
Main Goal- Promote human rights
SALT II- Attempted, but never came
Domestic Policy
Energy Crisis- Carter dealt with the problem by creating the
department of energy
Three Mile Island Accident (1979)- Feared radiation lake

International Problems

Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan

US response- Embargo of grain to the Soviets, and boycott of 1980
Olympics in Moscow
Iran Hostage Crisis- November 4, 1979
Angry mob invaded US Embassy in Teheran, taking 52 American
hostages- lasted 444 days
Middle East problems continued
Egypt and Israel met a Camp David to discuss peace
Result- Camp David Accords- Est. official diplomatic relations between
Egypt and Israel

Neo- Conservatism
Election of 1980

Republican Nominee- Ronald Reagan- Governor of California

Democratic Nominee- Pres. Carter
Reagan wins easily

Reagans Domestic Policy

The Economy

Took over during a time of Stagflation- A combination of high

unemployment and high inflation
The Solution:
Cut many domestic programs; Increased spending on
military defense
Dismantle the welfare state and shrink the size of the
federal government
New Federalism- Shifting responsibility for many social
programs to the states
Supply-side or Trickle-down economics- Tax cuts to
businesses and wealthy individuals

The Results: By 1848

o The biggest economic expansion in history up to that time
o Median income grew 15%
o 5 million new businesses were formed
o 20 million new jobs were created
o By 1989, the unemployment rates dropped to 5.5%

The Reagan Doctrine

A policy of supporting guerilla groups that were fighting to overthrow

communism or pro-Soviet governments
Supported Afghanistan guerillas
Supported Anti-Sandinista guerillas in Nicaragua
Sent American troops to Grenada

Election of 1984

Reagan wins an overwhelming landslide over Walter Mondale

Sandra Day OConner- Appointed to the supreme court by Reagan
o First woman to serve on the court

Troubles Abroad

Wanted to stop communism and saw the Soviet Union as the focus of
evil in the modern world
o Peace through strength
1983- Marine headquarters blown up in Lebanon
o 241 American Marines were killed in the terrorist attack
o They were sent there on a peacekeeping mission
October 1983- Grenada- After a military coup, a govt. sympathetic to
Communist Cuba was established
US invades Grenada- Did not want another Communist country in
Western Hemisphere

Iran Contra

Iran-Contra Scandal- US sold arms to Iran; Reagan- Wanted to free

hostages being held in the Middle East
o The money went to help support contra rebels in Nicaragua

Election of 1988

Republican Nominee- George H. W. Bush- Vice president under Reagan

Democratic Nominee- Michael Dukakis- Gov. of Massachusetts

Bush wins easily

Foreign Issues under Bush

1989- Berlin wall comes down

1991- The Soviet Unions Communist Government collapses
o The Cold War comes to an end

Persian Gulf War

Iraq seizes Kuwait

August 2, 1990- Iraq invades and takes Kuwait
US- sent forces to protect Saudi Arabia
The allies attack
Operation Desert Storm- US and allies attack January 17, 1991
Iraq- Agreed to withdraw after 42 days of fighting

Clinton Presidency

Domestic Policy:
o Struggled with both healthcare and gays in the military
o He and the republican congress passed legislation requiring a
balanced budget
o Attempted to reduce deficit
December 1998- Impeached for perjury and obstruction of justice

Foreign Policy:

NAFTA- North American Free Trade Agreement

o Eliminated tariffs and other barriers to trade with Canada and
Mexico

Election of 2000

Republican Nominee- George Bush- Governor of Texas

Democratic nominee- Al Gore- VP under Clinton
Bush wins one of the closest elections in history
Came down to Florida- Bush wins by 537 votes

9/11

al-Quada terrorist group- responsible for the attack

Coordinated attack- 4 US commercial planes hijacked
2 flown into the World Trade Centers (NYC), 1 into the Pentagon, 1
crashes in PA
2996 died