Mckenna Cua

Liz York

Trace important developments in America from 1975 to 2001

Introduction:

From 1975 to 2001, the US overcame many obstacles and advanced substantially in the

development of technology throughout the nation. With the fall of the Soviet Union just around

the corner, the United States could finally take a breath of fresh air and focus on advancing.

Unfortunately, the Soviet Union was the least of their problems. On September 11, 2001, the US

was attacked by Islamic terrorists. This shattered the nation and heightened the threat of

terrorism against the US. Rebuilding the Pentagon and cleaning up the damage of the twin

towers took a toll on everyone. How could something like this happen? Are we safe? After the

horror of 9/11, Americans tried to get their lives back to normal and avoid anymore drama. Then

came the personal computer and the internet. People became obsessed with their new

computers and used them for everything. With the computer, people had access to information

more easily than searching at a library. Once Americans gained access to the internet,

everything changed. People could find anything they needed, talk to anyone they wanted to,

and explore the new and upcoming online world. Although many changes occurred from 1975-

2001, the United States has remained strong and united as we fought to stay strong and rebuild

the old and establish the new.

Collapse of the Soviet Union:

The collapse of the Soviet Union happened in late 1980s

The Soviet Union had a bad economy and needed to modernize their political situation

Mikhail Gorbachev: General Secretary of Soviet Union in 1985

 Two platforms to Gorbachev reform: Glasnost and Perestrokia

Glasnost - freedom of speech and openness to government ( relate to the

bill of rights and how we have freedom of speech)

Perestrokia - reconstruction of the soviet economy of how it could work more

efficiently

The US attacked every aspect of the Soviet Union:

They sided with and supported the mujahideen (holy warriors) in afghanistan

which attacked the Soviets

They attacked the economy with loss of hard currency, oil prices, and food

shortages

Tensions within the nation itself were increasing. The differences between languages,

cultures, and ethnicities of the 15 republics that made up the Soviet Union

Soviets focused too much on making weapons and military supplies that they ran into a

shortage of consumer goods which caused an uproar among the common people

Soviet Union economy got worse before it got better, the people were used to the

government doing everything.

Communist government was on the verge of collapsing

Hardliners tried to take over the Soviet Union

General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev was kidnapped by extreme

Communist protesters (hardliners)

Hardliners attempted to take over the Soviet Union failed due to lack of

military back up

Consequences of the collapse:

Soviet Union divided into 15 independent countries as a result of the collapse.

 Amenia, Azerbaiian, Belerus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lativa,

Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

Supporting the mujahideen and other war efforts cost the US up to $1 trillion dollars

Ronald Reagan (1911-2004):

1989 - Raised defense spending from $134 billion in 1980 to $253 billion

The Reagan administration supported the mujahideen (holy warriors) who fought Soviets

in Afghanistan

provided the mujahideen with Stinger missiles which took out many Soviet

helicopters

The war in Afghanistan cost Soviets around $8 billion dollars, but only cost the

US around $1 billion

Ended Carters grain embargo which produced food shortages in the Soviet Union

Reduced the flow of western technology to the Soviets

Helped bring a drastic fall in oil prices in the 1980s which kept hard currency from the

Soviet Union

Ronald Reagan ended the Cold War without fighting a physical battle

Pushed for less government control and more rule by the people

Reagan attacked the legitimacy of the Communist system

"The West will not contain Communism; it will transcend Communism." - RR

Terrorism on US Soil (2001):

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) who defends US airspace

reduces the number of aircrafts ready to fly in case of a threat because needs were

changing

They dropped down to just 14 fighter jets ready at hand

 1969 - A man named Dan Hill was chosen for a program to imagine what attacks may

threaten the US by the Soviet Union

He is given the task of coming up with a written plan of how he would attack the

US to start WWIII if he were the Soviet Union

He comes up with a plan using a suicide pilot crashing into the Capital building

and smashing all the way into the House of Representatives where bombs inside

the plane will be set to go off

His plan is taken by officials and he is told to never speak of this again and to

forget it ever happened

2000 - CIA fails to share information that could be linked to the planning of the 9/11

attack

Summer 2001 - computer hacks in California, FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) fears

Al-Qaeda is behind it

June - FBI fears Al-Qaeda will strike US on July 4, they notice Al-Qaeda making

weird moves which signal a counterattack

US intelligence learns that an al-Qaeda operative is considering starting

operations in the US

FAA is warned to increase security measures, but ignores warning

Hijacked planes were flown into the Twin Towers in New York

Two planes crashed into the World Trade Center; One plane crashed into the Pentagon,

and one on a field in Pennsylvania

The death toll was estimated at a little under 3,000 people

The attackers were Islamic terrorists from Saudi Arabia and several other Arabic nations.

Major rescue missions were undertaken in New York, as firefighters fought through

debris to rescue the innocent people affected by this attack

 People jumped from burning building

FAA suspended all flights around the country

Impact of 9/11 on American Life:

Because of the terrorist attacks on September 11, the U.S increased airport security

The U.S also launched missions in Afghanistan to eliminate the threat of Taliban control

in the Middle East

As a result, national security became a top priority of policy for America

More people were sent overseas to fight the war on terrorism, which means more money

was spent on building the military

Air Travel:

The Aviation and Transportation Security Act was created by TSA

(Transportation Security Administration)

TSA became more strict by adding detailed luggage screening.

Banned liquids

Required shoe removal at TSA

Wanding and body scans

The September 11 fee was created to offset the security costs

Pilots can now apply to become a federal flight deck officer, allowing them to

carry a loaded gun and act as a federal officer on board

Government:

Patriot Act was put into place

A significant drop in travel visas from Middle Eastern countries

Over 130 post 9/11 pieces of legislation were passed in Congress following

attacks

Immigration and Deportation and Tourism: National Alert

International tourism to America fell for three years after 9/11

 The number of Americans traveling overseas declined as well

Deportations rose dramatically ranging from 104% to 205%

American Muslims / Racial Profiling:

Hate crimes towards Muslims rose dramatically after the 9/11 attacks

Many American Muslims received much verbal abuse / harassment and were

ostracized by many Americans

American Muslims also had to endure extended security checks at the airport

Effects of 9/11

President Bush declared War on terrorism

We had a debt crisis: we had to increase defense spendings

2001 Recession: The stock market was closed for four days

The Internet (1965):

J.C.R. Licklider had the first recorded descriptions of social interactions across a network

which he called a Galactic Network

Licklider became the first head of the computer research program at DARPA (Defense

Advanced Research Projects Agency)

The Switching Theory

Leonard Kleinrock wrote the first paper and the first book on the switching theory

during the early 1960s

Was able to convince people that using packets instead of circuits could lead to

communication across networks

connected a computer in Massachusetts to a computer in California with a low

speed dial-up telephone line (circuits) which was the first computer network ever

built that covered a large area

 Using the switching theory, the ARPANET was created with multiple computers

across the country on one faster network using packets instead of circuits

The first networks like ARPANET, BITNET, and USENET had specific purposes for

scholars and companies and weren't open to the public

ARPANET was then fashioned into the Internet as we know it today.

Easier access to all kinds of information at our hands

Being able to keep in touch with family and friends who are not close in proximity

Social media has become an essential part of the culture

Potential of losing touch with the real world and being so caught up in a virtual reality

Impact of Personal Computer (1970s):

Before personal computers, computers could take up whole rooms with a range of 20x40

ft.

Computers were used for scientists and scholars

People such as Douglas Engelbart wanted to make a modern computer for the

general public

After multiple new developments and ways to store data, personal computers hit the

market in 1974

When the personal computer first hit the market, it was very expensive and most families

couldnt afford it

Computers were very large and bulky

New innovations like the microprocessor and the transistor made it easier to

manufacture the computer and cost much less

Started out called the microcomputer which later became the PC (personal computer)

and cost much less after the microprocessor and transistor were added in

Smaller and less bulky

 Too much dependence on electronics

Not enough taking time to search out verifiable information

Easy access to information about any topic

Electronically progressive society

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