Unit 9: Period 9: 1980–Present

Conservative resurgence

Late 1970s–1980s shift in U.S. politics in which a growing conservative coalition argued the federal government was too large/ineffective and pushed for market-oriented and traditional-values policies.

Economic conservatives

Conservatives who argued high taxes and heavy regulation slowed growth; favored tax cuts, reduced federal spending (especially on social programs), and deregulation.

Social conservatives

Conservatives who emphasized traditional moral values often tied to religion; focused on issues such as abortion, school prayer, and opposition to some feminist and LGBTQ+ demands.

Cold War hawks

Conservatives who favored a strong military and a tough stance toward the Soviet Union.

Crisis of confidence (“malaise”) speech

Jimmy Carter speech remembered for suggesting deep national problems; reinforced perceptions of persistent crisis and troubled many Americans in the late 1970s.

Moral Majority

Influential conservative religious political organization founded by Jerry Falwell that mobilized voters as part of the New Right.

Evangelicalism (in politics)

Movement that became increasingly prominent in U.S. political life (1970s–1990s), mobilizing many “born-again” Christians around conservative social issues and supporting Republicans.

Supply-side economics (Reaganomics)

Economic idea that cutting taxes and regulatory burdens (especially on corporations/top earners) would increase investment, expand production, and create jobs.

Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981

Major Reagan-era law that implemented significant tax cuts (including across-the-board cuts for many Americans) as part of supply-side policy.

Deregulation

Reducing government rules on sectors such as banking, industry, and the environment; pursued strongly under Reagan and continued a trend that began in the late 1970s.

Income inequality

Widening gap between rich and poor; critics argued Reagan-era policies contributed to “the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer.”

New Federalism (Reagan)

Plan to shift responsibility for many social welfare programs to the states while having the national government assume full Medicaid costs; not achieved as intended.

Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)

Reagan’s proposed space-based missile defense (“missile shield”) research program that intensified the arms race with the USSR.

Federal budget deficit

The gap that grows when government spending exceeds revenues; rose sharply in the Reagan era due to tax cuts, defense buildup, and difficulty reducing domestic spending.

Roe v. Wade (1973)

Supreme Court decision that intensified national abortion politics and became a long-term organizing issue for social conservatives.

Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)

Proposed constitutional amendment for gender equality that failed to be ratified by the required number of states by the 1982 deadline.

Culture wars

Political conflicts centered on identity, morality, and values (e.g., abortion, religion in public life, family values), making compromise more difficult.

Containment

Post–World War II strategy to stop the spread of communism rather than directly overthrow communist regimes.

Rollback

More aggressive Cold War approach that aimed to push back or reduce Soviet influence beyond simply containing it.

Mujahideen

Anti-Soviet fighters in Afghanistan supported by the United States during the 1980s as part of Cold War competition.

Contras

Anti-communist rebels in Nicaragua supported by the Reagan administration; associated with reports of severe abuses against civilians.

Invasion of Grenada

Reagan-era U.S.-led international military intervention in the Caribbean.

Iran-Contra affair

1986 scandal in which members of the Reagan administration sold arms to Iran and diverted funds to the Contras despite congressional restrictions, raising major checks-and-balances concerns.

Power of the purse

Congress’s constitutional authority over government spending; central issue in disputes sparked by Iran-Contra.

Lebanon Marine barracks bombing (1983)

Attack that killed 240 U.S. servicemen serving as part of a UN peacekeeping force; the U.S. later withdrew troops, illustrating intervention risks.

Glasnost

Gorbachev’s policy of “openness,” part of Soviet reforms that loosened centralized control and contributed to Cold War de-escalation.

Perestroika

Gorbachev’s policy of “restructuring,” intended to modernize the Soviet system but contributing to weakened central authority.

Fall of the Berlin Wall (1989)

Major milestone signaling weakening Soviet control in Eastern Europe and accelerating the end of the Cold War order.

Dissolution of the Soviet Union (1991)

Formal breakup/end of the USSR, marking the Cold War’s conclusion.

Operation Desert Storm

1991 coalition military campaign in the Persian Gulf War featuring massive air strikes and a relatively quick conclusion with few U.S. casualties.

NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement)

Trade agreement signed in 1992 and implemented in 1994 that reduced trade barriers among the U.S., Canada, and Mexico; praised for trade/competitiveness and criticized for outsourcing and job loss.

Deindustrialization

Decline of manufacturing jobs and weakening of industrial centers (especially in the Northeast and Midwest), producing unemployment, shrinking tax bases, and urban decay.

Rust Belt

Nickname for older industrial regions in the Northeast and Midwest hit hard by deindustrialization and factory decline.

Sun Belt

Fast-growing South and West region boosted by suburbanization, air conditioning, defense spending, and growth in aerospace/technology; gained political influence via population and electoral votes.

Globalization

Increasing movement of goods, capital, information, and labor across borders, reshaping the U.S. economy and politics.

Dot-com bubble

Late 1990s surge in speculative investment in internet-based companies; burst by 2001.

Taft-Hartley Act (1947)

Law that limited some union tactics and contributed to the long-term weakening of organized labor.

PATCO strike (1981)

Air traffic controllers’ strike after which Reagan fired about 3,000 strikers, signaling a tougher federal posture toward unions.

Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965

Law that ended national-origins quotas favoring European immigration, contributing over time to increased immigration from Latin America and Asia.

Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986 (Simpson–Mazzoli)

Reagan-era compromise law granting legal status (amnesty) to many undocumented immigrants who met requirements while penalizing employers who knowingly hired undocumented workers.

Bracero program (1942–1964)

Guest worker program offering temporary jobs to migrant farm workers, intended in part to curb illegal immigration; criticized by labor as potentially depressing wages.

Assimilation

View of national identity emphasizing that immigrants should adopt common language and cultural norms.

Multiculturalism

View emphasizing recognition and valuing of cultural pluralism (multiple cultures coexisting) rather than full cultural assimilation.

White flight

1970s–1980s pattern of mostly white, middle-class residents moving from cities to suburbs, contributing to weakened city tax bases and concentrated urban poverty.

Bush v. Gore (2000)

Supreme Court decision that stopped a Florida recount, effectively resolving the contested 2000 presidential election in favor of George W. Bush.

Neoconservatism

Late 20th/early 21st century conservative approach emphasizing spreading democracy and often using military action abroad; generally more favorable to global trade and relatively open immigration than paleoconservatives.

USA PATRIOT Act (2001)

Post-9/11 law that expanded federal surveillance and law-enforcement tools, intensifying debates over security versus civil liberties.

Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act (1999)

Law that repealed major Glass–Steagall provisions separating commercial and investment banking; critics argue it encouraged risky financial practices contributing to the 2008 recession.

Great Recession

Severe economic downturn beginning in late 2007, driven by a housing collapse, financial institution instability, reduced lending, and rising unemployment.

Affordable Care Act (ACA) (2010)

Health care reform that expanded access to insurance through regulations, marketplaces, subsidies, and Medicaid expansion options, reflecting ongoing debates over the welfare state and federal power.