Prosperity and a New World Order (1988-2000)

Question 1

Operation Desert Storm (1991)

Answer 1

military action by the U.S. and a coalition of ALlied nations against Iraq and Saddam Hussein after Iraq invaded Kuwait; this operation was a success, although the decision was made to not force Hussein from power

Question 2

Whitewater

Answer 2

series of real estate dealings in Arkansas involving Bill Clinton long before he became president. Republicans accused Clinton of financial improprieties in the Whitewater affair; a number of his former associates went to jail but no charges against the president were ever proven. This was one of the several accusations that eventually led to Clinton being impeached

Question 3

Contract with America

Answer 3

list of conservative measures proposed by Republicans after winning control of the House of Representatives in 1994; it included term limits and promises to balance the federal budget and to reduce the size of the federal government. Republican supporters of the Contract were led by Speaker of the House Gingrich.

Question 4

gridlock

Answer 4

situation when the president is a member of one party and Congress is controlled by the other party, causing a situation where little legislation is passed. This was used to describe the situation with President Clinton and the Republican Congress after the 1994 Congressional elections.

Question 5

New Democrat

Answer 5

term used to describe Bill Clinton and his supporters during his two terms in office. A New Democrat was pragmatic and not tied to the traditional democratic belief in big government. Some in the Democratic party maintained that Clinton sold out the principals of the party by combining Republican and Democratic ideas.

Question 6

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

Answer 6

ratified in 1994 by the Senate, this agreement established a free trade zone between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. Critics of the agreement claim that many jobs were lost in the U.S. because of it.

Question 7

globalization

Answer 7

belief that the U.S. should work closely with other nations of the world to solve common problems. Policies that supported this approach included NAFTA, the U.S. working more closely with the United Nations, and “nation-building” abroad. Many of Clinton’s policies of globalization were rejected by George Bush.

Question 8

Contract with America

Answer 8

1994 pledge by Republican candidates for the House of Representatives; led by Gringrich, candidates promised to support term limits, balancing the budgets, and lessening the size of the federal government. In the 1994 Congressional elections, Republicans won both houses for the first time in 40 years.

Question 9

New Right

Answer 9

conservative movement that began in the 1960s and supported Republican candidates into the twenty-first century; many voters from the South and from the middle class were attracted by the New Right’s emphasis on patriotism and strict moral values.