APUSH Ch. 36

Proposition 13

A successful California state ballot initiative that capped the state's real estate tax at 1 percent of assessed value. The proposition radically reduced average property tax levels, decreasing revenue for the state government and signaling the political power of the "tax revolt," increasingly aligned with conservative politics.

boll weevils

Term for conservative Southern Democrats who voted increasingly for Republican issues during the Carter and Reagan administrations.

supply-side economics

Economic theory that underlay Ronald Reagan's tax and spending cuts. Contrary to Keynesianism, supply-side theory declared that government policy should aim to increase the supply of goods and services, rather than the demand for them. It held that lower taxes and decreased regulation would increase productivity by providing increased incentives to work, thus increasing productivity and the tax base.

Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)

Reagan administration plan announced in 1983 to create a missile-defense system over American territory to block a nuclear attack. Derided as "Star Wars" by critics, the plan typified Reagan's commitment to vigorous defense spending even as he sought to limit the size of government in domestic matters.

Sandinistas

Leftwing anti-American revolutionaries in Nicaragua who launched a civil war in 1979.

Contras

Anti-Sandinista fighters in the Nicaraguan civil war. The Contras were secretly supplied with American military aid, paid for with money the United States clandestinely made selling arms to Iran.

glasnost

Meaning "openness," a cornerstone along with perestroika of Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev's reform movement in the USSR in the 1980s. These policies resulted in greater market liberalization, access to the West, and ultimately the end of communist rule.

perestroika

Meaning "restructuring," a cornerstone along with glasnost of Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev's reform movement in the USSR in the 1980s. These policies resulted in greater market liberalization, access to the West, and ultimately the end of communist rule.

Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty

Arms limitation agreement settled by Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev after several attempts. The treaty banned all intermediate-range nuclear missiles from Europe and marked a significant thaw in the Cold War.

Iran-Contra affair

Major political scandal of Ronald Reagan's second term that was revealed in 1986. An illicit arrangement of selling "arms for hostages" with Iran and using money to support the contras in Nicaragua, the scandal deeply damaged Reagan's credibility.

Moral Majority

Political action committee founded by evangelical Reverend Jerry Falwell in 1979 to promote traditional Christian values and oppose feminism, abortion, and gay rights. The group was a major linchpin in the resurgent religious right of the 1980s.

Black Monday

October 19, 1987. Date of the largest single-day decline in the Dow Jones Industrial Average until September 2001. The downturn indicated instability in the booming business culture of the 1980s but did not lead to a serious economic recession.

Operation Desert Storm

U.S.-led multicountry military engagement in January and February of 1991 that drove Saddam Hussein's Iraqi army out of neighboring Kuwait. In addition to presaging the longer and more protracted Iraq War of the 2000s, the 1991 war helped undo what some called the "Vietnam Syndrome," a feeling of military uncertainty that plagued many Americans.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Landmark law signed by President George H. W. Bush that prohibited discrimination against people with physical or mental handicaps. It represented a legislative triumph for champions of equal protections to all.

Ronald Reagan

40th President (1981-1989). Former actor and California governor who led conservative revolution. Cut taxes, increased defense spending, and confronted USSR. Ended Cold War era.

Margaret Thatcher

British Prime Minister (1979-1990) and close Reagan ally. Conservative who privatized industries and confronted unions. First female British PM; defined 1980s conservatism.

Mikhail Gorbachev

Soviet leader (1985-1991) whose reforms (glasnost, perestroika) led to end of Cold War and collapse of USSR. Negotiated arms reductions with Reagan.

Saddam Hussein

Iraqi dictator whose invasion of Kuwait (1990) triggered the Gulf War. U.S. supported him in Iran-Iraq War before confronting him. Overthrown in 2003 invasion.

Jerry Falwell

Baptist minister who founded the Moral Majority (1979), mobilizing evangelical Christians for conservative politics. Key figure in the Religious Right's rise.

Sandra Day O'Connor

First woman appointed to the Supreme Court (1981, by Reagan). Moderate conservative who often cast deciding votes. Served until 2006.

George H. W. Bush

41st President (1989-1993). Former CIA director and Reagan's VP. Led Gulf War coalition; signed ADA. Lost reelection amid recession and broken tax pledge.

Boris Yeltsin

First President of Russian Federation (1991-1999) who oversaw Soviet collapse and chaotic transition to capitalism. His struggles symbolized post-Cold War Russia's difficulties.

Nelson Mandela

South African anti-apartheid leader imprisoned for 27 years. Released 1990; became South Africa's first Black president (1994). Symbol of reconciliation and justice.

Manuel Noriega

Leader of the Panamanian Defense Forces, Noriega supplied information to the CIA during the Bush administration, but was indicted in 1988 for drug and other charges and eventually captured and convicted after a military standoff with U.S. troops in Panama.

Clarence Thomas

Conservative African American Supreme Court Justice appointed by Bush (1991). Confirmation hearings marked by Anita Hill's sexual harassment allegations.