From Cold War to Culture Wars Vocabulary

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers key political, economic, and social terms from the period of 1980 to 2000, focusing on the Reagan, Bush, and Clinton administrations.

ACT UP

The AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, a group formed in $1987$ in New York City to combat the spread of AIDS and the perception that it was a product of immoral behavior.

Reagan Revolution

A political shift led by Ronald Reagan promising that conservative principles could halt and revert the social and economic changes of the previous generation.

New Right

A group of conservative Americans, including wealthy supporters and evangelical Christians, that emerged in response to social reforms and cultural changes of the $1960 ext{s}$ and $1970 ext{s}$.

Moral Majority

A political organization founded by Jerry Falwell that consisted of evangelical Christians who opposed abortion, the feminist movement, and sex education in public schools.

Reaganomics

Economic policies based on supply-side theory, which aimed to stimulate the economy by cutting taxes for the wealthy and deregulating industry.

Supply-side economics

An economic theory influenced by Arthur Laffer suggesting that cutting income taxes for the rich would motivate investment and eventually create jobs further down the socioeconomic ladder.

Economic Recovery Tax Act

A $1981$ law that phased in a $25[\%]$ overall reduction in taxes over a period of three years.

PATCO

The Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization, which was effectively destroyed after President Reagan fired $12,000$ striking federal air traffic controllers in $1981$.

Yuppies

Standing for "(y)oung, (u)rban (p)rofessionals," these individuals were materialistic and obsessed with image, comfort, and economic prosperity in the $1980 ext{s}$.

Heritage Foundation

A conservative think tank launched in $1973$ that produced the document "Mandate for Leadership" to guide the Reagan administration’s policy.

STOP ERA

A movement led by Phyllis Schlafly that argued the Equal Rights Amendment would eliminate gender-specific privileges like separate restrooms and exemptions from the draft.

PMRC

The Parents Music Resource Center, a bipartisan group formed in $1985$ to limit children's exposure to music with sexual or violent content through a voluntary rating system.

HIV/AIDS

Human immunodeficiency virus/autoimmune deficiency syndrome, a health crisis first recognized in $1981$ that was initially associated primarily with the gay community.

War on Drugs

A campaign to "get tough on crime" that included initiatives like "Just Say No" and led to mandatory minimum sentences and mass incarceration.

Vietnam Syndrome

The reluctance to use military force in foreign countries for fear of a humiliating defeat, which influenced U.S. foreign policy after the mid-$1970 ext{s}$.

Hezbollah

Iranian-trained militants who carried out the $1983$ barracks bombing in Beirut that killed more than $200$ U.S. troops.

Contras

A group of anti-Sandinista Nicaraguans trained and equipped by the CIA to oust the Marxist-inspired government led by Daniel Ortega.

Iran-Contra affair

A scandal where National Security Council officials secretly sold weapons to Iran and used the proceeds to support the Contras in violation of a congressional ban.

SDI

The Strategic Defense Initiative, or "Star Wars," a proposed defensive shield to protect the United States from Soviet missile strikes.

INF Treaty

The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty signed in $1987$ by Reagan and Gorbachev to eliminate a whole category of nuclear weapons.

START

The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty signed in July $1991$ by Bush and Gorbachev, committing both nations to reducing their nuclear arsenals by $25[\%]$.

Operation Desert Storm

A $100$-hour land war in early $1991$ where a U.S.-led international coalition expelled Iraqi forces from Kuwait.

Americans with Disabilities Act

A far-reaching civil rights law supported by George H. W. Bush that prohibited discrimination based on disability in public accommodations and employment.

New Democrat

A faction of the Democratic Party, including Bill Clinton, that favored free trade, deregulation, and welfare reform.

NAFTA

The North American Free Trade Agreement, a treaty ratified in $1993$ that eliminated trade restrictions between the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Hillarycare

A nickname for the Health Security Act of $1993$, a proposal for universal healthcare coverage headed by Hillary Clinton that ultimately failed to pass.

Contract with America

A $1994$ document signed by Republican representatives promising specific legislative reforms, such as waste reduction and responsible spending.

DOMA

The Defense of Marriage Act ($1996$), which defined marriage as a heterosexual union and allowed states to refuse recognition of same-sex marriages from other states.

Oklahoma City bombing

A $1995$ act of domestic terrorism by Timothy McVeigh that killed $168$ people at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building.

Oslo Accords

A $1993$ agreement granting some self-rule to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and West Bank, signed by Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat.