From Cold War to Culture Wars, 1980-2000 – Study Flashcards

A collection of question-and-answer flashcards covering key people, events, policies, and concepts from the U.S. history period 1980-2000 as presented in the lecture notes.

What name was given to Ronald Reagan’s economic program that combined tax cuts with reduced government spending?

Reaganomics

On which economic theory, promising that benefits would “trickle down,” was Reaganomics based?

Supply-side economics

Which economist’s ideas (often illustrated by the “Laffer curve”) strongly influenced Reaganomics?

Arthur Laffer

What late-1970s economic condition of high inflation and unemployment did Reagan hope to end?

Stagflation

What nickname was used for the affluent young professionals who thrived during the 1980s boom?

“Yuppies”

Before entering politics, what profession first made Ronald Reagan nationally famous?

Hollywood film actor

Which Hollywood labor union did Ronald Reagan head before his political career?

Screen Actors Guild

For which corporation did Reagan serve as a television spokesman, boosting his conservative image?

General Electric

In what year did Ronald Reagan officially switch from the Democratic to the Republican Party?

1962

For which 1964 Republican presidential nominee did Reagan campaign, launching his political rise?

Barry Goldwater

What term describes the coalition of evangelicals, fiscal conservatives, and anti-government voters who backed Reagan?

The New Right

Which evangelical leader organized the politically active Moral Majority?

Jerry Falwell

Which proposed constitutional amendment granting equal rights to women was opposed by many Christian conservatives?

The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)

What label was applied to middle- and working-class voters who disliked big government but had not previously voted with religious conservatives?

Neoconservatives

Once president, how did Reagan position himself on the ERA debate?

He adopted a largely neutral stance, neither supporting nor actively opposing it.

Which health crisis of the 1980s was first mislabeled GRID and linked (incorrectly) almost exclusively to gay men?

HIV/AIDS

What was the original medical nickname for AIDS that reflected early misunderstanding of the disease?

Gay-Related Immune Deficiency (GRID)

What anti-drug slogan, championed by First Lady Nancy Reagan, became emblematic of the 1980s "war on drugs"?

“Just Say No.”

What inexpensive smokable form of cocaine triggered fears of urban crime in the 1980s?

Crack cocaine

What phrase described America’s post-Vietnam reluctance to use military force abroad?

Vietnam Syndrome

Which Soviet leader introduced the reforms of perestroika and glasnost?

Mikhail Gorbachev

What 1987 agreement between Reagan and Gorbachev eliminated an entire class of intermediate-range nuclear missiles?

The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty

What 1991 treaty signed by George H. W. Bush and Gorbachev reduced U.S. and Soviet nuclear arsenals by about 25 percent?

The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I)

What 1991 U.S.-led military operation drove Iraqi forces from Kuwait?

Operation Desert Storm

What prior 1990 deployment to defend Saudi Arabia set the stage for Desert Storm?

Operation Desert Shield

Which 1990 law, strongly backed by President George H. W. Bush, outlawed discrimination against people with disabilities?

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Who accused Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment during his 1991 Senate hearings?

Anita Hill

What was the final U.S. Senate vote that confirmed Clarence Thomas?

52 in favor, 48 against

What political label did Bill Clinton use to signal his centrist, pro-growth approach within the Democratic Party?

“New Democrat.”

Which 1993 agreement created a tariff-free common market among the United States, Canada, and Mexico?

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

What 1994 Republican campaign document promised eight legislative initiatives if the party gained Congress?

Contract with America

Who were the principal authors of the Contract with America?

Newt Gingrich and Richard “Dick” Armey

Which 1995 terrorist attack killed 168 people at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building?

The Oklahoma City bombing by Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols

What 1983 phrase did Reagan use to describe the Soviet Union, underscoring his cold-warrior stance?

“Evil empire.”

While cutting social programs, on which federal budget area did Reagan markedly increase spending?

National defense

What colloquial term was used for the promise that tax cuts for the wealthy would eventually benefit everyone?

“Trickle-down economics.”

Which U.S. president assembled the 34-nation coalition that confronted Iraq in 1990–91?

George H. W. Bush

On what two charges did the House of Representatives impeach President Bill Clinton in 1998?

Perjury and obstruction of justice

What was President Bill Clinton’s public approval rating when he left office in January 2001?

Approximately 66 percent

What social movement successfully defeated the ERA in the 1980s, symbolizing conservative backlash?

The Christian Right/family-values movement

What were the two main elements of Gorbachev’s reform policies?

Perestroika (economic restructuring) and glasnost (political openness)

Which domestic demographic bulge contributed to higher crime rates, independent of drug issues, in the early 1980s?

Baby-boom males aged 16–36

What international organization did 12 former Soviet republics form in 1992 after the USSR collapsed?

The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)

Which controversial U.S. military buildup program under Reagan sought to heal the perceived weakness revealed in Vietnam?

A massive peacetime defense expansion to overcome Vietnam Syndrome