Chapter 40: America Confronts the Post-Cold War Era (1992-2000)

William J. Clinton

42nd president of the US (1993-2001) known for his centrist policies that blended Democratic and Republican ideas

• economic growth, balancing federal budget, welfare reform

• Controversy over the Monica Lewinsky Affair

Ross Perot

Texas billionaire and entrepreneur who ran as an independent candidate in the 1992 and 1996 presidential elections

• most voted for independent candidate to ever run

• significantly impacted both races

• highlighted voter dissatisfaction with traditional party politics

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Policy

Compromise measure enacted during Clinton administration that allowed gay and lesbian individuals to serve in the US army as long as they didn’t disclose their sexual orientation and their superiors didn’t ask about it

• created environment of secrecy and fear

• repealed in 2011 under President Obama

Oklahoma City Bombing

An orchestrated bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building motivated by antigovernmental extremism

• led by Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols

• led to Congress passing the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1966

Newt Gingrich

Republican congressman from Georgia who created the “Contract with America,” conservative legislative agenda to help the Republican party win both houses of Congress in the 1994 midterm elections

• reform welfare, reduce government spending, implement term limits

• shift towards conservatism

Welfare Reform Bill

Bill signed into law by President Clinton fundamentally changing the nation’s welfare system by replacing “Aid to Families with Dependent Children” with “Temporary Assistance for Needy Families”

• reduce long-term dependency on government aid

• criticized for hurting low-income families

• victory for conservatives and their beliefs

NAFTA

Landmark trade agreement between US, Canada, and Mexico during Clinton administration to eliminate tariffs on goods between these countries

• greater economic integration and trade boosts

• critics say it led to the outsourcing of labor to Mexico and decline of unionized manufacturing jobs

World Trade Organization

Organization created to replace the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, providing a framework for international trade and dispute resolution

• promote free trade by reducing tariffs and other barriers

• fair treatment of other members

  • developing nations usually struggled to comply with the rules

Madeleine Albright

First female US Secretary of State under President Bill Clinton, shaping American foreign policy

• pivotal role in NATO intervention in Kosovo

  • expanded NATO in general to include Eastern Bloc nations

• Commitment to multilateral diplomacy with other nations

Whitewater Scandal

Bill and Hillary Clinton’s failed investment in the Whitewater Development Corporation (real estate venture in Arkansas)

• despite no criminal charges against the Clintons, the investigations here led to the Monica Lewinsky Scandal

• fueled partisan divisions and impropriety visions

Clinton-Lewinsky Scandal

Scandal in which President Bill Clinton was revealed to be engaging in sexual relations with a White House intern named Monica Lewinsky

• not necessarily the act that got Clinton in trouble but the fact he lied under oath in the Supreme Court

• tarnished Clinton’s legacy and presidency

Election of 2000

Election between Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Al gore

• one of the closest and most controversial elections in US history

  • completely hinged on Florida’s 25 electoral votes (multiple recounts)

  • widespread debate about the electoral college system