The Recent Past: Comprehensive Notes

Introduction

January 6, 2021: The U.S. Capitol was stormed by right-wing protestors fueled by lies and conspiracy theories about the November 2020 elections.
The protestors rallied in front of the White House to “Stop the Steal.”
The former U.S. president incited them to march on the Capitol to stop the certification of the November electoral vote, using strong language such as “You’ll never take back our country with weakness” and “Fight like hell.”
The protestors attacked police officers with metal pipes, baseball bats, hockey sticks, pepper spray, stun guns, and flag poles.
Capitol Police Officer Aquilino Gonell described the event as “like something from a medieval battle.”
D.C. Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone was beaten with flagpoles and tasered by the mob, who shouted, “Kill him with his own gun.”
The mob breached the barriers and entered the Capitol, marking a significant domestic assault on the American federal government since the Civil War.
The events of January 6 were rooted in historical context, including revolutionary technological change, global flows of goods, people, and capital, the War on Terror, increasing inequality, diversity, climate change, and political stalemate.
The present era is characterized by innovation, partisan division, racial and ethnic tension, protests, gender divides, uneven economic growth, widening inequalities, military interventions, mass violence, and anxieties about the future of the United States.

American Politics before September 11, 2001

The conservative Reagan Revolution influenced the 1988 presidential election.
George H.W. Bush promised to continue the conservative agenda and won against Michael Dukakis.
George H.W. Bush's background:
- Son of a U.S. senator from Connecticut.
- World War II veteran.
- President of an oil company.
- Chair of the Republican National Committee.
- Director of the CIA.
- Member of the House of Representatives from Texas.
- Vice president under Reagan.
Michael Dukakis ran a weak campaign, and Bush attacked him on moral and cultural issues.
Bush accused Dukakis of blocking the Pledge of Allegiance in Massachusetts schools and being a member of the ACLU.
A political ad featuring Willie Horton, a Black man who committed a rape after being released through a prison furlough program during Dukakis’s tenure as governor, was released.
Liberals criticized the “code word” politics reminiscent of the Southern Strategy.
Bush won a large victory, signaling the continued embrace of Reagan’s conservative program.
American liberalism was in retreat, marking the “Age of Reagan.”
The Soviet Union collapsed during Bush’s tenure due to a stagnant economy, the war in Afghanistan, dissident factions in Eastern Europe, and internal dissent.
Mikhail Gorbachev introduced glasnost (openness) and perestroika (political liberalization).
Eastern Bloc nations declared independence from the Soviet Union.
On December 25, 1991, Gorbachev resigned, declaring the Soviet Union’s end.
The dissolution of the Soviet Union left the United States as the sole superpower.
Global capitalism seemed triumphant, leading to discussions about the “end of history” and a new global consensus around peace and open markets, as discussed by Francis Fukuyama.
Assets in Eastern Europe were privatized, and market economies were introduced.
New markets emerged in Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe, including economic reforms in India and China.
The post–Cold War world still faced international conflicts, such as Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990.
The United States intervened with Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm after gaining congressional approval.
The Gulf War was a swift victory, showcasing new technologies like laser-guided precision bombing that amazed Americans, who watched live coverage on CNN.
The Iraqi army quickly disintegrated, and President Bush opted not to pursue the war into Baghdad.
Many wondered if the “ghosts of Vietnam” had been exorcised.
Bush won high popular support, with Gallup polls showing an approval rating as high as 89 percent.
Despite high popularity, Bush faced a primary challenge from Patrick Buchanan, who cast him as a moderate and unworthy steward of the conservative movement.
Buchanan weakened Bush’s candidacy, and several prominent Democrats passed on the chance to run in 1992.
Arkansas governor Bill Clinton was nominated by the Democratic Party.
Clinton was dogged by charges of marital infidelity and draft dodging but was charismatic and led by a skilled political team.
He presented himself as a New Democrat, a centrist open to free trade, tax cuts, and welfare reform.
Clinton framed the campaign as a generational choice and appealed to voters through appearances on MTV and The Arsenio Hall Show.
Bush ran on his experience, and the GOP convention featured speeches decrying moral decay.
Clinton convinced voters that his moderated southern brand of liberalism would be more effective than Bush’s moderate conservatism.
Bush’s candidacy was damaged by an economic recession (“It’s the economy, stupid.”).
Clinton won the election, but the Reagan Revolution still reigned.
Clinton and Gore, both moderate southerners, promised a path away from the old liberalism.
Clinton's first-term agenda included:
- Economic stimulus package.
- Universal health insurance.
- Continuation of Middle East peace talks.
- Welfare reform.
- Completion of NAFTA.
Clinton’s Third Way embraced conservative policies like welfare reform, open trade, and financial market deregulation.
NAFTA opened borders to the free flow of capital and goods but faced criticism from the Rust Belt.
American factories relocated to Mexico, taking advantage of low wages.
NAFTA was intended to incentivize Mexican workers to stay home by opening American borders to goods and services, but people still navigated strict legal barriers to immigration.
Prohibiting illegal migration proved difficult.
Poverty, political corruption, violence, and hopes for a better life continued to drive immigration.
Between 1990 and 2010, the proportion of foreign-born individuals in the United States grew significantly, and undocumented immigration tripled.
Immigration spread to the American South, with states like Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Georgia, and North Carolina seeing growth rates exceeding 100 percent.
Policies like Operation Gatekeeper and Hold the Line attempted to make crossing the border more prohibitive, funneling immigrants to dangerous areas.
Hundreds of immigrants died each year from drowning, exposure, and dehydration.
Clinton sought a middle ground on domestic issues, as seen with Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy on homosexuals in the military.
The policy removed questions about sexual orientation but required gay military personnel to keep their orientation private, alienating both conservatives and liberals.
Clinton’s push for universal healthcare collapsed due to conservative revolt, healthcare industry ads, and voter resistance.
The midterm elections of 1994 were disastrous for Democrats, who lost the House of Representatives for the first time since 1952.
Republicans, led by Newt Gingrich and Dick Armey, offered the Contract with America, a conservative legislative blueprint.
Social conservatives were mobilized by the Christian Coalition, led by Pat Robertson and Ralph Reed.
In 1996, Clinton won reelection against Bob Dole, aided by the amelioration of conservatives through the signing of welfare reform legislation (Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996).
The act decreased welfare benefits, restricted eligibility, and turned over many responsibilities to states.
Clinton presided over a booming economy fueled by emergent computing technologies and the Internet.
The dot-com boom spurred economic growth and financial speculation.
Republicans sought to undermine Clinton's presidency through investigations and media focus on sex scandals.
Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives for perjury but acquitted by the Senate.
The 2000 election pitted Albert Gore Jr. against George W. Bush, with Gore distancing himself from Clinton.
Bush ran as a compassionate conservative and appealed to religious voters.
The election was extremely close, with the Electoral College hinging on a contested Florida election.
The U.S. Supreme Court intervened in Bush v. Gore, ruling that the recount had to end, awarding Florida and the presidency to Bush.
In his first months, Bush pushed for tax cuts favoring America’s highest earners.
The dot-com bubble burst, and old political and cultural fights continued.

September 11 and the War on Terror

On September 11, 2001, nineteen al-Qaeda operatives hijacked four passenger planes.
- American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center at 8:46 a.m. EDT.
- United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the South Tower at 9:03 a.m.
- American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon at 9:37 a.m.
- United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in a field outside Shanksville, Pennsylvania, at 10:03 a.m.
Nearly three thousand Americans were killed.
President Bush addressed the nation, promising to find those responsible.
Al-Qaeda, led by Osama bin Laden, was identified as the perpetrator.
Al-Qaeda, sheltered by the Taliban in Afghanistan, was responsible for past attacks on U.S. interests.
Bin Laden’s Islamic radicalism attracted supporters across the region.
Bush advanced the Bush Doctrine, allowing the United States to unilaterally and preemptively make war on any regime or terrorist organization that posed a threat.
This led to protracted conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The United States had a history in Afghanistan, having financed and armed the Mujahideen against the Soviet invasion in 1979.
Osama bin Laden also fought with the Mujahideen.
The Soviet Union withdrew from Afghanistan in 1989.
After September 11, the Bush administration planned military action against al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
Operation Enduring Freedom began in October 2001 with air and missile strikes.
Major Afghan cities fell quickly, and bin Laden and al-Qaeda retreated into the mountains along the Pakistan border.
The American occupation of Afghanistan continued.
The Bush administration focused on Iraq, maintaining economic sanctions, weapons inspections, and no-fly zones after the Gulf War in 1991, costing the U.S. approximately $1.5 billion$ annually.
In 1998, President Clinton launched punitive strikes against Iraq, targeting chemical weapons facilities.
The Bush administration pushed for “regime change” in Iraq, deceptively tying Saddam Hussein to international terrorists.
Congress passed the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq resolution.
Secretary of State Colin Powell presented allegations of an Iraqi weapons program to the United Nations.
The first American bombs hit Baghdad on March 20, 2003, leading to the collapse of Hussein’s regime.
On May 1, 2003, Bush announced that “major combat operations in Iraq have ended,” but no weapons of mass destruction were found, and the Iraqi insurgency began.
Saddam Hussein was captured on December 13, 2003, found guilty of crimes against humanity, and hanged on December 30, 2006.
The war in Iraq continued.

The End of the Bush Years

The War on Terror was central in the 2004 presidential race.
John F. Kerry attacked Bush for the inability to contain the Iraqi insurgency, the Abu Ghraib prison abuse, and the failure to find Osama bin Laden.
Enemy combatants were detained indefinitely at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, leading to controversy over harsh treatment and torture.
Bush defended the War on Terror, winning a close election.
The second Bush term faced continued deterioration in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, exposing a broken administrative system and social inequalities.
Thousands of refugees flocked to the Superdome, and critics charged Bush with ignoring displaced poor and Black residents of New Orleans.
Immigration, influenced by economic incentives, continued despite anti-immigration policies.
Legislation was passed to build a border “fence,” but moderate conservatives and liberals feared upsetting business interests and alienating voting blocs.
Iraq descended further into chaos, with insurgents battling American troops and groups like al-Qaeda in Iraq bombing civilians.
In 2007, twenty-seven thousand additional troops were deployed to Iraq under General David Petraeus, pacifying many cities and providing cover for the withdrawal of American forces.
U.S. combat forces withdrew from Iraqi cities before June 30, 2009, and the last forces left Iraq on December 18, 2011, though violence and instability persisted.
In 2006, the Taliban reemerged in Afghanistan, leading to a prolonged conflict.

The Great Recession

The Great Recession began with the bursting of a speculative bubble in home prices.
Financial services firms made risky loans and bundled them together, becoming difficult to determine who owned what.
Decades of financial deregulation had allowed risky business practices, including the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act signed by Bill Clinton, which repealed provisions of the Glass-Steagall Act.
Mortgages were heavily leveraged, leading to the collapse of firms like Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers when homeowners defaulted.
President Bush signed the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act, and the federal government poured billions into propping up banks, creating resentment throughout the country.
The Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street movements protested the cronyism and inequalities of the American economy.
The Great Recession magnified income and wealth inequalities, with the wealthiest 1 percent experiencing significant gains.
A weak labor movement and a strong conservative bloc stymied attempts to reverse economic inequalities.
The Great Recession led to slow job growth, high unemployment rates, and wage freezes.
Young workers were significantly affected by the economic collapse.

The Obama Years

In 2008, Barack Obama became the first African American elected to the presidency, having opposed military action in Iraq.
Obama won the support of an antiwar electorate and was seen as a new political direction after the economic collapse under Bush.
Obama continued the bank bailout and launched an economic stimulus plan.
A conservative Republican firewall arose, with the Tea Party opposing the Obama administration.
The Tea Party registered deep suspicions of the federal government and steered the Republican Party to the right.
Obama's most substantive achievement was the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).
The plan adopted a model of subsidized private care and faced conservative protests.
The law abolished pre-existing conditions, scrapped junk plans, provided for state-run healthcare exchanges, offered states funds to subsidize Medicaid, and required all Americans to have health insurance.
The number of uninsured Americans remained high, and conservatives attacked the bill.
In 2009, Obama deployed additional troops to Afghanistan and targeted al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
In May 2011, U.S. Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden.
The United States and NATO began a phased withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2011, with an aim of removing all combat troops by 2014.
As of December 2013, the war in Afghanistan had claimed the lives of 3,397 U.S. service members.

Stagnation

In 2012, Barack Obama won a second term but faced congressional gridlock, leading to a sense of stagnation.
The economy continued its halfhearted recovery, with wages stagnating and employment sagging.
By 2016, the average American worker had not received a raise in almost forty years.
Most income gains were captured by a small number of wealthy earners.
Money saturated American politics, with campaign fundraising reaching record levels.
The Supreme Court removed barriers to outside political spending in Citizens United v. FEC.
The influence of money heightened partisan gridlock, blocking progress on issues like climate change.
Despite scientific consensus, American public opinion and political action lagged on addressing global warming.
Resistance to addressing climate change was partly economic, with concerns about sacrificing immediate growth.
Relations with China were characterized by contradictions and interdependence.
China has experienced massive economic growth, becoming a leading trade partner with the United States.

American Carnage

By 2016, American voters were fed up, leading to the nomination of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, the most unpopular nominees in modern American history.
Trump, decrying political correctness, promised to build a wall and bar Muslim immigrants.
Voters channeled frustration with frozen incomes, political gridlock, and tense race relations.
Clinton failed to carry key Midwestern states, and Donald Trump won the presidency.
Political divisions deepened after the election.
Trump’s presidency consumed national attention, with Robert Mueller’s investigation and divisive policies.
Border apprehensions and deportations reached record levels, with Trump pushing for a wall and deporting Dreamers.
A 2017 tax cut continued the redistribution of American wealth toward corporations and wealthy individuals.
In his inaugural address, Trump promised to end “American carnage,” but the nation spiraled deeper into cultural and racial divisions.
Trump smashed norms of the presidency, using his Twitter account and frequently lying.
Joseph R. Biden defeated Donald Trump in the 2020 election, but Trump refused to concede, claiming the election was stolen.
On January 6, 2021, Trump’s followers converged on the Capitol, breaching the building and battling police officers.
The Capitol attackers injured about 150 officers, and Capitol Police Officer Brian D. Sicknick was killed.
Rioters held the Capitol for several hours before the National Guard cleared it.
Congress certified the results of the election despite the day's events.
Republican lawmakers lodged objections to the certification, and Donald Trump was impeached for “incitement of insurrection."

The Pandemic

In the winter of 2019 and 2020, Covid-19 emerged in Wuhan, China, spreading globally.
Countries began locking down, air travel slowed, and the virus was highly contagious.
Many who had the virus were asymptomatic, but others, especially the elderly and those with co-morbidities, were severely affected.
The virus attacked their airways, suffocating them. Doctors didn’t know what they were battling
The virus hit New York City in the Spring.
The country shut down with flights stopped and schools and restaurants closed.
White-collar workers transitioned to working from home while others went without pay.
By April, 10 million Americans had lost their jobs.
Many workers couldn’t stay home with hourly workers, lacking paid sick leave, had to choose between a paycheck and reporting to work having been exposed or even when presenting symptoms
By May, 100,000 Americans were dead.
By the end of the summer of 2021, according to official counts, over 600,000 Americans had died from Covid-19. By May 2022, the official death toll in the United States crossed one million.

New Horizons

Public commentary concerned “Millennials” and “Generation Z.”
Millennials were more diverse, more liberal, less religious, and wracked by economic insecurity.
Millennial attitudes toward homosexuality and gay marriage reflected significant changes.
Polls registered majority support for the legalization of gay marriage.
In June 2015, the Supreme Court ruled in Obergefell v. Hodges that same-sex marriage was a constitutional right.
Young Americans embraced technology, with the Apple iPhone popularizing smartphones.
Americans used smartphones and social media networks for news and information.
New online media companies churned out provocatively titled, easy-to-digest stories.
The easy accessibility of video capturing and the ability for stories to go viral outside traditional media, for instance, brought new attention to the tense and often violent relations between municipal police officers and African Americans.
The 2014 death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mis- souri, sparked protests and focused the issue. It perhaps became a testament to the power of social media platforms such as Twitter that a hashtag, #blacklivesmatter, became a ral- lying cry for protesters and counterhashtags, #alllivesmatter and #bluelivesmatter, for crit- ics. The deaths of Eric Garner, twelve-year-old Tamir Rice, Philando Castile, and were captured on cell phone cameras and went viral
George Floyd’s murder in 2020 sparked the largest protests in American history.
Racial disparities in wealth, education, and health persisted.
The #MeToo movement injected intolerance toward sexual harassment and violence, sparked by the candidacy and presidency of Donald Trump.
The Women’s March brought demonstrators to Washington, D.C., and cities around the country.
On June 24, 2022, the new conservative majority decided Dobbs v. Jackson, overturning Roe v. Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992), cases that es- tablished a constitutional right to abortion.
The broader American culture increasingly featured transgender individuals in media, and debates arose over “bathroom bills."
Immigration continued as a potent political issue, with younger Americans proving far more comfortable with immigration and diversity.
The demographics of the United States were transformed, with the Hispanicization of the United States being a key trend.

Conclusion

The collapse of the Soviet Union did not bring global peace, and the attacks of September 11, 2001, plunged the United States into conflicts.
Economic recession, slow recovery, stagnant wage growth, and contentious politics poisoned social harmony, leading to the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
New generations bring new perspectives and ideas, and the world is not foreordained but a product of history.