CHAPTER 40 The Resurgence of Conservatism, 1981 1992 Checklist of Learning Objectives After mastering this chapter, you should be able to: 1. Describe the rise of Reagan and the New Right in the 1980s, including their effective use of social issues like abortion, affirmative action, and homosexuality. 2. Explain the Reagan revolution in economic policy, and indicate its immediate and long-term consequences. 3. Describe the revival of the Cold War in Reagan s first term and the consequences of Reagan s tough stands toward the Soviet Union. 4. Discuss the growing American entanglement in Central American and Middle Eastern troubles in the 1980s, including the Iran-Contra Affair. 5. Describe the change in Soviet policies initiated by Mikhail Gorbachev and Reagan s second-term turn to negotiation with the Soviets. 6. Analyze the growing power of the religious right in American politics and the battles over abortion and other issues before the Supreme Court. 7. Describe the end of the Cold War and its complex consequences for America s foreign relations and domestic economy. 8. Explain America s growing involvement in the Middle East, including the First Persian Gulf War and its aftermath. Multiple Choice Select the best answer and circle the corresponding letter. 1. In the 1980 national elections A. Ronald Reagan declared that as a conservative he would not seek drastic changes in American foreign or domestic policy. B. Ronald Reagan won the presidency, but both houses of Congress retained Democratic party majorities. C. Ronald Reagan won the presidency by the closest margin since the Kennedy-Nixon election of 1960. D. Senator Edward Kennedy s primary challenge to incumbent President Carter revealed the divisions and weakness of the Democratic party. 2. Ronald Reagan was similar to Franklin D. Roosevelt in that both presidents A. championed the common person against vast impersonal menaces. B. came from privileged backgrounds and family wealth. C. favored social engineering by the government. D. emphasized hands-on management skills rather than ideology. 3. Ronald Reagan differed from Franklin D. Roosevelt because Reagan A. said big business was the enemy of the common person, while Roosevelt declared that the problem was big government. B. appealed to the working class, while Roosevelt appealed primarily to the rich. C. branded big government as the enemy of the common person, while Roosevelt said that big business was the major foe. D. was effective in using the media to appeal directly to the American people, while Roosevelt was less successful as a media communicator.
4. Conservative Democrats who helped Ronald Reagan pass his budget and tax-cutting legislation were called A. boll weevils. B. scalawags. C. neoconservatives. D. Contras. 5. The one area of the federal government activity that Ronald Reagan spent lavishly on was A. farm programs. B. social security. C. defense. D. education. 6. Reagan s fundamental principle in negotiating with the Soviet Union was to A. trade America s minor interests for major concessions from the Soviets. B. negotiate only from a position of overwhelming military superiority. C. negotiate only in cooperation with the Western European allies. D. insist on greater human rights and economic freedoms as conditions of the negotiations. 7. President Reagan formed a strong personal and political partnership with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher based upon A. their belief in cultivating support for Western policies from Third World countries. B. their common devotion to protecting the social safety net for those left behind by technological change. C. their shared support for a stronger role for religion in public and political life. D. their mutual support for vigorous free-market economics and tough confrontation with the Soviet Union. 8. Reagan s key agreements with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev provided for A. the eventual end of communism inside the Soviet Union. B. a major reduction in both Soviet and American nuclear weapons and intercontinental missiles. C. an end to Soviet and American sponsorship of governments and rebels in the Third World. D. the banning of all intermediate-range nuclear missiles from Europe. 9. In the bitter 1980s war between Islamic revolutionary Iran and Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, the United States A. maintained strict neutrality and an arms embargo on both sides. B. secretly supported the Iranians in hopes that they could overthrow Saddam Hussein. C. ended up supplying weapons to both sides. D. tried to negotiate a peaceful settlement of the war. 10. The religious right movement of the 1980s adopted many ideas and tactics from the 1960s new left such as A. practicing identity politics, consciousness raising, and civil disobedience. B. taking over traditional political party machines from within. C. wearing Native American clothing and hairstyles. D. relying on charismatic personal leaders rather than ideology.
11. Among the issues that many religious right activists were most concerned about were A. abortion and gay rights. B. taxation and economic development. C. U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. D. energy and environmental protection. 12. The 1989 Supreme Court decision that upheld some state restrictions on a woman s right to have an abortion was A. Roe v. Wade. B. Webster v. Reproductive Health Services. C. Brown v. Board of Education. D. the Miranda decision. 13. In which of the following communist nations did mass protests, demanding liberty and democracy, in the years 1989 1991 completely fail? A. East Germany B. China C. Poland D. Cuba 14. The great success achieved by American and Allied forces in the 1991 Persian Gulf War was the A. overthrow of Saddam Hussein. B. liberation of Kuwait from Iraqi rule. C. freeing of the Kurds from Iraqi oppression. D. achievement of an enduring peace in the Middle East. 15. The bitter hearings over the confirmation of Clarence Thomas to the U.S. Supreme Court revealed A. the continued American public fear of interracial sexual relations. B. President George H.W. Bush s attempt to steer the Supreme Court in a moderate direction. C. the American public s disgust at hearing public testimony about sexual harassment. D. a growing gender gap, with more women turning away from Republican social policies.
Chapter 41 America Confronts the Post-Cold War Era, 1992 2011 Checklist of Learning Objectives After mastering this chapter, you should be able to: 1. Describe the major domestic developments of the Clinton administration, including Clinton s attempts to govern as a New Democrat and the fierce partisan warfare against him conducted by Gingrich Republicans. 2. Discuss the causes and consequences of the violence that plagued American society in the 1990s. 3. Discuss America s challenges in developing a foreign policy in the post Cold War environment, including the U.S. intervention in the Balkans and the continuing failure to achieve peace in the Middle East. 4. Describe the disputed 2000 election between Albert Gore, Jr. and George W. Bush, and indicate how and why American politics remained sharply polarized the first decade of the twenty-first century. 5. Discuss the impact of the September 11 terrorist attacks on American society and global involvements, including the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. 6. Describe President George Bush s domestic and foreign policies, and explain why they met increasing opposition after Bush s victory in the 2004 election. 7. Indicate how both Democrats and Republicans attempted to respond to the concerns about the economy and the Iraq War, and identify each nominated presidential candidate strongly advocating change from the Bush administration. Multiple Choice Select the best answer and circle the corresponding letter. 1. Bill Clinton defeated incumbent President George Bush in 1992 by focusing especially on the issue of. A. the environment. B. the economy. C. health care. D. education 2. In 1992, businessman H. Ross Perot made the strongest showing of any third-party presidential candidate since Theodore Roosevelt by winning approximately percent of the popular vote. A. 5 B. 10 C. 20 D. 40 3. Two areas where President Clinton s initial attempts at liberal reform failed badly were A. free trade and welfare reform. B. the environment and consumer protection. C. health care and gay service in the military. D. affirmative action and education funding. 4. Two areas where the Clinton administration achieved success in domestic affairs were A. political campaign reform and term limits. B. gun control and deficit reduction. C. immigration reform and improved race relations. D. environmental protection and stock market regulation.
5. The assault on the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, and the bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building were both extreme, violent expressions of a wider 1990s atmosphere of A. religious belief in the imminent end of the world. B. disillusionment with government and hostility to politicians. C. anger toward ethnic minorities and immigrants. D. tolerance for foreign terrorist assaults on the United States. 6. The new Republican congressional majority, led by House Speaker Newt Gingrich, caused a severe backlash in favor of President Clinton in 1995 when it A. restricted unfunded mandates imposed on state and local governments. B. supported the Welfare Reform Act, cutting welfare benefits and requiring recipients to seek employment. C. attempted to prohibit sex education in the public schools. D. shut down the federal government for a time and proposed sending children on welfare to orphanages. 7. Despite the great prosperity of the 1990s economy, President Clinton experienced controversy and strong opposition to his policy of A. expanding global free trade and supporting the World Trade Organization. B. reducing the power and benefits of American unions. C. imposing regulations on the highly speculative dot.com Internet businesses and their stock offerings. D. demanding that China allow full human rights in exchange for greater American trade. 8. The Democratic minority s fundamental defense of the impeachment charges against President Clinton was that A. Clinton had not committed the acts with which he was charged. B. Clinton s actions were personal failings that did not rise to the constitutional level of high crimes and misdemeanors. C. the nation could not afford to remove an incumbent president during a time of international crisis. D. the special prosecutor Kenneth Starr did not understand the changes in contemporary Americans attitudes toward sexuality. 9. Victory in the 2000 presidential election was eventually awarded to George W. Bush when A. the Florida legislature awarded that state s electoral votes to Bush. B. the Supreme Court ruled in Bush s favor that Florida s hand counting of ballots was illegal. C. Al Gore conceded that it was impossible for him to win. D. a joint session of Congress declared Bush the winner. 10. One of George W. Bush s first vigorously conservative and nationalistic actions in office was to repudiate American participation in the A. International Atomic Energy Agency. B. United Nations World Health Organization. C. International Criminal Court and the Geneva Conventions on the treatment of prisoners. D. Kyoto Global Warming Treaty. 11. The fundamentalist Islamic party that ruled Afghanistan and shielded Osama bin Laden prior to the September 11 attacks was A. Al Qaeda. B. Hamas. C. the Baath Party. D. the Taliban.
12. Which of the following was not among the reasons offered by President George W. Bush for America s 2003 invasion of Iraq? A. Possible Iraqi involvement in the September 11 attacks B. The need for the U.S. to control Iraqi oil supplies C. Saddam Hussein s possession of weapons of mass destruction D. Saddam Hussein s cruel oppression of his own people 13. Which of the following was not among the controversial Bush administration actions that led to increased polarization between supporters and opponents of the administration? A. Attorney General Ashcroft s zealous enforcement of the USA-Patriot Act B. Bush s strong anti-abortion policies C. The reduction of benefits for Gulf War veterans D. Bush s response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.