Reagan, Bush, and Clinton: 1980-2000 Vocabulary

Question 1

AIDS Crisis Definition

Answer 1

an epidemic of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, first recognized by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 1981

Question 2

Beirut Barracks Bombing Definition

Answer 2

a bombing carried out in Beirut, Lebanon, by Iranian-trained militants on October 23, 1983, killing 241 U.S. service personnel

Question 3

Berlin Wall Definition

Answer 3

a concrete wall with barbed wire across the top that was built by the Soviet Union in 1961 to divide West Berlin and East Berlin

Question 4

Contract with America Definition

Answer 4

a list of eight specific legislative reforms or initiatives that Republican representatives promised to enact if they gained a majority in Congress in the 1994 midterm elections

Question 5

Dayton Accords Definition

Answer 5

a peace settlement signed in Dayton, Ohio, in 1995 that ended the war in Bosnia between Bosnia, Croatia, and Serbia

Question 6

Domestic Terrorism Definition

Answer 6

acts of terror committed by a person against his or her own country

Question 7

Globalization Definition

Answer 7

a growing interdependence and connectivity between world nations resulting from the increased spread of information, technology, goods, and jobs

Question 8

Impeachment Definition

Answer 8

the process of bringing formal charges against an elected official for misconduct or crimes committed while in office

Question 9

Inflation Definition

Answer 9

a rise in prices that occurs when the availability of goods and services cannot keep up with an increase in the amount of money available

Question 10

Internet Definition

Answer 10

a global system of computer networks that facilitates a rapid exchange of information around the world

Question 11

Invasion of Grenada Definition

Answer 11

the successful ousting of a communist, Cuba-supported military junta that had overthrown a moderate regime in the small island nation of Grenada

Question 12

Invasion of Panama Definition

Answer 12

U.S. intervention in Panama in 1989 to depose the Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega on the basis of alleged human rights violations

Question 13

Iran-Contra Affair Definition

Answer 13

a political scandal during Ronald Reagan’s second term, involving the illegal sale of arms to Iran to pay for illegal military aid to the Contras, counterrevolutionaries who wanted to overthrow the government of Nicaragua

Question 14

Moral Majority Definition

Answer 14

Christian conservatives who supported traditional family values and prayer in schools; they opposed abortion, drug use, and homosexuality as a threat to society

Question 15

New Right Definition

Answer 15

a group of conservative Americans who opposed the social reforms and cultural changes of the 1960s and 1970s

Question 16

Newt Gingrich Definition

Answer 16

leader of the Republican minority in Congress who prepared the Contract with America and became the 50th Speaker of the House in 1996

Question 17

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Definition

Answer 17

a treaty that eliminated tariffs and trade restrictions among the United States, Canada, and Mexico

Question 18

Operation Desert Storm Definition

Answer 18

a war waged by coalition forces against Iraq from January to April 1991 in reaction to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in August 1990

Question 19

Peace through Strength Definition

Answer 19

the idea that peace can be attained through military power

Question 20

Phyllis Schlafly Definition

Answer 20

a lawyer and conservative activist who fought to defeat the Equal Rights Amendment

Question 21

Reaganomics Definition

Answer 21

an economic policy based on the premise that if taxes are cut for the wealthy, they will be motivated to invest in businesses, factories, and the stock market, which will create more jobs

Question 22

Recession Definition

Answer 22

a temporary economic decline in which business activity is reduced

Question 23

Strategic Arms Limitation Treaties Definition

Answer 23

agreements between the United States and the Soviet Union that attempted to restrain the arms race; President Reagan allowed the treaties to expire in late 1985

Question 24

Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) Definition

Answer 24

an agreement signed in July 1991 between President George H. W. Bush and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, which committed their countries to reducing their nuclear arsenals by 25 percent

Question 25

Strategic Defense Initiative Definition

Answer 25

a proposal for the development of a defensive shield to protect the United States from a Soviet missile strike; also known as SDI or Star Wars

Question 26

War on Drugs Definition

Answer 26

a campaign to “get tough” on drug abuse that resulted in the mass incarceration of many nonviolent offenders

Question 27

Welfare-to-Work Definition

Answer 27

refers to the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, which required most welfare recipients to begin working within two years of receiving benefits