1. 1988-Present Day

2. The End of Communism in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union
November 9, The Berlin Wall comes down after 28 years
East and West Germany reunited
Other countries in the old iron curtain also see an end to communism
August The collapse of the Soviet Union

3. Operation Desert Storm
August 1990-Iraq under Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait
Kuwait-small oil rich nation south of Iraq
If successful, Saddam would control a tremendous amount of oil supply in the Middle East
President Bush (41) responds with Operation Desert Storm
By February 1991, the war is over
Saddam not removed from power

4. Election of 1992
President Bush ran for reelection against Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton and Texas billionaire H. Ross Perot
After Persian Gulf War, President Bush’s approval rating is 91%
By November 1992, approval rating is in the 40% range
Recession
President Bush raised taxes despite 1988 campaign pledge not to

5. Clinton’s administration
Clinton had to battle allegations of infidelity
Clinton-excellent public speaker
Popular vote- Clinton 43%, Bush 39%, Perot-18%
Achievements of the Clinton Presidency
“Don’t ask, don’t tell”
Proposed a national health care bill
Balanced the federal budget
Reduced federal deficit
NAFTA
Oslo Peace Accords
Kosovo
Dayton Peace Accords

6. Clinton’s administration
Scandals
Whitewater
Paula Corbin Jones
Monica Lewinsky
Clinton impeached in 1998

7. Terrorism Al Qaeda formed in 1989
First World Trade Center Bombing on February 26, 1993
Bombing of the US Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in August 1998
Domestic Terrorism- Bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City-April 19, 1995

8. Election of 2000 George W. Bush vs. Al Gore Florida
Bush v. Gore (2000) ends the recount in Florida
Bush-271 electoral votes, Gore-267
4th time in our history that a candidate won the popular vote but lost in The Electoral College

9. 9/11
4 hijacked planes
WTC, Pentagon, 4th plane crashed in Shankesville, PA
Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda
“War on Terror” starts in Afghanistan in October 2001
2nd Persian Gulf War starts in Iraq in March 2003
9/11 changes our ways of life
Patriot Act
Revamping of Airport Security
Color Coded Threat Levels
Constant Monitoring of Possible Threats

10. Besides terrorism, important aspects of the Bush Presidency
Hurricane Katrina
2001 and 2003 Bush Tax Cuts
“Too big to fail” in response to the subprime mortgage crisis in 2008-
TARP funding to banks

11. Election of 2008
Barack Obama elected as the first minority president in the history of our country
Federal Stimulus Bill (2009)
Patient Protection andAffordable Healthcare Act(2010)
Bailout of the Big 3 domestic auto makers in Detroit
Killing of Osama bin Laden
Pledge to bring troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan

12. President Obama wins in 2012
ISIS
Open negotiations with Cuba
Expanded Wilderness and Watershed Protection