80s & 90s

Reaganomics

• “Trickle Down”• Tax Cuts = more citizen

spending• Reducing business

regulation = growth• Conservative Economics

Reagan

• Supported by Religious Conservatives in “the moral majority”

• Also supported by traditionalist “heritage Foundation”

• Appt. 1st female to Supreme Court /Sandra Day O’connor

Reagan Foreign

• Iran-Contra Affair – Gave Iran weapons for hostages

• Star Wars and Defense Spending one reason for the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Soviet Union

George HW Bush

• Sent Troops to the Persian Gulf to protect oil

• Medical Leave Act gave vacation rights to parents of newborns

• Americans with Disabilities act barred discrimination against disabled

Clinton

• Clinton (D) but a majority of (R) in congress

• Promised much reform for bad economy

• Hillary highly esteemed as 1st lady. Later Secretary of State for Obama

Clinton Foreign Policy

• Est. NAFTA with Mexico and Canada

• GATT replaced by the World Trade Organization WTO which increased globalization

Clinton

• Trade made goods cheaper and the global economy improved but also sent many jobs out of the US

• US economy recovers as the internet expands