Turning Points-
1. United States boycotts Moscow Olympic Games- Again, U.S.-Soviet tensions were on the rise as the USSR invaded Afghanistan in 1979. The United States was in support of a rebel group that was trying to overthrow the communist government there. Te USSR sent in troops to kill the leader that was now having talks with the U.S. and installed their own leader. This led the U.S. to issue and ultimatum saying that we would not participate in the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow if they did not pull troops out withing one month
2. Iran Hostage Crisis- During Jimmy Carter's presidency, 50 U.S. embassy workers were taken hostage by rebels in Iran. These were part of a group that were protesting the secularization of Iran and wanted to establish it as an Islamic state. They were angry with the United States because they were supporting the Shah that was in place at the time because he had good relations with the U.S. They were released hours after Jimmy Carter's presidency ended.
3. Iran-Contra Hearings- This was a scandal of sorts that occurred during Reagan's administration. In order to supply money to Nicaraguan "Contras" who were anti communist insurgents, Reagan's administration sold weapon s to Iran without the approval of congress. Even though the president was largely thought to be involved, he wasn't impeached because the hearings found that his aids were largely responsible and the president's involvement couldn't be proven.
4. Collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe- In 1989, the Berlin Wall fell in East Germany, effectively ending the Cold War and taking down the "Iron Curtain." Because of the new policies of Perestroika and Glasnost instilled by the new president of Russia, Mikhail Gorbachev, reforms from within had begun. By the next summer, all of the communist regimes in east Europe had been replaced by democratic governments.
5. Operation Dessert Storm- The U.S. entered the Persian Gulf War in Operation Dessert Storm as a result of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. The U.S. was accompanied by allies in Iraq. We were upset with the invasion because Saddam Hussein, who had mostly been supplied by the U.S., and had interests in Kuwait due to their large oil reserves. This event is significant because it is the first U.S. involvement in the war since the end of the Cold War.
6. Collapse of the Soviet Union- Many of the reforms that had been implemented by USSR Premier, Mikhail Gorbachev ended up encouraging the nations of the Soviet Union to reform and stray away from communism. With the fall of the Soviet Union, we see the Russian Federation form and a technically (though still debatable) democratic government formed. This cause Gorbachev to resign from his position and greatly improved, but didn't resolve tensions between the United States and Russia.
7. Ratification of the North American Free Trade Agreement- The establishment of the EU left the United States wanting to instill their own trade agreements with nations on their side of the world. NAFTA was an agreement to abolish tariffs and certain regulation between Mexico, the United States, and Canada. This allowed for economic growth in each nation though it is sometimes argued that this agreement may give the United States the opportunity to take advantage of developing Mexico. Overall, this was a good response to the formation of the EU and good for the U.S. economy.
8. House Republicans issue "Contract with America"- The Republican Party's "Contract with America written by Newt Gingrich before the 1994 Congressional Elections was a turning point in the election. It was a main part of their campaign. The contract promised a smaller government, lower taxes, and things such as tort reform. This was the first time that a congressional election had been nationalized in this way and worked very well since Republicans took over both houses of congress.
9. Impeachment of President Clinton- This was another presidential Scandal in which President Clinton was accused of having a relationship with an intern named Monica Lewinsky. He was impeached but not found guilty because this was not considered an impeachable defense. However, this was another event that again tarnished the presidency.
10. Terrorists attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon- This was the beginning of the worst terrorist attack in America's history and led to George W. Busch's War on Terror. Terrorists working with Al-Qaeda hijacked plans and killed over 3,000 people. This began the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Later, operation Iraqi freedom attempted to remove Saddam Hussein from office. This is interesting because we did not remove him during the Gulf War.
1. United States boycotts Moscow Olympic Games- Again, U.S.-Soviet tensions were on the rise as the USSR invaded Afghanistan in 1979. The United States was in support of a rebel group that was trying to overthrow the communist government there. Te USSR sent in troops to kill the leader that was now having talks with the U.S. and installed their own leader. This led the U.S. to issue and ultimatum saying that we would not participate in the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow if they did not pull troops out withing one month
2. Iran Hostage Crisis- During Jimmy Carter's presidency, 50 U.S. embassy workers were taken hostage by rebels in Iran. These were part of a group that were protesting the secularization of Iran and wanted to establish it as an Islamic state. They were angry with the United States because they were supporting the Shah that was in place at the time because he had good relations with the U.S. They were released hours after Jimmy Carter's presidency ended.
3. Iran-Contra Hearings- This was a scandal of sorts that occurred during Reagan's administration. In order to supply money to Nicaraguan "Contras" who were anti communist insurgents, Reagan's administration sold weapon s to Iran without the approval of congress. Even though the president was largely thought to be involved, he wasn't impeached because the hearings found that his aids were largely responsible and the president's involvement couldn't be proven.
4. Collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe- In 1989, the Berlin Wall fell in East Germany, effectively ending the Cold War and taking down the "Iron Curtain." Because of the new policies of Perestroika and Glasnost instilled by the new president of Russia, Mikhail Gorbachev, reforms from within had begun. By the next summer, all of the communist regimes in east Europe had been replaced by democratic governments.
5. Operation Dessert Storm- The U.S. entered the Persian Gulf War in Operation Dessert Storm as a result of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. The U.S. was accompanied by allies in Iraq. We were upset with the invasion because Saddam Hussein, who had mostly been supplied by the U.S., and had interests in Kuwait due to their large oil reserves. This event is significant because it is the first U.S. involvement in the war since the end of the Cold War.
6. Collapse of the Soviet Union- Many of the reforms that had been implemented by USSR Premier, Mikhail Gorbachev ended up encouraging the nations of the Soviet Union to reform and stray away from communism. With the fall of the Soviet Union, we see the Russian Federation form and a technically (though still debatable) democratic government formed. This cause Gorbachev to resign from his position and greatly improved, but didn't resolve tensions between the United States and Russia.
7. Ratification of the North American Free Trade Agreement- The establishment of the EU left the United States wanting to instill their own trade agreements with nations on their side of the world. NAFTA was an agreement to abolish tariffs and certain regulation between Mexico, the United States, and Canada. This allowed for economic growth in each nation though it is sometimes argued that this agreement may give the United States the opportunity to take advantage of developing Mexico. Overall, this was a good response to the formation of the EU and good for the U.S. economy.
8. House Republicans issue "Contract with America"- The Republican Party's "Contract with America written by Newt Gingrich before the 1994 Congressional Elections was a turning point in the election. It was a main part of their campaign. The contract promised a smaller government, lower taxes, and things such as tort reform. This was the first time that a congressional election had been nationalized in this way and worked very well since Republicans took over both houses of congress.
9. Impeachment of President Clinton- This was another presidential Scandal in which President Clinton was accused of having a relationship with an intern named Monica Lewinsky. He was impeached but not found guilty because this was not considered an impeachable defense. However, this was another event that again tarnished the presidency.
10. Terrorists attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon- This was the beginning of the worst terrorist attack in America's history and led to George W. Busch's War on Terror. Terrorists working with Al-Qaeda hijacked plans and killed over 3,000 people. This began the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Later, operation Iraqi freedom attempted to remove Saddam Hussein from office. This is interesting because we did not remove him during the Gulf War.