UNIT 19 – Contemporary America

Chapter 41:

1.       Describe the rise of Reagan and the “new right” in the 1980s, including the controversies over racial and social issues.

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.

4.       Discuss the American entanglement in Central American and Middle Eastern troubles, including the Iran-Contra affair.

5.       Describe the end of the Cold War, and the results for American society abroad and at home.

6.       Explain America’s growing involvement in Middle East conflict, including the Persian Gulf War and its aftermath.

7.       Explain the Clinton victory in 1992, and Clinton’s attempt to navigate between traditional Democratic values and resurgent right in the Republican Party.

8.       Recount the successes and failures of the Clinton administration, and the causes and consequences of his impeachment.

Chapter 42:

9.       Describe the changing shape of the American economy and work force, and the new challenges facing the United States in an international economy during the “information age.”

10.    Explain the changing roles of women since WWII and the impact of those changes on American society.

11.    Analyze the difficulties affecting the American family, and explain the new power of the elderly.

12.    Describe the impact of the newest wave of immigration from Asia and Latin America and the growing voice of minorities in American society.

13.    Describe the difficulties and challenges facing American cities, including poverty and drug abuse.

14.    Describe the changing condition of African-Americans in American politics and society.

15.    Discuss the major developments in American culture and the arts since WWII.

UNIT 18 – The Stormy Sixties and Stalemated Seventies

Chapter 39:

1.       Describe the high expectations Kennedy’s New Frontier aroused and the political obstacles it encountered.

2.       Analyze the theory and practice of Kennedy’s doctrine of “flexible response” in Asia and Latin America.

3.       Describe Johnson’s succession to the presidency in 1963, his electoral landslide over Goldwater in 1964, and his Great Society successes of 1965.

4.       Discuss the course of the black movement of the 1960s, from civil rights to Black Power.

5.       Indicate how Johnson led the United States deeper into the Vietnam quagmire.

6.       Explain how the Vietnam War brought turmoil to American society and eventually drove Johnson and the divided Democrats from power in 1968.

7.       Describe the cultural rebellions of the 1960s, and indicate their short-term and long-term consequences.

Chapter 40:

8.       Describe Nixon’s policies toward the war in Vietnam and Cambodia.

9.       Analyze Nixon’s domestic policies and his appeal to the “silent majority.”

10.    Describe the American withdrawal from Vietnam, the final Communist victory there, and the “new isolationism” represented by the War Powers Act.

11.    Discuss the Watergate scandals and Nixon’s resignation.

12.    Explain the related economic, energy and Middle East crises of the 1970s and indicate how Nixon, Ford, and Carter attempted to deal with them.

13.    Analyze the successes and failures of détente with Moscow and the opening to Beijing (Peking) pursued by the America administrations of the 1970s.

14.    Describe the rise of the new feminist movement, and the gains and setbacks for women and minorities in the 1970s.

15.    Discuss the Iranian crisis and its political consequences for Carter.

Chapters 39-40 - Unit 18

UNIT 17 – The Cold War Begins & The Eisenhower Era

Chapter 37:

1.       Describe the economic transformations of the immediate post-World War II era.

2.       Describe the postwar migrations to the “Sunbelt” and the suburbs.

3.       Explain changes in the American population structure brought about by the “baby boom.”

4.       Explain the growth of tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union after Roosevelt’s death and Germany’s defeat.

5.       Describe the early Cold War conflicts over Germany and Eastern Europe.

6.       Discuss American efforts to “contain” the Soviets through the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, and NATO.

7.       Discuss the expansion of the Cold War to Asia and the Korean War.

8.       Analyze the postwar domestic climate in America and explain the growing fear of internal Communist subversion.

Chapter 38:

9.       Explain how Eisenhower’s leadership coincided with the American mood of the 1950s.

10.    Describe Eisenhower’s initially hesitant reactions to McCarthyism and the early civil rights movements.

11.    Describe the approach that Eisenhower and Dulles took to the Cold War and nuclear policy.

12.    List the basic elements of Eisenhower’s foreign policy in Vietnam, Europe, and the Middle East.

13.    Describe the vigorous challenges Eisenhower faced from the Soviet Union and indicate how he responded to them.

14.    Describe the new American economy of the 1950s.

15.    Explain the changes in American “mass culture” in the 1950s, including the rise of television and the computer.