Chapter 41 Terms and Definitions
- Bill Clinton
Arkansas governor elected president in 1992 as a centrist "New Democrat," serving two terms marked by economic growth and later impeachment.
- New Democrat / Third Way
Clinton's centrist political philosophy blending traditional Democratic social concern with fiscally cautious, pro-business policy.
- Ross Perot
Texas billionaire whose strong independent 1992 campaign split the vote and hurt incumbent George H. W. Bush.
- NAFTA
The North American Free Trade Agreement, ratified in 1993, phasing out most tariffs among the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
- World Trade Organization (WTO)
International body established in 1995 to oversee global trade rules, which the U.S. joined under Clinton.
- Globalization
The deepening economic, technological, and cultural interconnection of nations that accelerated after the Cold War's end.
- Dot-Com Boom
The rapid rise in internet-based company valuations during the 1990s, fueled by excitement over the commercial World Wide Web.
- Newt Gingrich
House Speaker who led Republicans to control of Congress in 1994 on the strength of the "Contract with America."
- Republican Revolution of 1994
The GOP's sweeping midterm takeover of both houses of Congress, ending decades of Democratic control of the House.
- Contract with America
A 1994 conservative legislative agenda promising tax cuts, welfare reform, and smaller government, used to nationalize the midterm elections.
- Welfare Reform (1996)
The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, which replaced AFDC with time-limited, work-requiring state block grants.
- Culture Wars
The intense 1990s domestic disputes over abortion, gun control, gay rights, and "family values" that sharpened partisan identity.
- Whitewater
An Arkansas land-deal investigation into the Clintons that expanded into broader scrutiny of the president's conduct.
- Kenneth Starr
Independent counsel whose investigation uncovered the Clinton-Lewinsky affair and led to Clinton's impeachment.
- Monica Lewinsky Scandal
The affair between President Clinton and a White House intern that led to his impeachment for perjury and obstruction of justice.
- Impeachment of Bill Clinton
The House's December 1998 vote to impeach Clinton; the Senate acquitted him in February 1999.
- Unipolar World
The post-Cold War international order in which the United States stood as the sole global superpower.
- Black Hawk Down (Somalia, 1993)
A deadly firefight during a U.S. humanitarian mission in Mogadishu that prompted a swift American withdrawal from Somalia.
- Rwandan Genocide
The 1994 mass killings in Rwanda during which the U.S. and international community largely stood aside, a widely criticized failure.
- Bosnia and Kosovo Interventions
U.S.-NATO military actions (1995 and 1999) using airpower to end ethnic conflict and atrocities in the former Yugoslavia.
- Al Gore
Clinton's vice president and the Democratic presidential nominee in the disputed 2000 election.
- George W. Bush
Texas governor and Republican nominee who won the disputed 2000 election over Al Gore.
- Bush v. Gore (2000)
The Supreme Court case that halted Florida's recount and effectively decided the 2000 presidential election for George W. Bush.