1990 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- President: George Bush - 41st Vice President: Dan Quayle Secretary of State: James Baker Secretary of Defense: Dick Cheney Nelson Mandela Released From Prison In South Africa Had been serving 27 year sentence for political activism United States and Soviet Union Meet To Discuss Disarmament Bush declares tax increases needed part of reducing deficit During ’88 campaign had promised "No New Taxes" Bush signs Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) Bars discrimination based on physical or mental disabilities Iraq invades Kuwait - August Saddam Hussein claims Kuwait is actually a province of Iraq Goal: capture the Kuwaiti oil fields Arab countries dismayed and upset by turn of events They fear Hussein will try to invade other countries President Bush calls the action Naked Aggression The invasion "Will Not Stand" US Sends Troops to Middle East - August Operation: Desert Shield Protect Saudi Arabia and its oil reserves United Nations Security Council approves sanctions against Iraq UN Security Council approves use of force against Iraq - November Sets deadline of: January 15, 1991 for Iraq to withdraw Second time the UN has given such authority First time was Korean War East and West Germany Re-Unite - October Federal Republic of Germany Less than one year after the fall of the Berlin Wall Berlin is named new capital of unified Germany Hubble Space Telescope launched Will give scientists ability to see deeper into space than ever Boris Yeltsin elected President of Russian Federation 1991 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- House of Representatives gives Bush "ok" to use force against Iraq - January Vote: 250 - 183 Senate votes 52 - 47 in favor Votes are in accordance with War Powers Act January 15 deadline passes for Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait Allies strike at 6:45 PM EST - early morning in Iraq Operation: Desert Shield ends Operation: Desert Storm begins General H. Norman Schwarzkopf Allied Commander First target: communications and radar 1000 sorties (missions) flown in 14 hours Within one week Allies have achieved air superiority General Colin Powell, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Iraq begins spilling into Persian Gulf - Scorched Earth Policy By months end oil slick will be 60 miles long, 20 miles wide After weeks of air bombardment, Allies send in ground forces - February 200,000 soldiers sent in with tanks and armament Ground battle takes only 100 hours Bush calls end to offensive once Iraq withdraws from Kuwait US losses: 148 dead, 458 wounded Los Angeles Police Beat Rodney King Incident caught on video tape Many believe the beating is proof of widespread police brutality Economic Recession Unemployment numbers climb Interest rates continue to climb Space Shuttle Endeavour delivered to NASA 5th Space Shuttle, replacement for Challenger Attempted coup in Soviet Union - August Lead by Vice President and other hard liners Goal: restore Soviet power and the Communist Party Gorbachev placed under house arrest at Summer home Russian President Boris Yeltsin apposes coup plotters Army troops attempt to attack the Russian White House Thousands of Russians rally to protect their leader Coup crumbles when the army leaders refuse to slaughter innocents Coup lasts 3 days - hastens the end of the Soviet Union Soviet Union ceases to exist - December Mikhail Gorbachev resigns as Communist party is outlawed USSR breaks up - replaced by the Commonwealth of Independent States 15 independent republics lead by Russian Federation Boris Yeltsin elected President of Federation Soviet Union had been in decline for decades 25% of GNP went to military expenditures USSR: Dead at age 74 New era in American foreign policy For over 50 years our policies had been in response to the USSR Now we had to come up with something new 1992 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- US economy continues to slide Unemployment is 7.1% Election year candidates Democrats Tom Harkin Paul Tsongas Bill Clinton Jerry Brown Republicans George Bush Pat Buchanan Independent Party H. Ross Perot Mounts bid to run independent of either party Billionaire - will finance his own campaign South Africa votes to end white minority rule - March F.W. de Klerk begins process to integrate the government Los Angeles race riots - April / May Occur after 4 police officers are acquitted in the beating of Rodney King The jury had no minority representation Looting runs rampant, 52 killed, hundreds injured President Bush orders Marines and Army to LA to restore order 27th Amendment to the US Constitution becomes law Prevents Congress from changing its compensation rate Would have to wait until after House elections every 2 years The Internet becomes a buzzword and noteworthy Spurred by candidate Bill Clinton’s reference to him having a web site He was the first presidential candidate ever to have a web site European Union is formed with signing of Maastricht Treaty Election of 1992 Democrats Bill Clinton and Al Gore Republicans George Bush and Dan Quayle Independent H. Ross Perot and Pat Choate Results Bill Clinton 43% George Bush 38% H. Ross Perot 19% 1993 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- President: Bill Clinton - 42nd Vice President: Al Gore Clinton’s promises a government that looks like America Appoints many women and minorities to cabinet Ambassador to the UN: Madeline Albright NAFTA becomes law North American Free Trade Agreement Makes Canada, United States and Mexico free trade zone Car bomb explodes in parking garage at World Trade Center Explosion is linked to Muslim Extremists Two police officers convicted of violating Rodney King’s civil rights Branch Dividian Incident at Waco, Texas Cult Leader: David Koresh ATF (Alcohol Tobacco Firearms) attempt to serve search warrant Were looking for stockpile of illegal guns Law enforcement fired on and held at bay for 51 days On day 51 law enforcement teams try to storm the compound Branch Dividians set fire to compound Hundreds die in blaze Survivors and conservative groups blame law enforcement Primary target: Attorney General Janet Reno Brady Bill passed - required waiting period and background checks to buy guns 15,000 US soldiers sent to Somalia to assist UN Peacekeepers 1994 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- US soldiers killed by Somalian warlords Blackhawk helicopter shot down, dead soldiers dragged through streets Public outrage causes Clinton to call US troops back home US and NATO begin strikes on Bosnian Serb positions Serbs had been attacking and killing Bosnians and Croats Result of the break up of Croatia Without Soviet military power, ethnic rivalries re-emerge Ken Starr takes over investigation into Whitewater dealings by Clintons Failed real estate venture in Arkansas US intervenes in Haiti and restore democratically elected President Aristide Military coup had pushed him from power Thousands of Haitian refuges were pouring into the United States Palestinian Leader Yassar Arafat returns from exile to Gaza Nelson Mandela elected President of South Africa F.W. de Klerk is Vice President Irish Republican Army (IRA) declare cease fire Deal brokered by President Clinton Former President Richard Nixon dies Surviving Presidents: Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush and Clinton 1995 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Federal Office Building in Oklahoma City bombed by militia groups Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols arrested Retaliation for Branch Dividian standoff Anti-government group with links to KKK, Neo Nazis and NAAWP United States lends Mexico $42 billion to stop financial collapse of Mexico Senator Bob Packwood ( R ) Oregon is expelled from the US Senate Charges of sexual misconduct United States and Russia begin cooperative effort in space US Space Shuttles begin to visit Russian Space Station Mir ( peace ) Leaders of Bosnia, Serbia and Croatia sign peace treaty Wright Patterson Air Force Base - Dayton, Ohio Dayton Accords Treaty brokered by President Bill Clinton Israel and Palestine sign peace agreement Grants Palestinians autonomy in Westbank and Gaza Agreement spurred by President Bill Clinton Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin assassinated Killed by Israeli right wing supporter Benjamin Netanyahu elected Prime Minister New wave of violence in the Middle East begins 1996 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pipe Bomb at Olympic Games in Atlanta kills one Security guard arrested but later cleared Real bomber never captured China steps up pressure on Taiwan by conducting war games nearby Princess Diana and Prince Charles divorce President Clinton signs Welfare Reform Act Taliban take over Afghanistan Election year candidates Democrats Bill Clinton Jerry Brown Republicans Dan Quayle Bob Dole Pat Buchanan Independent Party H. Ross Perot Election of 1996 Democrats Bill Clinton and Al Gore Republicans Bob Dole and Jack Kemp Independent H. Ross Perot and Pat Choate Results Bill Clinton 49% First Democrat re-elected since FDR Bob Dole 41% H. Ross Perot 8% 1997 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- President: Bill Clinton - 42nd Vice President: Al Gore British scientists clone first mammal Dolly the sheep Princess Diana dies in car crash Paparazzi blamed for chasing car Mother Teresa dies in Calcutta, India at age 87 Heavens Gate cult commits suicide 39 members drink arsenic Kool Aid and wear Reeboks Thought they would be brought aboard space ship comet Hale-Bopp Mars Pathfinder mission rejuvenates public’s interest in space exploration Sojourner rover drives over Mars and sends back pictures to Earth Millions watch as pictures are broadcast live on TV 1998 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Department of Justice begins anti-trust case against Microsoft Lone gunman enters Capital in Washington DC and kills 2 police officers NATO begins to admit former Soviet satellites and partnership with Russia Peace agreement in Northern Ireland reached Agreement helped by President Bill Clinton Monica Lewinsky admits affair relationship with Bill Clinton Denies he told her to lie about relationship Clinton admits to public he lied about relationship House of Representatives Impeaches President Bill Clinton on 2 counts Perjury Obstruction of Justice India and Pakistan conduct nuclear tests John Glenn returns to space in Space Shuttle Discovery Oldest human to travel into space - second mission into space Former Senator (Democrat) from Ohio Was the first American to orbit the Earth 1999 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Senate acquits President Clinton of impeachment charges President retains popular support Military coup in Pakistan worries western nations Russian President Boris Yeltsin resigns due to bad health Vladimir Putin becomes President of Russian Federation International Space Station begins construction in Earth orbit Cooperating nations: United States Japan European Space Agency Russian Federation 20% of Americans do their Christmas shopping on line World prepares for Y2K Fears that computers will crash cause some to panic CIA reports US may be target of international terror in coming decade