Period 9: 1980–Present

"For forty years, a system of government was imposed on Poland that was contrary to our national traditions, a system that stifled individual initiative, destroyed the economy, and suppressed basic freedoms. Today, the Polish people have set out on a new path, demanding democracy, national sovereignty, and a transition to a market economy. Yet, this peaceful revolution in Poland—and indeed across Eastern Europe—is not merely an internal triumph. It represents the collapse of an ideological empire that could no longer sustain itself against the aspirations of its citizens. While Western military resolve provided a shield behind which free ideas could endure, it is the economic bankruptcy of the socialist system and the courage of grassroots movements that have finally broken the chains of the Cold War."

— Lech Wałęsa, Chairman of Solidarność (Solidarity), Address to the United States Congress, November 15, 1989

Which of the following arguments regarding the end of the Cold War is best supported by the perspective expressed in the excerpt?

"The political center of gravity has shifted. The growth of the defense industry in the South and Southwest, combined with the migration of retiree populations seeking warmer climates, has created a new voting bloc. This suburban, Sun Belt electorate is characterized by a deep skepticism of federal social welfare programs and a strong support for military spending. Consequently, the traditional dominance of the Northeast and Midwest in presidential politics has been challenged, reshaping party platforms and electoral strategies."
—Adapted from a political science journal article, 1988

Which of the following historical developments from 1980 to the present was a direct consequence of the migration patterns described in the passage?

The table below shows population figures and the resulting changes in U.S. House of Representatives seat allocations for selected states between 1980 and 2010:

Which of the following best explains a major political consequence of the demographic shifts illustrated in the table?

"The economic rise of the Sun Belt after 1980 was not merely a story of air conditioning and sunshine. It was built on a foundation of federal expenditures. Defense contracts, aerospace funding, and military bases poured billions into these states, creating high-tech jobs that attracted millions of migrants. Ironically, while these migrants fueled a new conservative political coalition that championed deregulated markets and small government, their very livelihoods were deeply intertwined with federal government largesse."

—Adapted from a historical analysis of post-1980 regional shifts

Which of the following developments in the late twentieth century most directly reflects the paradox described in the excerpt?

"The national security institutions of the U.S. government were designed during the Cold War to meet the challenges of that era. Today, that legacy is an impediment to our security. . . . The current organization of the intelligence community framework is a relic of the past. To confront decentralized, transnational networks of terrorists, our government must create a unified leadership and coordinate the operations of the agencies that collect and analyze intelligence."
— Bipartisan Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (*The 9/11 Commission Report*), 2004

Which of the following was the most direct domestic consequence of the concerns raised in the excerpt?

"We live in an age of transition from a Cold War world to a space age, from an industrial age to an information age, from a world of national economies to a global economy."

— President Bill Clinton, State of the Union Address, 1996

Which of the following developments in the late twentieth century most directly facilitated the economic shift described in the excerpt?

"We believe that the key to economic recovery lies in restoring incentives for productivity. The current administration has allowed inflation and high tax rates to stifle American enterprise. We propose a program of across-the-board reductions in personal income tax rates and a reduction in the growth of government spending. By leaving more money in the hands of citizens and businesses, we will stimulate investment, create jobs, and restore economic growth."

—Republican Party Platform, 1980

The economic policies proposed in the excerpt most directly reflect which of the following goals of the conservative movement in the 1980s?

"The South and West have become the new centers of American economic dynamism. The combination of lower tax rates, less union influence under right-to-work laws, and massive federal investments in defense and aerospace has drawn millions of families away from the older industrial cities of the North. This relocation is not just about seeking warmer weather; it is about pursuing opportunity in a restructured global economy."
—Adapted from a regional economic report, 1996

Which of the following was a major consequence of the demographic shifts described in the excerpt?

Source: Adapted from a public policy brief issued by U.S. English, a national advocacy organization, 1986.

"Historically, the United States has been a diverse nation, yet it has been unified by a common language. Today, however, we see the rise of a philosophy that rejects the traditional 'melting pot' concept in favor of a multiculturalism that encourages ethnic and linguistic separateness. By implementing bilingual education programs in our public schools and printing ballots in multiple languages, we risk institutionalizing division and undermining the shared linguistic bond that holds our democratic society together."

The views expressed in the excerpt most directly reflect which of the following tensions in American society during the late twentieth century?

Selected Economic Indicators, 1980–1990

Source: U.S. Office of Management and Budget

Which of the following debates or tensions within the conservative movement of the 1980s is most directly illustrated by the trends shown in the table?

"My concern is that, if it were to be adopted, it could set precedents that result in a proliferation of the unilateral and lawless use of force, with or without justification. . . . [This] represents a fundamental challenge to the principles on which, however imperfectly, world peace and stability have rested for the last fifty-eight years."

— Kofi Annan, Address to the United Nations General Assembly, September 23, 2003

Which of the following twentieth-century United States foreign policy strategies is most directly challenged by the doctrine criticized in the excerpt?

"Our war on terror begins with al Qaeda, but it does not end there. It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped, and defeated."
—President George W. Bush, Address to a Joint Session of Congress, September 20, 2001

Which of the following best describes a major change in United States foreign policy that resulted from the situation described in the excerpt?

Read the excerpt below.

"The 'new class'—consisting of the educational establishment, the media, the public-interest lobbies, and the government bureaucracy—seeks to expand the power of the state at the expense of the private sector. The growth of the conservative movement in the late twentieth century is, at its core, a democratic reaction against the paternalistic rule of this new class. This class has utilized federal courts and regulatory agencies to bypass the legislative process, eroding the economic freedom and traditional community values of the American populace."
—Irving Kristol, essay in a neoconservative journal, 1979

Which of the following best explains how the ideas expressed in the excerpt contributed to the political realignment that culminated in the election of 1980?

"Right now, as many as a hundred different government agencies have some responsibility for homeland security, and no single person or government agency has primary responsibility for coordinating all of these efforts. . . . Therefore, I am proposing the most comprehensive reorganization of the Federal government since the Presidency of Harry Truman. I am proposing the creation of a new Cabinet-level agency: the Department of Homeland Security."
—President George W. Bush, Address to the Nation, June 6, 2002

The reorganization proposed in the excerpt was most directly aimed at achieving which of the following goals?

The table below shows the voting percentages of selected demographic groups in the presidential elections of 1976 and 1980.

Which of the following developments in the late 1970s was a primary contributor to the political realignment reflected in the table?

"The demographic shift toward the South and West since the late twentieth century has transformed the nation's political landscape. As populations grew in Sun Belt states, congressional reapportionment transferred legislative seats away from the industrial Northeast and Midwest. This population movement favored suburban developments where many new residents embraced political platforms advocating for lower taxes, deregulation, and a smaller federal government, contributing to a major realignment in American politics."
—Adapted from a historical study on late-twentieth-century American demographics

Based on the trends described in the excerpt, which of the following was a major political consequence of the demographic shifts to the Sun Belt after 1980?

"The American Clean Energy and Security Act... is a unilateral policy that will impose significant costs on U.S. manufacturers, leading to job losses and outsourcing to countries with less stringent environmental regulations like China and India. Instead of fostering green jobs, this cap-and-trade system will act as a energy tax on American consumers, reducing our global competitiveness while failing to significantly reduce global greenhouse gas emissions."

— Representative Mike Pence, Speech on the House Floor, June 2009

Based on the excerpt, the debate surrounding the legislation most directly reflects which of the following developments in the early twenty-first century?

“The new global economy is not delivering for working families. While technological advancements have connected the world like never before and created immense wealth for high-tech entrepreneurs, it has also facilitated a race to the bottom for millions of industrial workers. Multi-national corporations now use global communications networks to seamlessly shift manufacturing jobs to countries with the lowest wages and weakest environmental standards. The promise of the digital revolution was shared prosperity, but the reality for many is job insecurity, stagnant wages, and the erosion of the manufacturing sector that built the American middle class.”

— AFL-CIO representative, testimony before a congressional committee, 1999

Which of the following developments in the late twentieth century was a primary cause of the economic challenges described in the excerpt?

We must work to make the globalization of the economy work for all of our people. The information age has created new opportunities, but it has also brought challenges. Microchips, the Internet, and fiber-optic cables now connect businesses and consumers worldwide, driving the shift from a traditional manufacturing economy to a new, knowledge-based economy.

—Adapted from a government report on technology and trade, 1997

Which of the following was a primary domestic effect of the transition toward the 'knowledge-based economy' described in the passage?

"It is obvious, for instance, that force and the threat of force cannot be and should not be an instrument of foreign policy... This applies both to the nuclear option and to all others... We are not abandoning our convictions, our philosophy, or our relations... but we do not intend to lock ourselves up in a cocoon of our dogmas... The restructuring (perestroika) in our country is moving forward..."
— Mikhail Gorbachev, Address to the United Nations General Assembly, December 7, 1988

Which of the following historical developments in the late 1980s and early 1990s was a direct consequence of the foreign policy shift described in the excerpt?