Unit 6: End of an Era, 1980-1992
Unit Overview:
This unit spans the years 1980 to 1992. Important events/themes covered in this unit:
The Election of of Ronald Reagan in 1980 and the rise of modern Conservatism
The Thatcher/Reagan Economic Revolution
The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and last phase of the Cold War
Glasnost and Perestroika
The collapse of the Soviet economy, 1980-1990
The breakaway of Eastern Europe and collapse of the Iron Curtain
The fall of the Soviet Union
The Persian Gulf War and Presidency of George H.W. Bush
Unit Essay: The End of an Era
In order to get credit for this project you must write an essay on ONE of the following topics:
The End of an EraFRQ: “Landslide presidential victories do not ensure continued political effectiveness or legislative success.” Assess the validity of this statement by comparing TWO of the following presidential administrations: Franklin Roosevelt (1936); Lyndon Johnson (1964); Richard Nixon (1972); Ronald Reagan (1984). (2007)FRQ: Describe the patterns of immigration in TWO of the periods listed below. Compare and contrast the responses of Americans to immigrants in these periods: 1820-1860; 1880-1924; 1965-2000. (2005)
Unit Lectures:
Unit 6 Essay Class
Primary Sources:
Ronald Reagan, "First Inaugural Address", 1981
Ronald Reagan's Ultimatum to Striking Air Controllers, 1981
Ronald Reagan's "Evil Empire" Speech, 1983
Ronald Reagan's Remarks at a German-American Military Base, 1985
Thurgood Marshall, "A Colorblind Society Remains an Aspiration", 1987
John J. Mearsheimer, "Why We Will Soon Miss the Cold War", 1990
Sparknotes Readings:
For this project you must define the terms listed below and explain each term's significance to the unit/era being studied. Your definition should be 2-3 sentences long and may be copied and pasted from a source like Wikipedia, but the significance of the term must be in your own words and based on your own understanding. To fill out a term's significance, ask yourself, "Why is this item included in my study of this unit? Why is this term in a history book?" The answer to this question is your term's significance.
Unit 4 Key Terms:
Election of 1980
Solidarity movement
Commodore 64
Exxon Valdez
Strategic Defense Initiative
glasnost
Chernobyl disaster
Revolutions of 1989
Reaganomics
perestroika
Space Shuttle Challenger
Persian Gulf War
War on Drugs
Iran Contra Affair
HIV/AIDS
NAFTA
1986 Immigration Reform
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and Control Act
Pan Am Flight 103
Generation X/MTV Generation
Below is an example of a key term done with the proper format:
William the Conqueror: William I (c. 1028[2] – 9 September 1087), also known as William the Conqueror (Guillaume le Conquérant), was the first Norman King of England from Christmas 1066 until his death. He was also Duke of Normandy from 3 July 1035 until his death, under the name William II. Before his conquest of England, he was known as William the Bastard because of the illegitimacy of his birth.To press his claim to the English crown, William invaded England in 1066, leading an army of Normans, Bretons, Flemings, and Frenchmen (from Paris andÎle-de-France) to victory over the English forces of King Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings, and suppressed subsequent English revolts in what has become known as the Norman Conquest.[3] (I copied and pasted this definition from Wikipedia)
Significance: William the Conqueror is significant because his conquest of England created the first nation state in Europe. His rearrangement of English feudal territories to give himself dramatically more power than the the barons and nobles around him caused him to be the most powerful monarch in Europe and eventually led to the rise of other nation states over the next few centuries. (These are my words based on my knowledge of English and European history.)
