Seeking the Main point 491491t
he United States entered the twenty-first century in the midst of eco-
nomic prosperity and peace. Drawing lessons from the collapse of the
Soviet Union, the United States celebrated the Cold War policies that
supported containment and encouraged capitalism around the world to
bring an end to what Ronald Reagan called an “evil empire.”
In hindsight, some Americans called the election of Ronald Reagan to the
presidency in 1980 the beginning of the “Reagan revolution.” Although there is
debate over the meaning of this phrase, most historians agree that Reagan’s elec-
tion represented a shift in American political rhetoric and policy. It seemed that
the liberal project that began with Franklin Delano Roosevelt and reached its high
tide with the Great Society programs of Lyndon B. Johnson had come to an end.
Reagan’s election represented the political maturity of two divergent social
movements that began in the early 1960s—the New Right and the New Left. InDocument
AP® Ke y
concePts PAgeTopic II: An End to History’s End22.10 George W. Bush, Presidential Nomination
Acceptance Speech9.1 II B 50422.11 Office of the President, Proposal to Create the
Department of Homeland Security9.2 II B 50622.12 George W. Bush, On Iraq 9.2 II A 50722.13 George W. Bush, On Social Security Reform 9.3 I B 50822.14 United Nations, Kyoto Protocol on Emissions 9.3 I C 50922.15 Border Fence with Mexico 9.3 II A, B 51022.16 Barack Obama, Address to Congress on
Health Care9.3 I B 51122.17 Barack Obama, Speech on the Middle East 9.3 I C 51222.18 Sam Schlinkert, “Facebook Is Invading Your
Phone,” The Daily Beast9.3 I D 51422.19 Jennifer Medina, “New Suburban Dream Born of
Asia and Southern California,” New York Times9.3 II A, B 515Applying AP® Historical Thinking Skills
Skill Review: Periodization and ComparisonThinking Skill 1.3,
Thinking Skill 2.4517490 CHApTEr 2 2 | a ConSerVatiVe tenor | period nine 1980 to the present23_STA_2012_ch22_489-522.indd 490 17/04/15 11:34 AM