From Reagan to Today (1980–present)
From Reagan to Today (1980–present)
The last four decades saw a conservative revolution, the sudden end of the Cold War, the rise of the digital age, and the hardening of a deeply polarized political landscape. The realignment set in motion by the civil rights era matured into the red-and-blue map familiar today. This chapter brings the story to the present.
12.1The Reagan revolutionRonald Reagan's election in 1980 marked a decisive conservative turn. He argued that "government is not the solution to our problem…12.2The Cold War endsReagan pursued the Cold War aggressively, expanding the military and challenging the Soviet Union, even while later negotiating major arms…12.3The 1990s: a new centerIn the 1990s Democrat Bill Clinton adapted his party to the post-Reagan landscape, embracing free trade, welfare reform, and fiscal…12.4September 11 and its warsOn September 11, 2001, terrorists linked to al-Qaeda hijacked airliners and destroyed New York's World Trade Center and struck the…12.5Obama, Trump, and a divided nationIn 2008, amid a severe financial crisis, Barack Obama was elected the first Black president, a milestone many saw as a landmark in the…12.6The parties todayThe realignment born in the 1960s has fully matured. Today's Democratic Party draws its strength from cities, younger and more diverse…12.7Meanwhile, elsewhere (1980–present)The end of the Cold War unleashed a wave of globalization, as trade, technology, and communication knit the world ever closer. The internet…