The end of the Cold War unfolded dramatically with the fall of the Berlin Wall, the collapse of communist rule in Eastern Europe, and finally the dissolution of the Soviet Union itself. Bill Clinton's defeat of President Bush in the 1992 election introduced a new generation of US leaders but also demonstrated the continued power of the New Right. Clinton and his "New Democrats" supported an array of conservative policies--free trade agreements, welfare reform, harsh criminal justice policies, business deregulation--while overseeing the failure of more progressive policies. George W. Bush's election in 2000 brought more tax cuts and deregulation, but the turn of the new century became dominated by the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the ensuing full-scale invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, initiating two decades of war. 2008 saw the election of Barack Obama, the first African American President, amid the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. Racist backlash and unequal economic recovery prompted the white working class to support a wave of right wing political activity and the election of Donald Trump in 2016.

1. Post an open-ended question that will engage your fellow students and encourage genuine, robust, and meaningful responses that will build upon your ideas and enrich the discussion. Try to connect the historical topic to issues, events, ideas, and/or challenges that our society faces today.