US History: Resources by Decade: 1990s

Advances in science and technology dominated the high-tech 1990s as consumers flocked to the Internet and ethicists debated the possible cloning of humans. Essays review the impact of developments in science and technology, political issues, international conflicts in the post-Cold War era, the spread of violence, racial and gender conflicts, and pop culture.

What didn't you like about the 1990s--the peace or the prosperity? Setting aside nostalgia for the end of the 20th century, this book takes a candid look at the decade after the Cold War and before 9/11, when America's culture war began with the election of a media-savvy, Baby Boomer president (and his liberal feminist wife). Bill Clinton's postmodern administration betokened gay equality, an education-based labor force and a race and gender-diverse workplace and government, panicking conservatives and sparking the 1994 Republican Revolution. Meanwhile, with the advent of the 24-hour cable news cycle and the Internet, a media "punditocracy" arose. Parsing every event from the O.J. Simpson trial to the Monica Lewinsky scandal, commentators and talk show hosts spun news, politics and pop culture until they became one thing. Beginning with the "Red and Blue" partitioning of America that would nurture the Tea Party, and ending with the 9/11 attacks, this examination of the 1990s demonstrates how the decade shaped the world we live in today.

In The Nineties, cult author Chuck Klosterman makes a home in every element of 90s culture: the film, the music, the sports, the TV, the politics, the changes regarding race and class and sexuality, the yin/yang of Oprah and Alan Greenspan. In perhaps no other book ever written could the sentence, 'The video for 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' was not more consequential than the reunification of Germany' make complete sense. Chuck Klosterman has written a multi-dimensional masterpiece, a work of synthesis that's equal parts smart and delightful.

The Gulf War, dot-coms, impeachment, grunge, Y2K--the 1990s were a time of both optimism and conflict, hope and worry. The decade began with a seemingly victorious war, fell into recession, bounced back with a strong bull market, and ended in political bitterness and scandal. The Nineties in America examines the iconic personalities and moments of this important decade. With articles about films, books, political leaders, events, fads, and technology, the encyclopedia serves as a valuable source of reliable information and keen insights for todays students. Volume 3 contains sixteen appendixes that provide additional information about selected aspects of the decade in easily accessible formats : five entertainment, two literature, two music, one sports, and two legislative appendixes, a glossary of new words and slang, and a detailed time line.-- from p. ix-x.