Why the Nineties Matter

An entertaining and deeply insightful history of a decade that matters more than we think: the 1990s. Nearly a quarter century after the decade of the 1990s ended, what really mattered in America during that era is finally coming into focus. Many of the most important developments in politics, culture, and society today have roots in that era: the rise of right-wing extremism, broad transformations in voting preferences among both the working and professional classes; the spread of neoliberal economic policy; and the rise of social media. In Why the Nineties Matter, Terry Anderson provides a broad-ranging history of America in that decade. Not simply a chronological account, the book focuses on key trends that either began or gained steam then and which have had lasting effects until this day. Threading together politics, economic transformations, and socio-cultural trends, he focuses on what mattered most in retrospect. Violent and extremist white nationalism intensified greatly in that decade, evidenced by the Oklahoma City bombing and the rise of the militia movement. The defection of the white working class from the Democratic Party began then as the Democrats expanded free trade and tried to cultivate professional-class Americans. Racial and gender politics transformed, birthing new movements that would grow in influence in the next century. Social media first emerged in the 1990s too, and its impact on all aspects of life cannot be underestimated. In foreign policy, America's long wars in the Middle East and Afghanistan have roots in US policies in the 1990s. And the current standoff between the US and Russia traces back to disagreements over NATO expansion a quarter century ago. A pithy and highly readable interpretive history of a decade that matters more than most think, this book will be an essential guide to anyone trying to understand that era.

Table of Contents:
Preface Introduction: New World Order: Last Superpower Standing and Desert Storm Chapter One: Bush, Clinton, Perot, and the Crumbling Center Chapter Two: Angry White Men Chapter Three: The Nervous Nineties Chapter Four: Revolutions that Changed the World (Wide Web) Chapter Five: Fin de Siècle @ Anything Goes America Epilogue: 9/11 Conclusions: Why the 1990s Matter

About the Author :
Terry H. Anderson is Professor of History and Cornerstone Faculty Fellow at Texas A&M University, a Vietnam veteran, and has taught in Malaysia and Japan. He has received Fulbright awards to China, Indonesia, and was the Mary Ball Washington Professor of American History at University College, Dublin. He is the author of numerous articles on the 1960s and the Vietnam War, co-author of A Flying Tiger's Diary, and author of The Sixties; United States, Great Britain, and the Cold War, 1944-1947; The Movement and the Sixties; The Pursuit of Fairness: A History of Affirmative Action; and Bush's Wars.

Review :
No one writes about recent American history better than Terry Anderson, and no period of recent history has needed the Anderson treatment more than the 1990s. In recapturing and making sense of the pivotal last decade of the last millennium, this book will serve as a fitting companion to Anderson's beloved and admired The Movement and the Sixties. This deeply researched book by Professor Terry Anderson, who is renowned as an authority concerning recent American cultural life, politics, and foreign relations, was no surprise. He has been one of the most eloquent writers for many years. Everything you ever wanted to know about the 1990s. A flavorful taste of the hash that results when one epic era collides with the next and changes the nation's path. Terry Anderson delivers. Anderson's volume is fairly inclusive, covering both domestic and foreign policy issues, but one oversight is the role of women...Recommended.