- •Lecture 11 the general outline, including geography
- •11.1. General description: what comes to mind first?
- •11.2. Contributions to civilization.
- •11.3. Contributions to culture.
- •11.4. The American "melting pot of nations".
- •Lecture 12 the discovery of america, and the puritan experiment
- •12.1. The earlier history of America's discovery.
- •12.2. The British colonization of the new continent.
- •12.3. The beginning of Puritan America.
- •12.4. The theocratic experiment.
- •Lecture 13 american enlightenment
- •13.1. The beginning of the Enlightenment.
- •13.2. Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence.
- •13.3. The American Revolution.
- •13.4. The War of Independence and after.
- •Lecture 14 the usa in the first half of the XIX century
- •14.1. The historical outline.
- •14.2. The Civil War in the usa (1861—1865).
- •14.3. The war and its outcome.
- •14.4. Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the usa.
- •Lecture 15 the reconstruction and after
- •15.2. More development.
- •15.3. Geography and a bit of economy.
- •15.4. Manufacturing of today.
- •Lecture 16 the usa in the XX century
- •16.1. The First World War.
- •16.2 The Great Depression and World War II.
- •16.3. After of the war: international politics.
- •16.4. After of the war: domestic affairs.
- •Lecture 17 the usa after 1950
- •17.1. The civil rights movement: 1950s — 1960s.
- •17.2. The Kennedy Administration and the Vietnam War.
- •17.3. The space programs.
- •17.4. From Reagan to Bush, Jr.
- •Lecture 18 ppolitical system. Parties. Leadership
- •18.1 The us political system.
- •18.2. Main political parties
- •18.3. Main political leaders.
- •18.4. Modern us policy.
- •Lecture 19 social issues, and education and science
- •19.1. Social issues.
- •19.2. Secondary education.
- •19.4. Notes on the development of American science.
- •Lecture 20 mass culture and the concept of americanization
- •20.1. America’s Global Role (political and economic influence)
- •20.2 America’s Global Role.
- •20.3 America’s mass culture.
- •20.4 The usa in the XXI century.
- •20.4.4.
- •Lecture 21 a tour of the english-speaking countries
- •21.1. Sightseeing in the United Kingdom.
- •21.2. Sightseeing in the usa.
- •21.3. The Republic of Ireland and Canada.
- •21.4. Australia and New Zealand.
17.4. From Reagan to Bush, Jr.
17.4.1. In 1975, a joint Soviet-American space mission took place. Two spacecraft successfully docked in space. It was a symbol of the ending of the Cold War. Unfortunately, that spirit didn't last long. The Soviet involvement in Afghanistan was one of the reasons. When Ronald Reagan, an anti-Communist, became president, international relations grew from bad to worse. In 1980, the USA boycotted the Olympic Games in Moscow, and four years later The Soviets staged a boycott of the Games in LA. There was danger of a new war in the air.
17.4.2. The spirit of the day is reflected in the international media event – the visit to the Soviet Union of an 11-year-old American girl Samantha Smith with her parents. It took place in the summer of 1983 and became a true sign of the times. After that more people from both countries began to contact with one another. The new Soviet leader Gorbachev started the perestroika. Gorbachev and Reagan met several times, and as a result important agreements on banning certain categories of nuclear missiles were signed.
17.4.3. After in the late 1980s the Soviet Union's power diminished, leading to its collapse in 1991, the leadership role was taken by the United States and its allies. The Gulf War under President George H. W. Bush, and later the Yugoslav Wars helped to preserve the USA's position as the world's last remaining superpower.
President Bill Clinton was elected in 1992 on a wave of expectations for change. Despite domestic success, Clinton's presidency ended under a cloud. The controversial presidential election of 2000 was resolved by a Supreme Court decision that effectively awarded the presidency to Texas governor George W. Bush, son of George H. W. Bush
17.4.4.. On September 11, 2001, terrorists struck the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon, killing nearly three thousand people. In the aftermath, President Bush launched the War on Terrorism under a military philosophy. In late 2001, U.S. forces led a NATO invasion of Afghanistan, removing the Taliban government and al-Qaeda terrorist training camps. Taliban insurgents continue to fight a guerrilla war against the NATO-led force.
In 2002, the Bush administration began to press for regime change in Iraq on controversial grounds. The U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003, removing President Saddam Hussein from power. Although facing both external and internal pressure to withdraw, the United States maintains its military presence in Iraq. The United States has been criticized for its use of torture and other violations of human rights in its pursuit of the War on Terrorism.
Lecture 18 ppolitical system. Parties. Leadership
18.1 The us political system.
18.1.1. The US government consists of 3 branches: executive, legislative and judicial. The executive branch is headed by the president, who must be a natural-born citizen of the United States, at least 35 years old, and a resident of the country for at least 14 years. A president is elected indirectly by the people to a four-year term and is limited to two elected terms of office. The president's official residence and office is the White House, located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W. in Washington, DC. The President is a commander in chief of the armed forces; negotiates treaties; appoints federal judges, ambassadors, and cabinet officials; and acts as head of state. In practice he drafts legislation, formulates foreign policy, conducts personal diplomacy, and leads the president's political party.
18.1.2. The members of the president's Cabinet — the Attorney General and the Secretaries of State, Treasury, Defence, Homeland Security, Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, Education, Energy, and Veterans Affairs — are appointed by the president with the approval of the Senate. Members of the cabinet and presidential aides serve the president and may be dismissed by him at any time.
18.1.3. The U.S. Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government, consists of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Powers granted to Congress under the Constitution include the power to levy taxes, borrow money, regulate interstate commerce, impeach and convict the president, declare war, discipline its own membership, and determine its rules of procedure.
The House of Representatives is chosen by the direct vote of the electorate. The number of representatives allotted to each state is based on its population. Members must be at least 25 years old, residents of the states they are elected from, and citizens of the US for at least 7 years. Members serve two-year terms, and there is no limit on the number of terms they may serve.
Each state elects two senators to the Senate. Senators must be at least 30 years old, residents of the state they are elected from, and citizens of the US for at least 9 years. They serve six-year terms. Senate is elected every two years and senators are not subject to term limits.
18.1.4. The judicial branch is headed by the Supreme Court of the United States, which interprets the Constitution and federal legislation. The Supreme Court consists of nine justices (including a chief justice) appointed to life terms by the president with the consent of the Senate. It has appellate jurisdiction over the lower federal courts and over state courts.