AP US History Unit 9 Podcast

What's in this episode

• 0:00 – Intro — Setting the stage for contemporary America, 1980–Present
• 2:00 – The Reagan Revolution — Reaganomics, the New Right, and the conservative ascendancy
• 5:30 – The End of the Cold War — Gorbachev, the fall of the Berlin Wall (1989), and Soviet collapse (1991)
• 9:00 – Globalization & the digital economy — NAFTA, the tech boom, and rising inequality
• 12:00 – 9/11 and the War on Terror — Afghanistan, Iraq, and civil liberties debates
• 15:00 – Demographic change & immigration — Latino and Asian growth, the Sun Belt shift
• 17:30 – Obama, healthcare reform, and the Great Recession — The Affordable Care Act and the financial crisis
• 20:00 – Polarization, social movements, and COVID-19 — Marriage equality, Black Lives Matter, and the pandemic
• 22:30 – Wrap-up — The 3 big ideas in one minute

How to use the podcast

First listen: Play at 1× speed with no distractions. Don't try to take notes — just absorb.

Second listen: Speed up to 1.25× or 1.5× and follow along with the Cheat Sheet or Essentials page open.

Right before the exam: Play at 1.5–2× as background while reviewing flashcards. Repetition locks in the names and dates.