Ronald Reagan and The End of the Cold War

Emerson Peacock, Britney Wells

Early Life

• Born on February 6, 1911 in Tampico, Illinois.

• Reagan was an actor/radio host.

• Shifted from democrat to republican.

• Was the Governor of California

• Oldest President to be elected at the age of 69.

Supply Side Economics

Economy

• 1983 had the biggest economic boom with median income increasing 15%, 5 million new businesses, and 20 million new jobs. By 1988 unemployment drops to 5.5%.

• John Hinckley attempted to assassinate Reagan on March 30, 1981. This injury impaired Reagan for many months.

• Reagan nominated the first woman to the supreme court who was Sandra Day O’Connor and nominated one of the most conservative chief justices in William Rehnquist.

• Yuri Andropov and Mikhail Gorbachev were the leaders of the Soviet Union during Regan’s Administration. Gorbachev had nuclear arms reduction talks with Reagan.

Peace Through Strength

• Regan launched the largest peacetime buildup of military in history. Spending about 1.5 trillion dollars over 5 years this scared this Soviets and may in turn have helped bankrupt them.

Reagan Doctrine

• Regan believed that the United States should support groups that fought the communists. Examples would be the Mujahadeen and the Contras.

Star Wars

• Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) nicknamed “Star Wars” called for the development of weapons that could intercept and destroy incoming missiles.

AIDS

• A major disease that aroused during Reagan’s administration. He spent about 5.7 billion dollars on helping with the outbreak.

Soviet Issues

• The Soviet economy suffered from huge expenditures in Afghanistan and also by trying to keep up with the U.S.’s “Star Wars” program. Central planning paradigm also did not work well as the market economy.

End of the Cold War

• The end of the Cold War came shortly after Regan left office under George Bush Sr.’s administration. One major representation of the decline of communism was the falling of the Berlin Wall.