By-Cynthia Lee, Debbie Ng, Kevin Pei, and Sam Rosenthal
Debbie Ng
Summary
Ronald Reagan’s inaugural address and the years of his administration not only
defuse the tension between United States and Soviet Union, but also had a positive effect
on the domestic policy. Ronald Reagan’s administration had a positive effect on the
nation from 1981 to 1989. His actions were characterized as “peace through strength”
building a better relationship with the Soviet Union, and resulting in an end to the Cold
War. Part of Reagan’s policies became what was known as the Reagan Doctrine. The
Reagan Doctrine was designed to oppose the global influence of the Soviet Union during
the final years of the Cold War. As a result of the Reagan Doctrine, it had diminished
Soviet influence in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, and opened the door for capitalism
in nations governed under socialist governments. The Reagan Administration recognized
the impact of Soviet control of the region and Afghanistan became the center of conflict.
United States involvement in the Afghanistan war was to end socialist government and to
stop Soviet influences throughout the nation. United States funded and provided arms so
that Muslims could effectively offense against the Soviets, thus winning and bringing the
end of the Cold War. Throughout Reagan’s presidency, he had many positive domestic
policies. His policies included a tax cut and increased defense spending. Based on the
supply-side economics that he proposed in 1981, Reagan wanted to reduce government
spending, marginal tax rates on income from labor, regulation, and to control the money
supply. Reagan’s inaugural speech had wanted to bring back the economy and to
implement the Tax Reform Act of 1986, lowering tax rates hoping for Americans to have
higher income and increase capital gains.
Cynthia, and Sam
REAGAN TIMELINE
Event Significance
Reagan provided Afghans $300million to
fund and provide arms and intelligence so
U.S involvement in the War in Afghanistan that the Muslims could put forth an
effective offense against the Soviets. The
(1979- 1989)
money was used to also purchase weapons
such as assault rifles, grenades, anti-
aircraft missiles and the building of mines.
This increased tensions with the Soviets
because the U.S was giving money to fund
Afghanistan, helping them win the war.
In 1979, power changed hands in Iran
Iran Contra Affairs ( 1979-1988) when radical Islamic movement over threw
the U.S government. The revolutionary
government was unfriendly toward the U.S
and potentially allied with the Soviet
Unions. In 1985, President Ronald Reagan
stated that “The United States give terrorist
no reward. We make no concessions, we
make no deals.” However, in August 1985,
Reagan approved the plan to allow Israel to
sell approximately 100 American-made
TOW antitank missiles to Iran, trying to
improve relations with them so that in
exchange, Iranians would release all
American hostages. This increased U.S
tension with the Soviet Union because the
U.S had to sell missiles to the Iranians who
were allied with the Soviet Union at the
time, increasing the Soviets chances of
being stronger than the U.S.
When Reagan first entered office, the
country faced the highest rate of inflation.
Reaganomics(1981-1989) The unemployment rates were in the
double digits and there were high interest
rates. This was believed to be the nation’s
principle economic problem and so Reagan
sought to stimulate the economy with large
across-the-board tax cuts. These principles
later became known as “Reaganomics.”
The policies reduced the growth of
government spending, reduction of tax
rates on income from labor and regulations
Reaganomics (1981-1989) as well as control of money. Reagan
wanted to also strengthen the nation’s
defense budget because he believed that a
strong American military would not have
been humiliated by Iran and would have
discouraged Soviet adventurism. This
increased tensions with the Soviet Union
because the U.S would have a stronger
military making them weaker and harder
for them to try to win.
Ronald Reagan proposes the Strategic
Defense Initiative (SDI) to protect the
United States from nuclear missiles. It was
later dubbed as Star Wars after the popular
1977 film, because it was unrealistic and
unscientific. Mainly due to the fact that it
would take years of research and advanced
technology to create a global shield. It was
a plan to intercept all nuclear missiles
Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) from Soviet Russia by having ground
missiles, all way to laser battle stations in
March 23, 1983
space. This increased tensions because it
was meant to show America’s superiority
over the Soviets weapons, really pushing
the Soviets to prove the United States
wrong.
Reagan and his advisers wanted to view
ever regional conflict through a cold war
lens. Reagan pledged his support for anti-
communist revolution what later became
Reagan Doctrine (February 16, 1985) known as the “Reagan Doctrine.” In
Afghanistan, the United States was already
providing aid to anti-Soviet freedom
fighters, ultimately, helping to force Soviet
troops to withdraw. The Reagan Doctrine
increased tensions with the Soviet Union
because they were communist and Reagan
wanted to stop communism.
Space Shuttle Challenger explodes after lift
off in 1986, killing seven crew members
including a teacher. The disintegration of
the shuttle was due to a failure in one of the
rocket boosters. This was the first space trip
Space Shuttle Challenger (January 28, that consisted of a civilian, Christa
1986) McAuliffe. After the space shuttle failure,
Reagan assigned the formation of the
Rogers Commission that investigated what
went wrong and how it could have been
prevented. This was a disaster
for NASA because they ignored many of
the warnings from scientist and engineers
about the dangers of the flight. Mainly
warnings about the weather and out of date
rocket boosters that had flaws since 1977.
This was a space race between the Soviet
Union and United states, which increased
tensions on both sides. However the
Russians were first to make a space station
while America was first at making
the booster rockets. This need for each
other decreased tensions between the U.S
and the Soviets bring them closer.
Reagan proposes to congress the assistance
to the Nicaraguan Democratic Resistance to
Assistance to Contra Freedom Fighters protect themselves against the Soviet
(March 3, 1986) Union. Reagan wants to provide the contra
freedom fighters with supplies to avoid
another failure when America didn't help
the Hungarians from the Soviet Union in
1956. This increased tensions because, if
the U.S did not help, it would spring up
many revolutionaries for communism, and
eventually be close enough to influence
America.
Kevin Pei
Ronald Reagan Evaluation
During Ronald Reagan’s presidency, he decreased foreign policy tensions
between the US and the Soviet Union by talking with the Russian president Mikhail
Gorbachev. President Reagan fought with other nations to stop Gorbachev from
spreading communism to the US and other nations that wanted a democracy. President
Reagan in his final speech talked about how pure communism is nothing short of
freedom. During the Iran Contra Affair in 1985, Reagan had to sell 100 American-made
TOW antitank missiles in exchange for American hostages being held by the Iranians.
During this time, the Iranian’s were potentially allied with the Soviet Union’s therefore,
increasing the tension between the U.S and Soviet Union because when U.S sold the
missiles to Iran, Iran can later use that to help the Soviets because they were on the same
side. However, before the Iran Contra Affairs, it was the time of the Reaganomics.
During this time, Reagan sought to stimulate the economy with large across-the-board tax
cuts. The policies during the Reaganomics involved many reductions in the growth of
government spending, reduction of tax rates on income from labor and regulations as well
as control of money. Not only did Reagan want to stimulate the economy, he wanted
America to have a stronger military so that we could be stronger and discourages the
Soviets. This mostly increased tensions with the Soviet Union because this meant that we
would be stronger than them and that we would have a higher chance defeat. Then, on
March 23, 1983, Reagan created The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), also known as
Star Wars. Star War’s was to use ground and space-based systems to protect the United
States from attack by strategic nuclear ballistic missiles. It was mainly a plan to intercept
all nuclear missiles from Soviet Russia. The initiative focused on strategic defense rather
than the prior strategic offense doctrine of mutual assured destruction (MAD). This also
increased tensions with the Soviets because the U.S wanted to show how much more
superior they were than the Soviets, angering them.
On February 16, 1985, President Ronald Reagan introduced The Reagan
Doctrine. The Reagan Doctrine was a strategy orchestrated and implemented by the
United States under the Reagan Administration that opposed the global influence of the
Soviet Union during the final years of the Cold War. In Afghanistan, while they faced the
invasions of the Soviet Union, the U.S provided funding of $300 million. This allowed
the Afghans to use the money to purchase weapons such as assault rifles, grenades, anti-
aircraft missiles and the building of mines The doctrine was also designed to serve the
dual purposes of diminishing Soviet influence in these regions, while also potentially
opening the door for capitalism (and sometimes liberal democracy) in nations that were
largely being governed by Soviet-supported socialist governments. While the doctrine
lasted less than a decade, it was the centerpiece of United States foreign policy from the
early 1980s until the end of the Cold War in 1991.
From the timeline, many actions and events taken place during Reagan’s
Presidency increased the tensions of the U.S and the Soviet Union, it did also decrease
tensions. In President Reagan’s Farewell Address on January 11, 1989, he talks about
how over the “past few years, [we’ve] forged a satisfying new closeness with the Soviet
Union” (F a r e w e l l A d d r e s s t o t h e N a t i o n ) meaning that although tensions may
have increased over some time, at the end the U.S and the Soviet Union’s grew close
enough to stop their hatred for each other. Reagan also states in his Address that the U.S
will continue to work with the Soviet Union and help them become a country which is
less threatening and that the U.S and the Soviet view issues of freedom and human rights
very differently but in the end we all want peace. So even though Reagan did more to
increase tensions with the Soviet Union, they also made peace in the end.
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