____________ - (SDI) nuclear defense program based on using satellites in space to shoot down incoming Soviet nuclear missiles

____________ - new leader of the Soviet Union (1985) who showed a wiliness to negotiate weapons reduction plans with Reagan but only if the United States gave up their SDI (“Star Wars”) program

____________ - 1986 space shuttle explosion that was watched by many Americans live on TV due to the fact that a teacher was the first non-astronaut on board. Set back put a hold on the development of SDI

____________ - the United States should support guerilla groups who were fighting to overthrow communist governments

____________ - Regan Administration officials were caught in a controversial plan to secretly sell weapons to Iran and use those profits to illegally fund Contra rebels in Nicaragua who then received their aid with the use of illegal drug runners

Ch 28 Sec 2.1: The Reagan Years

Intro 2

Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.

Textbook Assignment (pp.868-871)

1) How did President Reagan attempt to gain “peace through strength” with the Soviet Union?

2) In the Iran-Contra scandal, who did members of the Reagan Administration sell weapons to and who received the profits from this sale?

3) What Reagan program was given the nickname “Star Wars” and what was it suppose to be able to accomplish?

4) Who became leader of the Soviet Union in 1985 and what steps did he and Reagan take to move towards peaceful relations?

Section 2.2: The Reagan Years

Intro 3

Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.

Chapter ObjectivesSection 2.2: The Reagan Years

• Discuss Reagan’s policies toward the Soviet Union.

• Identify the events surrounding the Iran-Contra scandal.

Reagan Builds Up the Military

Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.

• President Reagan adopted a new foreign policy that rejected containment and détente.

• Reagan’s phrase regarding the Soviet Union was “peace through strength.”

• Regarded the Soviet Union as “The Evil Empire”

(pages 868–869)(pages 868–869)

The dustbin of history is littered with remains of those countries that relied on diplomacy to secure

their freedom. We must never forget...in the final analysis...that it is our military, industrial,and economic strength that offers the best

guarantee of peace for America in times of danger.

President Ronald Reagan

Reagan Builds Up the Military

Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.

• He launched the largest peacetime military buildup in American history.

• With the increase in the military buildup, the defense budget drove the annual budget deficit from $80 billion to over $200 billion.

(pages 868–869)(pages 868–869)

New Approaches to Arms Control

Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.

• Reagan deployed nuclear missiles in Western Europe to counter Soviet missiles in Eastern Europe.

• This action created a new peace movement, with protestors calling for a “nuclear freeze.”

(pages 870–871)(pages 870–871)

New Approaches to Arms Control

Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.

• Reagan offered to cancel the deployment if the Soviets removed their missiles from Eastern Europe.

• He proposed Strategic Arms Reduction Talks (START) to reduce the number of missiles on each side by half.

(pages 870–871)(pages 870–871)

• The Soviets refused.

• In 1983 Reagan proposed the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), nicknamed “Star Wars.”

• This plan called for the development of weapons that could intercept and destroy incoming missiles.

Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.

New Approaches to Arms Control(cont.)

When Ronald Reagan referred to the Soviet Union as “The Evil Empire” George Lucas looked the other way, but when he nicknamed the SDI program “Star Wars” in 1983 (the year that Return of the Jedi was released) the director tried to sue the government from using the name, but failed.

“Star Wars” copyrighted?

• In 1985 Mikhail Gorbachev, the new leader of the Soviet Union, agreed to resume arms talks with the United States.

• Reagan and Gorbachev met in a series of summit meetings.

Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.

New Approaches to Arms Control(cont.)

(pages 870–871)(pages 870–871)

• Gorbachev promised to cut back Soviet nuclear forces if Reagan would agree to give up SDI.

• Reagan refused, but he challenged the Soviet leader to make reforms and tear down the Berlin Wall.

Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.

New Approaches to Arms Control(cont.)

SDI became a non-factor in negotiations between Reagan and Gorbachev when tragedy struck the NASA program in January 1986 when the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion put the American space program in a position of self-analysis for the remainder of the 1980s.

The SDI hurdle is removed by a tragedy in 1986

• In December 1987, Reagan and Gorbachev signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty that called for the destruction of nuclear weapons.

Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.

New Approaches to Arms Control(cont.)

(pages 870–871)(pages 870–871)

• The Soviet Union reduced military spending, which eventually led to economic and political reforms and the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe and in the Soviet Union.

Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.

New Approaches to Arms Control(cont.)

(pages 870–871)(pages 870–871)

The Reagan Doctrine

Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.

• Reagan believed that the United States should support guerrilla groups trying to overthrow Communist or pro-Soviet governments.

• This became known as the Reagan Doctrine.

• Reagan sent $570 million to aid Afghan guerrillas in Afghanistan.

• The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan was unsuccessful due to a huge Afghan resistance.

• The Soviets withdrew from the region in 1988. (pages 869–870)(pages 869–870)

• Reagan, concerned about Soviet influence in Nicaragua, began secretly arming an anti-Sandinista guerrilla force known as the contras, Spanish for counter-revolutionary.

The Reagan Doctrine (cont.)

Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.

(pages 869–870)(pages 869–870)

• After Congress learned of the policy, they banned further aid to the contras.

• The Iran-Contra scandal became news in November 1986.

• It was discovered that individuals in the Reagan administration were illegally supporting contras.

• The investigation was led by a freshman senator John Kerry from Massachusetts.

The Reagan Doctrine (cont.)

Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.

(pages 869–870)(pages 869–870)

• Weapons were sold to Iran through Israel in exchange for the release of various American hostages being held in the Middle East (mostly Lebanon).

• The profits from the arms sales were sent to the contras.

• Even more disturbing was the revelation that the aid was being delivered by drug trafficking planes that would fly supplies to the Contras and return to the U.S. with their planes carrying illegal drugs.

The Reagan Doctrine (cont.)

Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.

(pages 869–870)(pages 869–870)

• Marine Colonel Oliver North, one of the main figures in the scandal, testified that he and other NSC and CIA officials attempted to cover up their actions.

The Reagan Doctrine (cont.)

Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.

(pages 869–870)(pages 869–870)

• Some people say that Reagan knew of the entire plan to aid the contras – if true he was acting against the direct orders of Congress and committing illegal activities.

• Others say that Reagan had no clear understanding of the plan – if true it shows a president that is “out of the loop” and is not truly in control of his own White House.

The Reagan Doctrine (cont.)

Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.

End of Section 2