THE REAGAN YEARSTHE REAGAN YEARS

The 1980SThe 1980S

The 1980 Election

- Pres. Carter runs for re-election against Republican

Ronald Reagan

- Key issues: the Iran hostages

high federal taxes

Reagan’s age and health

strength of US military

- 50% of all registered voters cast ballots

- Reagan’s victory seen as victory for conservatives

Reagan’s Domestic Policies

- supply side economics/ trickle down theory/ Reaganomics

- reduced government spending on social programs

- was shot in the chest in 1981 by Hinckley

- economic recovery begins 1983-1988

- greatly increased military spending; soaring deficit

- appoints first woman Supreme Court Justice; Sandra Day

O’Connnor

- very popular; called “The Great Communicator”

Reagan’s Foreign Policies

- Reagan saw USSR as “the evil empire”

- very concerned over spread of communism in Latin

America

- sent aid to anti-communist rebels in El Salvador (the

Sandinistas) and Nicaragua (the Contras)

-sent US Marines to Lebanon as peacekeepers; a suicide

bomber kills 241 marines

The Second Term

- Reagan easily wins re-election over Democrats Walter

Mondale and Geraldine Ferraro

- supports new B2 stealth bombers and the expensive

Star Wars satellite defense plan

- Michael Gorbachev becomes new leader of USSR and makes

important changes; “glasnost” and “perestroika”

- appoints two more conservative Supreme Court Justices

- the Iran-Contra Scandal; the “Teflon President”

-1987 stock market crashes, partly due to computer trading

-1987 INF Treaty with Gorbachev

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Giving his acceptance speech at the 1984 Republican National Convention

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