president ronald reagan: the end of the cold war...

President Ronald Reagan:

The End of the Cold War,

Communism in China, &

The Iran-Contra Affair

There are many pictures and

diagrams in this presentation.

Yet, you have a set of notes as

depicted to the right.

Whenever a slide comes up

with the title that matches your

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E. America Enters World War

II (1945-Present)

g. Analyze the origins of the

Cold War, foreign policy

developments, and major

events of the administrations

from Truman to present

2.Changes at Home

a. Analyze major domestic issues and responses

of the administrations from Truman to present

e. Identify the major contemporary social,

environmental, and political issues (e.g.,

immigration, global warming, terrorism), the

groups involved, and the controversies

engendered by those issues

f. Assess increasing global interdependence, the

potential for conflict, and the U.S. role in world

events in the present and future

Reagan, Economics, and Defense Funding

-Reagan cut funding to many social programs that provided

economic assistance to the middle class and poor. He

believed cutting taxes, especially on the rich, would help the

economy to become stronger.

-Yet, the Cold War was still a focus for the USA. Reagan

pumped huge amounts of money into defense spending to

ensure the USA remained more powerful than the Soviet

Union of Russia, in terms of military might.

-He ordered the building of the Strategic Defense Initiative. He

claimed it could stop nuclear missiles from hitting the USA,

even suggesting it would use lasers to do so. It was

nicknamed “Star Wars.” Democrats argued it was too

expensive, unrealistic, and would simply increase hostility with

the USSR.

COLD WAR

RECAP

During WW II,

the Democracies

of the world had

originally

teamed up with

the Communist

USSR to defeat

Nazi Germany.

When World War II was finished, the USA, Britain, and France grew

concerned. They wanted the nations of the world to accept Democracy.

Yet, it was clear that Stalin wanted Eastern Europe

to be dominated by Communism.

After World War II,

Poland, East

Germany,

Czechoslovakia,

Hungary, Romania,

and Bulgaria

became Satellite

Nations that were

controlled by the

USSR.

A major concern during the Cold War was that both the USA and the

USSR had nuclear weapons. Therefore, if direct fighting

between the two nations did break out, the consequences

would be devastating for the entire world.

Back in the 1940s, President Truman’s goal of “Containment”

was simply to keep Communism from spreading

any further into the world. This policy failed.

Vietnam

Communism expanded to China,

North Korea, Cuba, and Vietnam from

the 1940s to the 1960s.

In the 1960s, the Communist dictator of the USSR, Nikita Khrushchev, supported

the Communist takeover of Cuba and wanted to put nuclear missiles on the

island. This way, the USSR would have close missiles to attack the USA,

if nuclear war broke out. President John F. Kennedy found this action

unacceptable. He demanded that the USSR not put any nuclear weapons

in Cuba. In the end, the USA agreed to allow Cuba to remain

Communist and the USSR agreed to not place missiles on the island.

The incident was called the Cuban Missile Crisis.

After World War II, the Democracies

of the world, including the USA,

were concerned about Communism

spreading in Asia. Eventually,

China fell to Communism as did

North Korea. Then, Communism

spread down to Vietnam. The USA

got involved to try and keep South

Vietnam from falling to

Communism. The war became

very unpopular in the USA as it

lasted from the 1950s to the 1970s.

President Lyndon Johnson and

President Richard Nixon had to

deal with various military

campaigns in Vietnam. The USA’s

involvement ended while Ford was

President. South Vietnam fell to

Communism.

By 1980, the Soviet Union (USSR) was still a

nation and Communist struggles were occurring

in various parts of the world. Reagan argued he

had to heavily fund defense spending to remain

more powerful than the Communist USSR.

Many Democrats critiqued Reagan because he cut social programs that

gave aid to citizens but used vast amounts of money to increase defense

spending, which many argued made the tension between the USSR and

the USA escalate. Likewise, they asserted the so called “Star Wars”

endeavor wouldn’t even work and was unrealistic.

The Rise of Mikhail Gorbachev in the USSR

-Since World War II ended, the USA had tension with various

leaders of the Soviet Union. Joseph Stalin was a ruthless dictator

who killed and persecuted many people. Under his leadership, the

USSR built nuclear weapons and entered into an arms race with

the USA.

-Nikita Khrushchev, the General Secretary of the Communist Party

after Stalin, experienced less tension with the USA. Yet, during his

time in office, the USA and the USSR experienced the Cuban

Missile Crisis and came close to all out nuclear war.

-Mikhail Gorbachev was different. As General Secretary of the

Communist Party, he stressed that the USSR needed to pursue

changes, such as allowing the freedom of speech and press,

letting free enterprise be established, and taking steps to

establish a Democracy in the USSR. His goal in pursuing these

plans was called glasnost, which meant transparency.

Since after WW II, when Joseph Stalin dominated Easter Europe with Communism, the

USA and the USSR had a tense relationship. Nikita Khrushchev reduced those

tensions as he ruled the USSR in the 1960s. Yet, Khrushchev also experienced the

Cuban Missile Crisis against JKF, which hurt the relationship of the two nations. In the

1980s, many viewed Mikhail Gorbachev as the first leader of the USSR that could

radically reduce tension with the USA and work with America to pursue peace.

Reagan’s Direct Opinion of the USSR

-President Ronald Reagan was extremely clear that he felt the

USSR, in the 1980s, was a threat to the world.

-In a speech given in 1983, to the National Association of

Evangelicals, Reagan said of the USSR, “They preach the

supremacy of the state, declare its omnipotence over

individual man and predict its eventual domination of all

peoples on the Earth…I urge you to beware the

temptation…to ignore the facts of history and the aggressive

impulses of an evil empire…”

-Many were concerned that Reagan was increasing the

tension of the Cold War. Others felt Reagan was aggressively

trying to bring about the fall of the USSR. Despite his bold

opinion of the USSR, Reagan felt Gorbachev could be an

agent of change for the Soviet Union.

The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty

-Reagan’s massive commitment to defense spending was

damaging the USSR’s economy as they tried to keep up.

Gorbachev wanted to reduce military tension so the

USSR could stop trying to keep up with defense

spending.

-This led to Reagan and Gorbachev to sign the

Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty).

-This banned nuclear and conventional ground-

launched ballistic and cruise missiles with intermediate

ranges, defined as between (300-3,400 miles). It also

allowed inspection of nuclear capabilities between the

USA and the USSR.

Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan signed the

Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty) in 1987.

The Tearing Down of the Berlin Wall

-The increased cooperation between the USA and the Soviet

Union led to discussions about past actions of the USSR.

-In Eastern Germany, the Western Portion of the city of

Berlin was a Democracy. Yet, the Eastern portion of the city

was Communist. The USSR literally built a wall around the

Western portion, cutting it off from Eastern Europe.

-Families were literally broken up and many in the East tried

to get across the wall to escape the Communism of East

Germany. In 1987, Ronald Reagan gave a famous speech

demanding that the wall be torn down. Eventually, the pro-

Soviet military presence evacuated the area. In 1989, the

wall was torn down by citizens of West and East Germany.

Even though Berlin was in the Eastern Communist area, half the city

remained in control of West Germany and was a Democracy. This

agreement was reached after WW II.

The Berlin Airlift was an attempt to help the Western Half of

Berlin stay Democratic. The USA would do fly overs and drop

off supplies to help the area remain a Democracy.

Khrushchev built a literal wall around the Western Half of

Berlin. Communist Eastern Europeans were forbidden from

coming into the Western Half of the City.

Eastern Germans building the Berlin Wall

By the 1980s, the Berlin Wall had multiple sections and

guards watching from towers. If anyone tried to cross it,

they could be shot and killed.

“We welcome change and openness; for we believe that freedom and security go

together, that the advance of human liberty can only strengthen the cause of

world peace. There is one sign the Soviets can make that would be unmistakable,

that would advance dramatically the cause of freedom and peace. General

Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet

Union and eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization, come here to this gate. Mr.

Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”

-Ronald Reagan, 1987

In 1987, Ronald Reagan demanded the Berlin Wall be torn down.

The wall was eventually torn down in 1989.

The Breaking Apart of the USSR

-Gorbachev’s desire to implement some forms of

Democracy, the desire to reduce military funding in the

USSR to cease trying to keep up with Reagan’s defense

spending, and the decline of the USSR’s economy led to

the Soviet Union breaking apart.

-The Soviet Union consisted of Russia and the Russian

control of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia,

Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova,

Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

-Yet, by 1991, these nations had broken away from the core

nation, Russia. Russia became a Democracy and the other

areas were allowed to form their own national governments.

This was the end of the Soviet Union alliance.

.From the 1950s to 1991, Russia controlled various areas in the world. This alliance

of various areas with Russia formed the Soviet Union.

After 1991, Russia became an independent nation and gave up control of the former

Soviet Union areas. These areas became individual nations.

Communism Remains in China

-China also reduced its Communist practices

somewhat in the 1980s. For instance, China allowed

more freedom and put less control on businesses.

-Yet, many Chinese citizens wanted more extreme

reforms. In 1989, in Beijing's Tiananmen Square,

college students led marches against the

government.

-China’s leader, Li Peng, ordered the military to end

the protests. The nations of the world watched on

CNN as the military attacked the students. After the

event, it was clear China was going to remain

Communist, despite their small changes.

Tiananmen Square Protests Against

Communism in 1989.

The Students of the Tiananmen Square Protests made a

Statue of Liberty to symbolize their demand for Freedom. Li

Peng, pictured above, the Premier of China, sent in

the military to force the protests to cease.

A lone protestor stood in front of a line of tanks, when Li

Peng sent in the military. His identity is unknown as is his

fate after this incident. Yet, this picture became an iconic

image that showed the brutality of the military invasion.


-Iranian terrorists took American hostages in the country of

Lebanon in 1985. The nation of Iran wanted weapons as a

ransom to help with their war in Iraq. In a controversial move,

Reagan sold weapons to Iran in agreement for the hostages to

be let go.

-The USA used the funds from Iran to help fund the Contras of

Nicaragua, who were fighting against Communist like takeovers

from occurring in Nicaragua. The Boland Amendment said

America could not fund revolutionary groups in Central America.

The Contras used brutal tactics and many American

government leaders did not support them.

-In 1992, President Bush had to pardon several members of

Reagan’s staff for illegally selling weapons and giving the

money to guerilla fighters in Central America.

THE

END

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