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The Reagan Years

The Reagan Years. 1981-89. Ronald Reagan: President, 1981-89 Casper Weinberger: Secretary of Defense, 1981-87. A harder stance towards the U.S.S.R. Reagan administration placed competition and possibility of war with Soviet Union at center of its defense & foreign policy.

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The Reagan Years

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  1. The Reagan Years 1981-89

  2. Ronald Reagan: President, 1981-89 • Casper Weinberger: Secretary of Defense, 1981-87

  3. A harder stance towards the U.S.S.R. • Reagan administration placed competition and possibility of war with Soviet Union at center of its defense & foreign policy. • Pursued large build-up of U.S military forces • Took a more active stance towards combating Communist insurgencies.

  4. Reagan Doctrine • Called for helping anti-Communist movements around the globe. Examples: • Nicaragua: aid for the contras (anti-Sandinista guerillas). • Afghanistan: aid for mujaheddin tribesmen. • Angola: aid for UNITA

  5. Increased defense spending • Military budgets increased for six straight years (FY1980-85). • Reagan Administration spent about $2.4 trillion. • Defense budgets rose to $290-300 billion annually.

  6. Money spent on… • Maintenance, training, and compensation. • New weapons systems. • B-1 bomber • Trident II missile • MX missile • new ships

  7. Strategic Defense Initiative • Announced March 1983. • a/k/a “Star Wars” • Sought to develop a system to destroy incoming missiles

  8. Other effects… • 1980-86: U.S. national debt doubled. • Debt service payments tripled. • Waste & fraud in defense procurement reaches alarming levels. • $400-$500 for a hammer?

  9. Arms control: Strategic Arms Reduction Talks (START) • U.S.-U.S.S.R. negotiations from 1981-91. • Almost produce an agreement during Reagan-Gorbachev meeting at Reykjavik, Iceland, 1986. • Summit fails on issue of SDI • START talks produce treaty in 1991

  10. Reagan & NATO • U.S.: Gets allies to continue deployment of Pershing II & GLCM’s, and to spend more for defense. • Army and USAF get NATO to adopt “AirLand Battle” as common doctrine to for defeating a Warsaw Pact invasion. • Allies: push U.S. on negotiations to reduce theater nuclear and conventional forces.

  11. December 1987: INF Treaty • U.S. & U.S.S.R. agreed to eliminate all their intermediate-range (300-3,400 mile) ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles. • Included provisions for on-site inspections. • All such missiles and related equipment destroyed by May 1991.

  12. U.S. involvement in Latin America • El Salvador: American aid and advisors sent to help the government • Fighting the Frente Martí Liberación Nacional (FMLN) since 1979. • Nicaragua: Began helping groups opposed to the Sandinista regime (contras).

  13. October 1983:Grenada • Soldiers from U.S. and Caribbean nations invade. • Follows a coup • Concern about expanding Cuban and Soviet influence. • Anxiety regarding U.S. medical students.

  14. Problems in the Middle East • Israel & Lebanon • Muammar Gaddafi & terrorism • The Persian Gulf

  15. 1982: Israel invades Lebanon • Goal to drive out Palestinian groups. • U.S. sent Marine expeditionary unit to help enforce a ceasefire. • October 23: truck bomb blows up the Marine barracks • 220 soldiers die, 241 total.

  16. Terrorist incidents on the rise • Attacks & hijackings double, 1983-85. • Led to 1,000 U.S. casualties • Most famous incident: 1985 hijacking of the Achille Lauro • After event, US Navy jets force down plane carrying hijackers to Tunisia.

  17. 1986: U.S.-Libyan tensions rise • Naval incidents. • West Berlin bombing tied to Gaddafi. • Reagan orders bombing of Tripoli and Benghazi. • Mostly military targets destroyed, 200 casualties.

  18. Problems in the Persian Gulf • Iran: fundamentalist Islamic state, hostile to U.S. interests. • Funding terrorist movements. • Region large producer of oil.

  19. 1980-88: Iran-Iraq War • Iraq received more foreign assistance, including official U.S. aid. • Both sides attacked Gulf shipping.

  20. U.S. looks to Saudi Arabia as a regional ally. • Saudis had influence over other Mid-East nations, and indirectly over Palestinians. • supported mujaheddin in Afghanistan • Spent money to buy American arms, and allowed U.S. to build bases on Saudi soil.

  21. Attacks on Gulf shipping rise. • 1987-88: U.S. Navy deploys to Gulf and Red Sea to protect tanker shipping. • Destroys Iranian gunboats and other vessels, missile sites, and attacks bases. • Iran responds with mine laying. • Worst U.S. goof: shooting down an Iranian airliner.

  22. U.S.S. Stark • U.S. frigate fired upon by an Iraqi fighter. • Resulted in 37 deaths.

  23. Second-term problems for the Reagan Administration • Budget and debt issues. • Congressional opposition. • Lax oversight of subordinates leads to political crisis.

  24. Iran-Contra Affair • Administration officials arrange secret arms sales to Iran, some proceeds diverted to contras. • Hope to release hostages in Lebanon, influence Hezbollah. • Violated U.S. law that prohibited arms sales to the contras, and Administration’s own stated policy not to negotiate with terrorists.

  25. Changes in the Soviet Union • Mikhail Gorbachev: General Secretary of the Communist Party, 1985-91. • Sought better relations with the West • Pursued internal reforms (perestroїka,glasnost).

  26. Gorbachev: Foreign Policy Highlights • 1986, meets with Reagan in Reykjavik, Iceland. Though fails in near term, ultimately leads to: • INF Treaty, 1987 • START Treaty, 1991 • 1988, announces U.S.S.R.: • Will pull troops out of Afghanistan. • Will allow Eastern bloc countries to determine affairs. • Will unilaterally begin reducing conventional forces in Europe.

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