President Ronald Reagan, 1981

Who was Ronald Reagan?

Ronald Reagan was the 40th president of the United States. He entered the White House with a desire to win the Cold War.

When was Ronald Reagan the President of the USA?

Reagan served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989.

What happened to the arms race under Ronald Reagan?

Reagan restarted the arms race with the USSR in 5 key ways:

• ❖ He increased investment in the armed forces.
• ❖ New weapons such as stealth bombers were developed.
• ❖ He did not believe in mutually assured destruction - that using nuclear weapons would destroy both the USA and the USSR.
• ❖ He believed you could have a limited nuclear war through nuclear utilisation target selection (NUTs), targeting the USSR's weapons so it could not retaliate.
• ❖ He rejected Truman's Doctrine of containment. He did not want to accept the existence of communists in any part of the world, so he increased the arms race.

What was Ronald Reagan's 'Evil Empire' speech?

Reagan called the USSR the 'Evil Empire' in a speech in 1983. He implied the Cold War was a war between good and evil and, as the USA was a religious nation, it should win the Cold War.

What was the Second Cold War during Ronald Reagan's presidency?

The Second Cold War refers to the time after the end of détente. It was a period of increased tension and the arms race restarted between the USA and the USSR.

What was President Reagan's 'Zero Option'?

In November 1981, Reagan offered to cancel the deployment of intermediate-range missiles in Europe if the USSR dismantled theirs. Brezhnev rejected Zero Option.

Why did President Reagan support Solidarity in Poland?

Reagan supported Solidarity, a Polish independent, non-communist trade union, for 2 main reasons:

• ❖ It opposed the Polish communist government.
• ❖ He hoped it would help end communism in Poland.