President Reagan ran as a conservative alternative to President Carter. Reagan, a former actor, had previously served as the governor of California.

President Reagan ran as a conservative alternative to President Carter. Reagan, a former actor, had previously served as the governor of California.

Republican Ronald Reagan became the 40 th President. At 69 he is the oldest president ever elected. Reagan was a strong conservative. This appealed to Americans who were frustrated with the bad economy and worried that the US was weak internationally. Regan was a strong conservative. He also won the support of social conservatives by calling for a ban on abortion.

Reagan conservatives generally believed that most social problems could be solved through faith and private efforts. They also believed in splitting government power between state and federal levels. 80s liberals generally believed that free speech and privacy were most importance. They also believed in a stronger federal government.

Reaganomics: A combination of supply side economics and high interest rates to curb stagflation. Deregulating business and industry Reagan believed that military spending and tax cuts were more important than balancing the budget. By 1984 the economy began to expand at a rate never before seen. Supply-side economics: Reducing taxes and regulations will increase economic growth by reducing prices and increasing production.

Reagan easily wins re-election against Mondale and his running mate Geraldine Ferraro. Mondale wins only his home state of Minnesota and D.C. Reagan extends conservatism to the Supreme Court with his appointments of Sandra Day O Connor, Antonin Scalia, and Anthony Kennedy. Reagan s vice president George H. W. Bush will succeed him as President to end the decade.

Reagan rejected the past policies of containment and détente. He calls the USSR an evil empire. Proposes peace through strength. Reagan oversaw the largest peacetime military buildup in history. Created the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI): a program to defend against ballistic missiles. Commonly referred to as Star Wars. He believed that the Soviet system would collapse if it tried to keep pace with America s defense spending.

Reagan also supported guerrilla fighters combating communist aggression. Aided the mujahedeen who were fighting a Soviet invasion in Afghanistan. Sent US Marines to restore the anticommunist government of Grenada.

The Iran Contra Scandal: The Contras were a counterrevolutionary group that sought to overthrow the Soviet influenced Sandinista government in Nicaragua. Although Congress made it illegal to supply the Contras with military aid, the Reagan administration secretly sold weapons to Iran in exchange for the release of hostages and then gave some of that money to the Contras.

The Iran Contra Scandal: A congressional investigation concluded that Reagan knew of the sale of weapons to Iran, but had not known about the transfer of funds to the Contras. However, the scandal tainted his second term.

Relations with the Soviet Union improved. Mikhail Gorbachev becomes leader of the USSR in 1985. He calls for economic reforms. The 1987 INF treaty was the first to call for the destruction of nuclear weapons.

In May 1989, Chinese students gathered in Tiananmen Square to demand more democratic reforms. The Chinese government sent in the military with tanks to crush the rebellion. Many students were killed and injured. Others were arrested and sent to reeducation camps.

In August 1990, Iraq invaded the neighboring country of Kuwait. At the time, Iraq had the world s 4 th largest army. The USA and the United Nations condemned the invasion and ordered Iraq s leader, Saddam Hussein, to remove his troops.

Hussein refused to leave Kuwait, so coalition forces led by the USA began operation Desert Storm to remove Iraqi invaders from Kuwait. The Iraqi military was no match for America s high-tech weaponry. Iraq was pushed out of Kuwait and much it s military force was destroyed.

Materialism: After the recession ended in 1981 people indulged in things they could not before afford. The boom resulted in a focus on materialism. This spawns a retail revolution as people began spending new places like Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Home Depot, Target & K-Mart.

Entertainment: Cable TV brings a variety of new viewing options. 1980 BET 1980 CNN 1981 MTV 1980 Nickelodeon Music videos boost the popularity of people such as Michael Jackson and Madonna. Rap music grows in popularity. Cable TV allows sports to be broadcast beyond local TV. And thanks to the VCR (video cassette recorder), people could record shows to watch when they wanted and also rent movies to watch at home.

Entertainment: Musicians hold a series of charity concerts for a variety of causes. Live-Aid Farm-Aid Negative Trends: Drug abuse Increase in violent crime Alcohol abuse AIDS

Technology: Video Games: Arcades are the hang-out location for young people. Video games become a billion dollar business with home game systems. Atari 2600 dominated the market until 1985. 1985 Nintendo releases the NES. Computers 1981 IBM releases its Personal Computer (PC) Apple Macintosh arrives in 1984 with a graphic interface.