History 171D The United States and the World Since 1945

The Reagan Years

Thursday, May 29, 7 pm McCune Conference Room (HSSB 6020) Extra Credit Opportunity! 1965

Debate: The End of the Cold War Thursday, May 22 Resolved: “More than any other leader, Ronald Reagan deserves the credit for ensuring a Western victory in the Cold War.”

November 1979—Iranian students seized US embassy in Tehran and took hostages

Chaos in Iran caused disruption of oil shipments, leading to gas shortages in US

December 1979—Soviets invaded Afghanistan to put down revolt by Afghan Mujahidin

Soviet concerns about Afghanistan

Mujahidin

Brezhnev Mujahidin

Brezhnev Brzezinski

December 1979—Soviets invaded Afghanistan to put down revolt by Afghan Mujahidin

imposed economic sanctions against USSR called for boycott of 1980 Moscow Olympic Games increased military budget Issued Carter Doctrine Carter’s response

drew closer to Pakistan stepped up support for Afghan Mujahidin Carter’s response Pakistani President Zia al-Haq

By spring 1980 Carter was under growing pressure to do something about hostage situation

April 1980—Carter sent mission to rescue hostages

... effort failed disastrously

Fall 1980—Ronald Reagan ran against Carter

November 1980—Ronald Reagan elected president

As lame duck, Carter worked tirelessly to secure release of hostages

Carter reached deal with Iran: in exchange for release of hostages, US would return $8 billion in frozen Iranian assets and pledge not to interfere in Iran’s internal affairs

Hostages released minutes after Ronald Reagan took oath of office

The Reagan Years

Samuel Pierce

With Mikhail Gorbachev of Soviet Union

In early years of presidency, Reagan denounced Soviet Union as “evil empire” and launched massive military buildup

1981— Reagan proposed “zero-zero option”: if Soviets removed their intermediate-range (SS-20) missiles from Eastern Europe, US wouldn’t deploy its own intermediate-range (Cruise and Pershing II) missiles in Western Europe SS-20 missiles Pershing II and Cruise missiles

Soviets rejected “zero-zero option” SS-20 missiles Pershing II and Cruise missiles

Early 1980s—Reagan’s Cold War policies provoked major protests

Spring 1983—Reagan proposed Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), aka “Star Wars”

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Summer 1983—Soviets shot down Korean passenger plane, killing 269

Fall of 1983—the most dangerous moment in the new Cold War Ronald ReaganYuri Andropov

Reagan took equally hard-line stance in Latin America

1979—Nicaragua’s pro-US dictator, Anastasio Somoza, was overthrown by left-wing Sandinistas, led by Daniel Ortega Anastasio Samoza

1979—Nicaragua’s pro-US dictator, Anastasio Somoza, was overthrown by left-wing Sandinistas, led by Daniel Ortega Daniel Ortega

Meanwhile, leftist rebellions broke out against pro-US regimes in El Salvador and Guatemala, prompting vicious response from those regimes

Victims of pro-government death squad, El Salvador

After 1981—Reagan administration stepped up military aid to El Salvador, Guatemala, and contra rebels in Nicaragua Nicaraguan contras

1983 and 1984— Congress passed Boland Amendments, prohibiting US assistance to contras Representative Edward Boland

Mid-1980s—Several US citizens in Lebanon were taken hostage by radical Shiite groups supported by Iran Lebanon Iran

—Reagan administration secretly sold arms to Iran; Iran persuaded Lebanese kidnappers to release some American hostages Freed hostage David Jacobsen with Ronald and Nancy Reagan Hostage Ben Weir

—NSC aide Oliver North secretly diverted profits from arms sales to contras in Nicaragua

Turnover in the Kremlin Leonid Brezhnev

Yuri Andropov Turnover in the Kremlin Leonid Brezhnev

Turnover in the Kremlin Yuri Andropov

Turnover in the Kremlin Konstantin Chernenko Yuri Andropov

Turnover in the Kremlin Konstantin Chernenko

Turnover in the Kremlin Konstantin Chernenko

Turnover in the Kremlin Konstantin Chernenko

Turnover in the Kremlin Konstantin Chernenko

Turnover in the Kremlin Mikhail Gorbachev Konstantin Chernenko

Gorbachev recognized dire state of Soviet economy and society

Pushed for perestroika (restructuring) and glasnost (openness)

November 1985— Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva

No major agreement but meeting was hopeful sign

October 1986— Reagan and Gorbachev met again in Reykjavik, Iceland

October 1986— Reagan and Gorbachev met again in Reykjavik, Iceland Talked about banning all nuclear weapons in 10 years’ time

But deal fell through when Reagan refused to give up SDI

Fall 1986—Reagan administration’s secret dealings with Iran, and diversion of money to contras, became public knowledge

Iran/contra figures Robert McFarlane

Iran/contra figures Robert McFarlane William Casey

Iran/contra figures Fawn Hall

Iran/contra figures Fawn Hall Oliver North

Iran/contra Affair

Early 1987—Gorbachev rescued Reagan by accepting Reagan’s old “zero option”

Reagan at the Berlin Wall, June 1987

December 1987—Gorbachev came to Washington and signed Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty with Reagan