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Détente
The relaxation of tensions between the U.S. and USSR in the 1960s and 1970s. During this period, the two powers signed treaties limiting nuclear arms productions and opened up economic relations. One of the most famous advocates of this policy was President Richard Nixon’s secretary of state, Henry Kissinger. -
Watergate Affair
On June 17, 1972, burglars broke into Democratic National Committee headquartersin the Watergate hotel to wiretap the phones. It was later discovered that these burglars had beenemployed by Nixon’s Committee to Re-elect the President. In the ensuing investigation, it became clear that Nixon had known of the break-in and had participated in a cover-up attempt -
"Saturday Night Massacre"
An event when Richard Nixon ordered the firing of Archibald Cox, the special investigator in charge of the Watergate investigation. Attorney General Elliot Richardson and several others in the Justice Department refused to carry out this order and resigned. This event greatly damaged Nixon's popularity, both in the eyes of the public and in the Congress. -
Camp David Accords
Negotiaged by President Carter, the Camp David Accords were signed by Israel’s leader, Menachem Begin, and Egypt’s leader, Anwar el-Sadat. The treaty, however, fell apart when Sadat was assassinated by Islamic fundamentalists in 1981. -
Iranian Hostage Crisis
On November 4, 1979, Islamic fundamentalists seized the American embassy in Tehran, Iran, and took all Americans working there hostage. This was a major humiliation for the United States, as diplomatic and military efforts to free the hostages failed. The hostages were finally freed on January 20, 1981, immediately after the inauguaration of Ronald Reagan. -
New Right
The conservative movement that began in the 1960s and triumphed with the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980. The New Right was able to attract many middle-class and Southern voters to the Republican party by emphasizing the themes of patriotism, a smaller government, and a return to "traditional values." -
SDI ("Star Wars")
Reagan pushed for funding for a Strategic Defense Initiatice (SDI) program. As envisioned, this system could shoot down enemy missiles from outer space. Reagan refusde to give up SDI, even though it was a complete bluff. -
New Federalism
A series of policies during the administration of Ronald Reagan that began to give some power back to the states that had always been held by the federal government. Some tax dollars were returned to the state and local governments in the form of block grants. The state and local governments could then spend this money as they best thought. -
Iran-Contra Affair
A series of investigations that exposed evidence that the U.S. had been selling arms to the anti-American government in Iran and using the profits from these sales to secretly and illegally finance theContras in Nicaragua. Oliver North, a member of the National Security Council, had organized theoperation from within the White House. There was no proof that Ronald Reagan was aware of North’sactions. -
Tax Reform Act of 1986
The biggest tax cut in American history, this measure cut taxes by $750 billion over five years and cut personal income by 25 percent. Tax cuts were consistent with President Reagan's belief that more money in the hands of the wealthy would stimulate the economy. Critics of this tax cut would argue that the wealthy were the ones that benefitted from it, as little of the money that went to the hands of the rich actually "trickled down" to help the rest of the economy.
