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Reagan's election
Ronald Reagan was elected president in 1980. He ran against Jimmy Carter, and spoke about "old-fashioned virtues" such as patriotism, religion, and family life. The voting turnout was low due to the dissatisfaction of the American people with the Iranian crisis and the economy. -
Moral Majority
One of Reagan's most fortuitous advantages was the support he gained from conservatives, specifically religious fundamentalists. These fundamentalists were called the Moral Majority. The Moral Majority movement was founded by Reverend Jerry Falwell. Falwell's main message was that the many years of liberal rule was why the nation was facing the troubles it was. -
Beginning of Iran-Iraq War
In the 1980's the Soviet Union had begun its invasion of Afghanistan. This invasion made many congressmen upset at the actions of the Soviet Union. Meanwhile, Muslim warriors in Afghanistan were attempting to drive out soviet influence in the country, and more importantly, these warriors were aided by the United States which gave rise to the Taliban and the Iran-Contra Affair. -
Iran-Contra Affair Begins
In 1979, leftist rebels had overthrown Somoza, and they were backed by Communist countries. Reagan's administration supported anti-Sadinista elements in Nicaragua called the Contras. They were fighting against Cuba and the Soviet Union, so the U.S. was eager to aid them. In October, 1984, Congress banned further aid to the Contras. -
Enactment of Reaganomics
Reagan had substantial impacts on the economy of the time and even to this day. His plan called Reaganomics included lowering taxes on nearly everything by roughly 30 percent. Reagan reasoned that this decrease in taxes would encourage spending in other areas and ultimately bring in more tax money for the federal government. This plan however, did not work and only benefited the richest Americans and raised federal debts and deficits. -
SDI (Strategic Defense Initiative)
The SDI was Reagan's idea of a space-based missile defense system against the Soviet Union. At this point, Sputnik had been launched into space and Americans feared that they would be able to launch missiles as well. Nicknamed "Star Wars," this plan was extremely costly, and was never put into place. -
Reagan's Re-election
On November 6, 1984 Reagan won his second presidential election. Reagan ran against Jimmy Carter's vice president, Walter Mondale. Reagan won in a landslide victory carrying 49 states, and 525 electoral votes opposed to Mondale's 1 state and 13 electoral votes. -
Reagan Revolution
After his reelection Reagan continued many goals from his first term. This included his massive military expansion in attempts to curb the growing Soviet power with acts such as the Strategic defense initiative. Among these goals was also domestic policy, which consisted mostly of limiting federal activity and lowering taxes in many areas of the economy. -
Iran-Contra Affair Scandal Comes to Light
Oliver North, Marine Colonel who was in aid to Reagan's national security advisor, indirectly funneled federal money to continue to support the Contras. He did so by inflating the price of U.S. weapons, sell them to Iran, and transfer the profits to the Contras. This scandal came to light in 1986, and Reagan denied any involvement, and North was fired. -
Reagan's Farewell Address
After the election of 1988, Reagan gave his farewell address. At the time, his speech was seen as self-congratulatory, evident by his statement "We are the change." Similarly, the address was vague and did not mention any specific actions or policies enacted. However, beyond those criticisms the address was received well by the public.
