The Second Cold War

• When did Reagan become President of the USA?

  1981
• What did Reagan say as part of his 'Evil Empire' speech?

  • Called the USSR evil
  • Americans should be completely anti-communist
  • The arms race was the USSR's fault
• What was SDI?

  A plan created in 1983 to create a system using satellites and lasers to shoot down missiles launched by the USSR
• What does SDI stand for?

  Strategic Defense Initiative
• What would SDI do for the USA?


  • Swung the nuclear balance in their favour
  • Would have gotten rid of MAD
• What was the nickname for SDI?

  Star Wars
• What did Reagan persuade Congress to do?

  • Boost armed forces by increasing arms spending
  • 1982 - 13% more spent on arms
  • A further 8% more was spent in 1983 & 1984
  • Have Trident submarines and stealth bombers developed
• What was the Reagan Doctrine?

  The USA would support anti-communist governments and anti-communist groups trying to overthrow communist governments
• Which countries received support under the Reagan Doctrine?


  El Salvador and Nicaragua
• What did the USA do in Grenada under Reagan?

  Invaded it and toppled the communist government
• How much did the US government spend over the next decade trying to create SDI?


  $30 billion
• When did Reagan announce SDI to the public?


  23rd March 1983
• How did the USSR react to the SDI?


  • They were shocked
  • They saw SDI as a significant threat to their safety as the SDI broke the 1967 Outer Space Treaty
  • They could not afford to create a new weapons system as their economy was failing and they had already spent an unsustainable amount of money on trying keep up with the nuclear technology of the USA
  • They believed the USA was becoming more aggressive towards them
• How did the SDI impact US-Soviet relations?


  • Announcing the SDI was a tactic to force the USSR to collapse or accept defeat in the Cold War as the US government did not believe SDI would become a reality anyway which worsened relations
  • The USA's development of computers boosted their economy but the USSR did not have the same level of technology
  • The SDI forced the USSR to reform as their economy was extremely poor