Reagan and the Second Cold War

• President Ronald Reagan:

  • strong ideas on the future of the Cold War

  • believed détente had been a disaster and made the USA look weak

  • believed USA should fight for individual freedom and not find a peaceful coexistence

  • ‘Evil Empire’ speech (March 1983) - the Second Cold War was a fight between ‘good’ and ‘evil’ and USA are fighting with God’s blessing

  • believed in a moral duty to invest in new nuclear weapons
• President Ronald Reagan:

  • media not convinced he was a suitable president

  • famous for starring in low-budget 1950s movies

  • most famous for his role in the film Bedtime for Bonzo (1951)

  • portrayed as a modern-day cowboy and that he knew nothing of world affairs and was totally unqualified to be a president
• Key Features of Reagan’s SDI:

  • 1983/84 - Strategic Defence Initiative

  • proposed a ‘nuclear umbrella’

  • plan to launch an army of satellites equipped with powerful lasers to intercept the USSR’s missiles in space and destroy them

  • became known as ‘Star Wars’

  • hoped this would force disarmament of the USSR

  • turning point in the arms race

  • USA at an advantage
• Soviet Response to Reagan's SDI:

  • could not compete with ‘Star Wars’ • economy was much weaker

  • USA more advanced in their computer technology

  • computers treated suspiciously by USSR - afraid they would leak important information and undermine communist power

  • tensions rose