Ronald Reagan

By Horstmann

  • AID TO AFGHAN REBELS

    Ronald Reagan sent $570 million dolors more of military aid to the Afghan guerrillas than Carter had sent. Reagan aided the Taliban fighting the USSR.The American militsry could not defeat the Afghan guerrillas.

  • CUTTING SOCIAL PROGRAMS

    Reagan wanted to increase the budget deficit. He proposed tax cuts to social programs. Welfare benefits like, the food stamp program, and school lunch programs were cut. Reagan gave medicare payments, student loans, housing subsidies, and reduction of unemployment compensation.

  • APPIONTING CONSERVATIVE JUDGES

    Reagan wanted judges who followed the original meaning and wording of the constitution. He nominated the first woman in the supreme court, Sandra Day O'Connor, to suceed him William Rehnquist, as a conservative Antonin Scalia, and as an associate justice Anthony Kennedy.

  • NICARAGUA AND GRENADA

    Reagan was concerned about Soviet influence in Nicaragua. Sandinistas has overthrown an American dictator in Nicaragua. Reagan sent aid to contras who were fighting in the Sandinista military, and he sent troops to Grenada to install anit-communist government.

  • INCREASED DEFENSE SPENDING

    In response to the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan, Reagan wanted to increase military build up. To do this, he increased spending by 40% and increased the enlistment of thousands of troops.

  • MILITARY BUILD UP

    Bulding up the military was Reagans main military strategy.This expansion was the largest peacetime expansion in American History. It costed $1.5 trillion dollors over five years. They believed that if the Soviets tried to match the American expansion, it might force them to reform their system or collapse. Reagan told students that Soviet defense spending would cause the Communist system to collapse.

  • REAGAN DOCTORINE

    Reagan believed that the United States should support guerilla groups who were fighting to overthrow Communist or pro-Soviet governments.

  • DEREGULATION

    Ronald Reagan wantred to first eliminate price controls on oil and gasoline.This policy limited the governments control of the oil industry, highway safety, cable TV, airline, and drilling and mining.

  • ARMS CONTROL

    Reagan decided to place nuclear missiles in Western Europe to counter Soviet missiles. This created a new peace movement. Reagan offered to cancel the deployment of the new missiles if Soviets removed their missiles. He proposed the Strategic Arms Reduction Talks (START) to cut the number of missiles in half. The Soviets refused.