Ronald Reagan & The Second Cold War

Front 1

1. What was 'The Second Cold War' a phrase used to describe?

Back 1

The period between 1979 and 1985 which marks the new low in superpower relations.

Front 2

2. The public was extremely concerned in what period?

Back 2

As in the late 1950's and 1960's

Front 3

3. How was this anxiety reflected?

Back 3

In popular culture, particularly in television shows such as the American TV movie The Day After (1983) and the British Threads (1984)

Front 4

4. What did detente fall apart under?

Back 4

Carter

Front 5

5. Who became the US President in 1981 and what did he have no intention of doing?

Back 5

Ronald Reagan, putting detente back together

Front 6

6. What did he believe?

Back 6

That it was time for the USA to start fighting again.

Front 7

7. What did he say to the American people?

Back 7

"Lets try and win the cold war, because we can!"

Front 8

8. What was Reagan keen to do?

Back 8

He was keen to let the world know that the USA was still a superpower for Reagan, this meant challenging communism.

Front 9

9. What did Reagan indicate when he put forward his defence programme for the USA?

Back 9

He would spend one trillion dollars.

Front 10

10. How did the US policy with regard to a nuclear war begin to change?

Back 10

Reagans advisers persuaded him that the USA could win a limited nuclear war..

Front 11

11. What did this limited nuclear war become known as?

Back 11

Nuclear Utilization Target Selection (NUTS)

Front 12

12. What was the 'zero option'?

Back 12

Both superpowers would dismantle and remove their weapons from Europe. Brezhnev refused.

Front 13

13. What did the Soviet Union do when the trade union held strikes and began demanding a more democratic state?

Back 13

The SU interfered, relations did not improve. The SU supported the Polish government when martial law was introduced.

Front 14

14. What was Reagan's reaction?

Back 14

To stop high technology exports to the Soviet Union

Front 15

15. Why wasn't the US Media convinced that Reagan was suitable to be president?

Back 15

He was famous for starring in low budget 1950's movies- his most famous role as in the film 'Bedtime for Bonzo' in which he starred alongside a chimp.

Front 16

16. How was Reagan portrayed?

Back 16

As a modern day cowboy, who knew nothing about world affairs and was totally unqualified to be US President.

Front 17

17. When were French & British commentators concerned?

Back 17

When Reagan stated that he could imagine a 'limited nuclear war in Europe'.

Front 18

18. What did Reagan believe?

Back 18

He believed that detente had been a disaster for the USA. He thought the policy had made the USA while allowing the USSR to grow strong. He also rejected the idea of peaceful co-existence with the USSR, believing it was America's destiny to fight for individual freedom in the Cold War.

Front 19

19. When did Reagan make his views on the Soviet Union clear?

Back 19

In his famous 'Evil Empire' speech in March 1983. Reagan was a committed Christian and gave the speech at a meeting of the National association of Evangelicals, a Christian organisation.

Front 20

20. What did Reagan argue?

Back 20

That the Cold War was a fight between good and evil and America fought with God's blessing.

Front 21

21. How did Reagan's closest advisers misunderstand him?

Back 21

They thought that when he talked about victory in the cold war, he was only trying to win support from the American people.

Front 22

22. What was Reagan's bold vision?

Back 22

he was determined and to win the Cold War

Front 23

23. How did Reagan think the USSR could be forced to disarm?

Back 23

By his new initiative SDI- Strategic Defence Initiative

Front 24

24. What did Reagan do in March 1983?

Back 24

He proposed a 'nuclear umbrella' which would stop Soviet nuclear bombs from reaching American soil.

Front 25

25. What was his plan?

Back 25

To launch an army of satellites equipped with powerful lasers which would intercept Soviet missiles in space and destroy them before they could do the USA any harm.

Front 26

26. What did the idea focus on?

Back 26

That of strategic defence rather than the previous doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction.

Front 27

27. What did this soon become known as?

Back 27

By the media, 'Star Wars'. They criticised it and did not see that it could really work.

Front 28

28. What did Reagan believe?

Back 28

That the 'Star Wars' technology would make the Soviet nuclear missiles useless and thus force the USSR to disarm.

Front 29

29. When was the defence organisation set up?

Back 29

1984

Front 30

30. Why was SDI a turning point in the arms race?

Back 30

During detente, the superpowers had been evenly matched and had worked together to limit the growth of the nuclear stockpiles.

Front 31

31. What did SDI break?

Back 31

It actually broke

Front 32

32. SDI presented enormous problems for the USSR. The leaders knew that they could not compete with Reagan's star wars.

Back 32

1. America had won the race to the moon in 1969 and in the early 1980's developed the next generation of space-craft : the space shuttle

2. The soviet economy was not producing enough wealth to fund consumer goods, conventional military spending and the development of new space based weapons.

3. The USSR was behind America in terms of its computer technology. During the 1980s the USA computer market boomed but Soviet leaders were highly suspicious of computers as they feared they would be used to undermine the communist party. EG: computers with word processors could be used to produce anti-government propaganda or computers linked to telephones could be used to leak secret messages to West governments.