Unit 9: Topic 3 - The End of the Cold War Flashcards
How did Ronald Reagan assert U.S. opposition to communism?
President Reagan used a variety of methods to assert U.S. opposition to communism including speeches, diplomatic efforts, limited military interventions, and a buildup of nuclear and conventional weapons.
What was the Boland Amendment (1983)?
The Boland Amendment (1983) was a series of acts passed by Democrats in Congress in order to prevent Ronald Reagan from providing aid to the Contra’s, an anti-communist rebel group in Nicaragua. The Reagan administration would ignore these laws and provided aid anyways, resulting in the Iran-Contra Affair.
The goal of the Boland Amendment was to make sure that the U.S. was not dragged into direct conflict through their support of the Contras. The memory of the Vietnam War had made direct military support for anti-communist groups a less popular course of action.
What was the Iran-Contra Affair?
The Iran-Contra Affair was a political scandal involving the Reagan administrations efforts to sell weapons to Iran in an attempt to get the Iranian government to influence terrorists in Lebanon to release American hostages. To complicate matters, some of the money gained from this sale was diverted to the Contra’s, a Nicaraguan rebel group that was fighting against the Sandista government within their country.
While this scandal was quite significant and there was a Congressional investigation, President Reagan was able to dodge much of the responsibility and remained a popular conservative figure.
What was the Reagan Doctrine?
President Ronald Reagan announced the Reagan Doctrine in his 1985 State of the Union Address. The doctrine states that the U.S. will support any regime that’s anti-communist. This extended to “freedom fighters” in Afghanistan, Angola, and most famously, the Contras in Nicaragua.
This doctrine was not concerned about the human rights violations or undemocratic beliefs behind any of these groups, support was given simply on account of their anti-communist stance.
What were “Glasnost” and “Perestroika”?
When Mikhail Gorbachev become the leader of the Soviet Union in 1985, he began the policies of “Glasnost” (openness) and “Perestroika” (reconstruction).
- Glasnost - Increased the political freedom of Soviet citizens
- Perestroika - Introduction of limited free-market practices to the Soviet economy
These reforms relaxed Soviet control in an effort to boost their struggling economy. However, they also helped lead towards the eventual collapse of the Soviet Union.
What are some examples of tension between the Soviet Union and the U.S. decreasing during the Reagan administration?
Although President Reagan is best known for escalating tensions with the Soviet Union, there are a few instances where tensions decreased.
- The INF agreement helped decrease tensions as both the U.S. and the Soviet Union agreed to destroy all of their intermediate range missiles.
- The Soviets agreed to withdraw their forces from Afghanistan in 1988 after occupying the country for nearly a decade. This was seen as a win for the U.S. in their fight against the spread of communism. For Gorbachev, it helped eliminate a major expense that was weighing heavily on the deteriorating Soviet economy.
What is an example of the tension between the Soviet Union and the U.S. increasing during the Reagan administration?
The most significant increase in tension was due to the massive military buildup during the Reagan administration. The national defense budget grew as the U.S. navy, air force, and nuclear arsenal were expanded.
The most well-known increase was the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), which was supposed to develop satellites with lasers that could shoot down incoming missiles before they reached the United States. Critics labelled the SDI “Star Wars”, but the commitment to research and the expansion of the military threatened to bankrupt the Soviet Union if they attempted to compete.
What was the significance of the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall?
Although it didn’t end the Cold War, the fall of the Berlin Wall (1961-1989) was a powerful example of a Cold War era division coming down. Following a mistaken announcement that travel would be allowed between West and East Berlin, the residents of Berlin swarmed to the border, celebrating and breaking down the barrier.
Originally erected to stop citizens from fleeing communism and defecting to the west, the wall was a symbol of Soviet oppression across the world.
How did the Soviet Union collapse?
As countries within the Soviet Union faced internal divisions, Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev made a choice to no longer provide military support to their communist governments. This caused many Soviet states to elect non-communist leaders and leave the Soviet Union.
The final step involved an internal power struggle between Boris Yeltsin, Gorbachev, and communist hard-liners. In the end, Yeltsin and the democratic forces took charge, ending the Soviet Union and once again becoming the newly independent Russian state.
What were START I & II?
The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaties (START) were signed in 1991 and 1993 between the U.S. and Russia in order to reduce the number of nuclear warheads and help shore up the Russian economy after the Soviet collapse.
