Reagan ‘Cold War Warrior’

M: Reagan announced a 53% increase in military spending over the next five years amounting to $180 billion – the greatest ever military build-up in peacetime.

This money was used to develop new weaponry including the Stealth bomber and Trident submarines.

Strategic Defence Initiative (SDI), a project in space which would shoot down Soviet nuclear warheads if they were fired at the USA.

Alliances with other countries

Military Build Up

Margaret Thatcher, "The Iron Lady" by the USSR. She allowed the USA to set up missile bases in Britain.

In France and Germany, Francois Mitterand and Helmut Kohl also gave their support to Reagan's aggressive stand

Support for anti-communists

the President sent financial and military assistance to anti-communist resistance movements around the world.

He supported the Contras, right-wing guerrilla group fighting the communist government in Nicaragua

sent troops into Granada, without even informing Mrs. Thatcher

This policy was controversial, but again put pressure on the USSR to spend yet more money and time

Speeches

In 1981

Said communism was "the right to commit any crime, to lie, to cheat"

In 1982

Predicted communism would end up on "the ash-heap of history"

In 1983

He called the USSR an "evil empire...the focus of all evil in the modern world"