The Cold War: Nuclear Arms Race
The Reagan era began in 1981 and lasted until 1989. During this time, the United States and the Soviet Union were engaged in an arms race. However, Reagan's policies towards the Soviet Union were different from his predecessors. Reagan believed that the Soviet Union was an 'evil empire' and advocated for a policy of 'peace through strength'. This policy included increasing military spending, building new weapons systems, and deploying intermediate-range nuclear missiles in Europe in response to Soviet deployments.
One of the key events during the Reagan era was the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), also known as 'Star Wars'. This was a proposed missile defense system that would use ground and space-based systems to protect the United States from nuclear missile attacks. The SDI was controversial because it was expensive and many experts believed it was technologically unfeasible.
Despite the tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union, Reagan was able to establish a personal relationship with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. The two leaders met several times and began a dialogue that eventually led to the end of the Cold War. In 1987, Reagan and Gorbachev signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), which eliminated an entire class of nuclear weapons from Europe.
By the end of the Reagan era, the Soviet Union was struggling with economic and political problems. Gorbachev's reforms had weakened the Soviet system, and in 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed. The end of the Cold War marked a major shift in international relations and the beginning of a new era of global politics.
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