Source: Bruce J. Schulman. The Seventies - The Great Shift
in Culture, Society, and Politics (2001)
in Culture, Society, and Politics (2001)
Two years after taking office, Reagan’s approval rating sunk to 35%. The worst of “Stagflation” had hit the nation, in that both inflation and unemployment were over 10%, and the nation was in a recession. While it was true that inflation was finally trending downwards, it was bad economic news on all other fronts. Reagan’s cutbacks on federal spending for social programs greatly increased the homeless population, and illegal drug use reached new horrific heights. Reagan and his administration blamed the media for not reporting what economic recovery that was taking place and only focusing on negative news. During March 1982, Reagan stated that psychology played a large part in economic malaise as well as economic recovery, and in that assertion he was certainly not entirely wrong.
Reagan’s economic plan, nicknamed “Reaganomics”, was teetering on the precipice of the abyss. Congress was no longer cowed by Reagan’s landslide victory in 1980, or surviving an assassination attempt on 30 March 1981, and showed increasing contempt for Reagan’s policies. In August 1982, Congress easily overrode Reagan’s veto on recession relief measures, with many Republicans joining Democrats in the vote. It reached the point where Reagan’s closest advisors wondered if the President would run again in 1984. Neither Reagan’s optimism, his smile, or his strong resolve was able to lift the nation out of “Stagflation” and recession. The “Malaise Days” of the late-1970s continued into the early-1980s.
Reagan’s economic plan, nicknamed “Reaganomics”, was teetering on the precipice of the abyss. Congress was no longer cowed by Reagan’s landslide victory in 1980, or surviving an assassination attempt on 30 March 1981, and showed increasing contempt for Reagan’s policies. In August 1982, Congress easily overrode Reagan’s veto on recession relief measures, with many Republicans joining Democrats in the vote. It reached the point where Reagan’s closest advisors wondered if the President would run again in 1984. Neither Reagan’s optimism, his smile, or his strong resolve was able to lift the nation out of “Stagflation” and recession. The “Malaise Days” of the late-1970s continued into the early-1980s.
It wasn’t until 1984 that the economy started to not only work its way out of “Stagflation” and recession, but to explode in expansion. Reagan’s landslide victory over Walter Mondale in 1984 was due almost entirely to the changed economy. Paul Volcker’s Fed policies and the resulting recession had finally brought inflation down to normal levels, and economic expansion returned with a vengeance. Unemployment also returned to normal levels (4% - 5%), and a blizzard of new jobs appeared on the economic landscape while real estate and stock markets boomed. As a result, most Americans now toasted “Reaganomics”, which in actuality had done very little, if anything, in terms of recovery.
Reagan increased US pride and influence globally. Even before his first term ended, Reagan authorized the invasion of Grenada, which was militarily totally unnecessary. Such was the enthusiasm for the invasion that more medals were issued for Grenada than during the entire Vietnam War. Reagan’s announcement of the Strategic Defense Initiative (“Star Wars”) resulted in the USSR, first of all, believing it was possible, and secondly, spending so much money on nuclear missiles (so some “got through”), that it caused the Soviet economy to collapse.
All the while, Reagan presided over the largest peacetime military buildup in US History. By 1984, it was in many ways “Reagan’s America”, in that the nation had been transformed in terms of the national mood. A “Revolution of Political Thought and Ideas” occurred, socially and culturally. Reagan unleashed an earthquake that wold resonate in the US and much of the world for decades to come. The US looked very different in 1984 compared to 1980, with Reagan experiencing/enjoying what Nixon and Carter had intentionally or unintentionally put into motion.
Reagan increased US pride and influence globally. Even before his first term ended, Reagan authorized the invasion of Grenada, which was militarily totally unnecessary. Such was the enthusiasm for the invasion that more medals were issued for Grenada than during the entire Vietnam War. Reagan’s announcement of the Strategic Defense Initiative (“Star Wars”) resulted in the USSR, first of all, believing it was possible, and secondly, spending so much money on nuclear missiles (so some “got through”), that it caused the Soviet economy to collapse.
All the while, Reagan presided over the largest peacetime military buildup in US History. By 1984, it was in many ways “Reagan’s America”, in that the nation had been transformed in terms of the national mood. A “Revolution of Political Thought and Ideas” occurred, socially and culturally. Reagan unleashed an earthquake that wold resonate in the US and much of the world for decades to come. The US looked very different in 1984 compared to 1980, with Reagan experiencing/enjoying what Nixon and Carter had intentionally or unintentionally put into motion.
Reagan’s foreign policy involved more than throwing billions of dollars towards the Pentagon. Reagan aimed to reverse the decade-plus erosion of US diplomatic influence, which in large part was a casualty of the Vietnam War. To do so meant an aggressive US interventionist strategy in multiple global locations to “Stand Tall Again”, which marked a stark change from “No More Vietnams”, which to conservatives was dovish and too isolationist. To conservatives, the real lesson of Vietnam was to never again fight a war with one hand tied behind the back, but to pursue total victory. Reagan was all-in on that view, mostly because of the USSR view towards the US in the years after Vietnam, as well as the increasing USSR presence in Latin America.
All of those developments led Reagan to order the US invasion of Grenada in 1983. Around 600 US citizens were on the tiny island, most of them associated with the American university on the island. While it was true that a Cuban junta had taken control of the island, having murdered Grenada’s president and placing the entire island under “house arrest”.
After six Caribbean nations “requested” US involvement in Grenada, Reagan sent in the Marines, who had been re-tasked from heading to the Middle East. This was a “feel-good” invasion, in that it was quick and decisive with hardly any US casualties. All 600+ Americans were safe; some of the American medical students on the island did say the only time they felt that they were in danger was when the Marines landed on the island, concerned about the Cuban reaction to the Marines.
All of those developments led Reagan to order the US invasion of Grenada in 1983. Around 600 US citizens were on the tiny island, most of them associated with the American university on the island. While it was true that a Cuban junta had taken control of the island, having murdered Grenada’s president and placing the entire island under “house arrest”.
After six Caribbean nations “requested” US involvement in Grenada, Reagan sent in the Marines, who had been re-tasked from heading to the Middle East. This was a “feel-good” invasion, in that it was quick and decisive with hardly any US casualties. All 600+ Americans were safe; some of the American medical students on the island did say the only time they felt that they were in danger was when the Marines landed on the island, concerned about the Cuban reaction to the Marines.
Reagan didn’t stop with Grenada, involving the US in San Salvador and Nicaragua, trying to stop the leftist guerillas in both nations from making inroads. It seemed to most Americans that the US was “back”, in control of the global scene. This increased national confidence was being reflected in Hollywood, in movies such as the Rambo series. First Blood (1982) was really an action version of Easy Rider (1969). First Blood was not a “Reaganite” movie, in that Rambo’s personal suffering mirrored that of the US in 1982. However, the second Rambo movie in 1985 was released during the height of Reagan’s “Morning in America", and that second Rambo movie captured the US renewed spirit of assertive nationalism.
However, Reagan’s foreign policy lived in the real world, and it faced limits, especially since the US no longer had the economic dominance it experienced in the early part of the Cold War. This time, the expanding US economy wouldn’t exhaust the economies of US enemies as quickly or easily. Also, the US during the Cold War of the 1980s wasn’t going to tolerate the economic sacrifices of the 1950s. The US rebuilt Japan and Western Europe in the late-1940s / early-1950s and enacted trade restrictions against Communist nations. However, due to “Stagflation” and the rise of genuine global competition (e.g. Japan and West Germany), the reality was that theUS couldn’t roll back the clock to the 1950s and just dominate the global scene.
However, Reagan’s foreign policy lived in the real world, and it faced limits, especially since the US no longer had the economic dominance it experienced in the early part of the Cold War. This time, the expanding US economy wouldn’t exhaust the economies of US enemies as quickly or easily. Also, the US during the Cold War of the 1980s wasn’t going to tolerate the economic sacrifices of the 1950s. The US rebuilt Japan and Western Europe in the late-1940s / early-1950s and enacted trade restrictions against Communist nations. However, due to “Stagflation” and the rise of genuine global competition (e.g. Japan and West Germany), the reality was that theUS couldn’t roll back the clock to the 1950s and just dominate the global scene.
Reagan was limited on the domestic front as well, because no matter how many movies were released like Rambo, the legacy of Vietnam remained in the memory of most Americans; the US defeat in SE Asia still mattered and resonated. It was one thing to project US power/influence, but an entire other matter to send US soldiers into harms way, with the 1983 terrorist bombing in Beirut, which killed 240+ Marines, a sobering example. Reagan quickly recalled the remaining Marines and abandoned the US intervention in Lebanon, which had been on behalf of Israel. In Grenada, the goal was clear, and the chance for military success very high, but such had not been the case in Beirut.
Reagan shifted his support to “Freedom Fighters” in nations whose governments were friendly to US interests might become hostile (e.g. Nicaragua). Reagan was forced to ignore calls for immediate reprisals, such as when the USSR shot down Korean Air Flight 007, killing all 269 passengers, many of them Americans. In many ways, Reagan was Theodore Roosevelt in reverse, in that he spoke loudly but carried a small stick, other than the US nuclear arsenal. Reagan did his best to avoid disastrous and unpopular misadventures abroad, in that maintaining high poll numbers was a greater goal than “standing tall” again. That priority was the main reason for the “Arms-for-Hostages” scandal during Reagan’s second term. Reagan and his administration had resorted to illegal actions due to the limits they faced due the reality of being limited in projecting US power. In effect, Reagan reset the national mood in US foreign policy. Unlike Nixon, Ford, and Carter, Reagan’s rhetoric didn’t recognize limits in US foreign policy, but his diplomacy recognized those limits.
Reagan shifted his support to “Freedom Fighters” in nations whose governments were friendly to US interests might become hostile (e.g. Nicaragua). Reagan was forced to ignore calls for immediate reprisals, such as when the USSR shot down Korean Air Flight 007, killing all 269 passengers, many of them Americans. In many ways, Reagan was Theodore Roosevelt in reverse, in that he spoke loudly but carried a small stick, other than the US nuclear arsenal. Reagan did his best to avoid disastrous and unpopular misadventures abroad, in that maintaining high poll numbers was a greater goal than “standing tall” again. That priority was the main reason for the “Arms-for-Hostages” scandal during Reagan’s second term. Reagan and his administration had resorted to illegal actions due to the limits they faced due the reality of being limited in projecting US power. In effect, Reagan reset the national mood in US foreign policy. Unlike Nixon, Ford, and Carter, Reagan’s rhetoric didn’t recognize limits in US foreign policy, but his diplomacy recognized those limits.
When Reagan became President, he was determined to end detente with the USSR. Detente’s focus was peaceful coexistence and constructive dialogue between the US and USSR. Reagan believed it was immoral to “play nice” with the USSR, and that trade agreements simply enabled the USSR. Reagan also believed that arms control agreements with the USSR lef the US vulnerable to nuclear attack. Reagan replaced detente with confrontations, first by starting the largest peacetime military buildup in US History.
From 1981 - 1986, the Pentagon’s budget doubled, and Reagan activated major weapons systems that Carter had shelved, while also ordering 150 naval ships to be built. Reagan and his administration wanted a “full court press” to severely stress, and to hopefully bankrupt, the USSR economy, and cause the Communist government to collapse. The Pentagon reached the point where it was spending $34m an hour, and the USSR couldn't come close to keeping pace. Reagan rejected arms control, with the only pending proposal the “Zero Option”, where the US would promise to not install intermediate nuclear missiles if the USSR removed all of their nuclear missiles aimed at Europe. Reagan and his advisors knew that the USSR would never agree to that proposal.
Reagan also increased the rhetorical attack against the USSR, calling the nation the “Evil Empire” in 1983 before an evangelical convention. Americans were shocked to hear those harsh and uncompromising words from their President, which in lart part was the stimulus for the nuclear freeze movement, which featured protests numbering in the hundreds of thousands in such locations as Central Park. In Congress, Senators Ted Kennedy (D; MA) and Mark Hatfield (D; OR) introduced a nuclear freeze bill. The nuclear freeze/peace movement was even stronger in Western Europe, with NATO suggesting that Reagan delay installation of the intermediate missiles. However, in the Fall of 1983 Reagan proceeded to deploy those missiles in Britain, Italy, and West Germany.
From 1981 - 1986, the Pentagon’s budget doubled, and Reagan activated major weapons systems that Carter had shelved, while also ordering 150 naval ships to be built. Reagan and his administration wanted a “full court press” to severely stress, and to hopefully bankrupt, the USSR economy, and cause the Communist government to collapse. The Pentagon reached the point where it was spending $34m an hour, and the USSR couldn't come close to keeping pace. Reagan rejected arms control, with the only pending proposal the “Zero Option”, where the US would promise to not install intermediate nuclear missiles if the USSR removed all of their nuclear missiles aimed at Europe. Reagan and his advisors knew that the USSR would never agree to that proposal.
Reagan also increased the rhetorical attack against the USSR, calling the nation the “Evil Empire” in 1983 before an evangelical convention. Americans were shocked to hear those harsh and uncompromising words from their President, which in lart part was the stimulus for the nuclear freeze movement, which featured protests numbering in the hundreds of thousands in such locations as Central Park. In Congress, Senators Ted Kennedy (D; MA) and Mark Hatfield (D; OR) introduced a nuclear freeze bill. The nuclear freeze/peace movement was even stronger in Western Europe, with NATO suggesting that Reagan delay installation of the intermediate missiles. However, in the Fall of 1983 Reagan proceeded to deploy those missiles in Britain, Italy, and West Germany.
Before that, in March 1983 Reagan announced the Strategic Defense Initiative, which the media immediately dubbed “Star Wars”. The SDI was a five year $26B program to research and deploy a system of satellites in orbit to shoot down USSR ballistic nuclear missiles. SDI was supposed to be a “shield” in orbit, but also to feature weapons and detection systems on the ground. SDI scared the USSR more than anything else the US had done during the Cold War. The USSR knew that SDI, if it was even possible, wouldn’t be active for decades, but it was the ground-based missile defenses in SDI that kept the USSR up at night. To the USSR, SDI gave the US an advantage over the USSR, which meant that “Mutual Assured Destruction” would no longer be in play.
Reagan refused to compromise on SDI, even walking away from the summit in Iceland (1986) with the USSR. Reagan understood that with SDI, the USSR could no loner afford to stay in the nuclear arms race. However, especially during his second term, Reagan became more flexible and willing to negotiate (to a point) with the USSR, in part due to Nancy Reagan but also due to George Schulz, who replaced Al Haig as SecState. In other words, Reagan was in tune to the fears of the USSR.
In 1985, Constantin Chernenko died, which opened the door for Mikhail Gorbachev, who proved to be the USSR leader that Reagan could work with, up to a certain point, of course. By the end of his Presidency, Reagan had visited Moscow, embraced Gorbachev in front of Lenin’s Tomb, and declared that the USSR had changed. As it turned out, the Cold War would soon come to an end . . . sort of.
Reagan refused to compromise on SDI, even walking away from the summit in Iceland (1986) with the USSR. Reagan understood that with SDI, the USSR could no loner afford to stay in the nuclear arms race. However, especially during his second term, Reagan became more flexible and willing to negotiate (to a point) with the USSR, in part due to Nancy Reagan but also due to George Schulz, who replaced Al Haig as SecState. In other words, Reagan was in tune to the fears of the USSR.
In 1985, Constantin Chernenko died, which opened the door for Mikhail Gorbachev, who proved to be the USSR leader that Reagan could work with, up to a certain point, of course. By the end of his Presidency, Reagan had visited Moscow, embraced Gorbachev in front of Lenin’s Tomb, and declared that the USSR had changed. As it turned out, the Cold War would soon come to an end . . . sort of.