Unit 9: The 1980s

Ronald Reagan

The 40th U.S. President (R) who was considered an outsider and believed strongly in small government. He championed Supply Side Economics, deregulation, New Federalism, and building up the military.

Conservative Coalition

The New (Christian) Right

A conservative evangelical movement that encouraged the reduction of social programs provided by the government, reducing the size of government, favored the return of pride in the U.S. military, and had a patriotic focus.

Sandra Day O'Connor

The first female supreme court justice. She was appointed to the court by Reagan

"Reaganomics"

An economic philosophy of cutting taxes to the wealthy so they could use the saved money to improve the economy. When it works correctly, it should result in job creation, capital investment, and increased industrial growth.

Deregulation

A policy promoting cutbacks in the amount of Federal regulation in specific areas of economic activity.

New Federalism

An approach to limiting and reducing the government. Methods included eliminating public service jobs, reduced unemployment compensation, lowered welfare benefits, and increased fees for Medicare patients.

Strategic Defense Initiative

Popularly known as "Star Wars," President Reagan proposed the construction of an elaborate computer-controlled, anti-missile defense system capable of destroying enemy missiles in outer space. Critics claimed that it was very expensive and could never be perfected.

Iran Contra Scandal

A major scandal of Reagan's second term that involved shipping arms to Iran to help arrange freeing hostages in Lebanon and then diverting the money from the sale of these weapons to the Contra rebels in Nicaragua.

Berlin Wall

A fortification surrounding West Berlin, Germany, built in 1961 to prevent East German citizens from traveling to the West. This wall was both a deterrent to individuals trying to escape and a symbol of repression to the free world. Its demolition in 1989 symbolized the end of the Cold War.

Mikhail Gorbachev

Soviet leader of the 1980s who worked with Reagan to end the Cold War.

Glasnost

A Soviet policy tried to foster dialogue and called for more openness with the nations of West. It also relaxed restraints on Soviet citizens, allowing them to criticize the government.

Soviets in Afghanistan

USSR invaded this Middle Eastern country. The Soviets wanted to restore a pro-Soviet regime but the United States saw this as an act of expansion and supported anti-Soviet forces. It was a key military factor in the breakup of the U.S.S.R.

Chernobyl Disaster

A nuclear explosion at this power plant in the U.S.S.R. One of the causes of the collapse of the Soviet Union because it shattered whatever trust was left in the Soviet system.

Stonewall Riots

Considered the birth of the modern LGBTQ Rights Movement. A protest of over 400 people that lasted for several days which dramatically changed LGBTQ activism, leading to greater visibility and advocacy.

Harvey Milk

The third openly gay public official in the U.S., but is often credited as the first. Tried to gain social acceptance for LGBTQ individuals.

The 1979 National March on Washington

This demonstration had over 100,000 participants, marking it as one of the first large-scale national demonstrations for LGBTQ rights in the U.S. Helped unify and mobilize the LGBTQ community, significantly boosting visibility and public awareness of LGBTQ issues such as the fight for equal rights and the fight against anti-LGBTQ discrimination and violence.

Helped unify and mobilize the LGBTQ community, significantly boosting visibility and public awareness of LGBTQ issues such as the fight for equal rights and the fight against anti-LGBTQ discrimination and violence.

American Psychiatric Association (APA)

After listing homosexuality as a sociopathic personality disturbance in 1952, this organization later removed it from its list of mental health disorders in 1973.

Pride

After living in secrecy and fear for the majority of U.S. history, LGBTQ individuals use this type of event to celebrate their identity and culture, to demonstrate against discrimination and violence, and as a platform for advocacy and policy change.

AIDS/HIV Epidemic

Initially reported by the CDC as a rare lung disease in 1981, millions of people across the globe had contracted this illness by the mid-1980s. Initially, those with the disease were highly stigmatized and discriminated against.