reagan

Ronald Reagan

The 40th president of the United States, serving from 1981 to 1989.

Proposition 13

A California ballot measure passed in 1978 that capped property tax rates.

Boll weevils

Democratic lawmakers who shifted their allegiance to the Republican Party during the Reagan era.

Moral Majority

A conservative Christian political organization founded by Jerry Falwell in the late 1970s.

Fundamentalism

A strict adherence to basic principles of a religion, particularly prominent in American evangelical movements.

Jerry Falwell

A prominent evangelical leader who founded the Moral Majority.

Supply-side economics

Economic theory that argues that lower taxes and decreased regulation will stimulate economic growth.

Trickle down economics

An economic theory suggesting that benefits for the wealthy will ultimately benefit the broader population.

Economic Recovery Tax (1981)

Legislation aimed at reducing taxes and stimulating economic growth during Reagan's presidency.

Sandra Day O’Connor

The first woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, serving from 1981 to 2006.

Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) aka Star Wars

A proposed missile defense system intended to protect the United States from potential nuclear missile attacks.

Sandinistas

A leftist political group in Nicaragua that came to power in 1979.

Contras

Rebel groups in Nicaragua funded by the U.S. government to oppose the Sandinista government.

Boland Amendment

Legislation that restricted U.S. government assistance to the Contras in Nicaragua during the 1980s.

Mikhail Gorbachev

The last leader of the Soviet Union, known for policies of glasnost and perestroika.

Glasnost

A policy characterized by increased openness and transparency in government institutions in the Soviet Union.

Perestroika

A political movement for reformation within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during the 1980s.

Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO)

An organization founded to create an independent Palestinian state.

Intermediate-Range Nuclear Force (INF) Treaty

A 1987 agreement between the U.S. and the Soviet Union to eliminate a category of nuclear weapons.

Iran-Contra Affair

A political scandal in the U.S. during the Reagan administration involving the secret sale of arms to Iran to fund Contra rebels.

Black Monday

The stock market crash that occurred on October 19, 1987.

Tiananmen Square (1989)

Site of pro-democracy protests in Beijing, China, that were violently suppressed.

START I

Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty aimed at reducing the number of nuclear weapons in the U.S. and USSR.

Boris Yeltsin

The first president of the Russian Federation, serving from 1991 to 1999.

Panamanian Invasion

The U.S. military invasion of Panama in 1989 to depose dictator Manuel Noriega.

Saddam Hussein

The president of Iraq from 1979 until 2003, known for his authoritarian regime and military conflicts.

Operation Desert Storm

The combat phase of the Gulf War in 1991 aimed at expelling Iraqi forces from Kuwait.

Clarence Thomas

An Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, nominated by President George H.W. Bush.

Americans with Disabilities Act (1990)

A landmark law prohibiting discrimination based on disability in all public and private sectors.