The Cold War Thaws and The 80s Culture

Top Gun

A film starring Tom Cruise as a US Naval pilot that showcased militarism and patriotism. Naval recruitment increased by 8% as the military recruited directly in movie theaters helping the military recover its image after the Vietnam War[cite: 3]

Rambo: First Blood (1982)

A film franchise starring Sylvester Stallone as John Rambo a US Army veteran suffering from PTSD. Part of a trend of movies questioning the toll of war on soldiers and highlighting the negative treatment of veterans[cite: 3]

1980s Consumerism & Fashion

Shopping malls became city center revivals and social hubs. Women's fashion featured masculine styles and shoulder pads to symbolize growing roles in the workforce. MTV (1981) made music visual and created superstars like Prince and Michael Jackson[cite: 3]

Parental Advisory Labels (August 1985)

"Explicit Lyrics" labels created after Senate hearings on "porn-rock." A conservative reaction to music deemed vulgar that often had a "forbidden fruit" effect of increasing interest[cite: 3]

Satanic Panic

A period of fear that satanic cults were capturing and abusing children in "Satanic Ritual Abuse" (SRA). Influenced by the book Michelle Remembers (1980) and the McMartin daycare case[cite: 3]

"Evil Empire" Speech (1983)

An inflammatory speech by President Reagan framing the Cold War as a battle of "Good vs. Evil"[cite: 3]

Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI / "Star Wars")

A Reagan-era plan to use ground and space-based lasers to shoot down incoming Soviet missiles[cite: 3]

Able Archer 83

A nuclear launch rehearsal that the Soviets mistook for a real threat. The closest the world came to nuclear war since the Cuban Missile Crisis[cite: 3]

Iran-Contra Affair

A political scandal where the US secretly sold weapons to Iran to secure hostage releases. Money was illegally sent to the "Contras" in Nicaragua to bypass the Boland Amendment[cite: 3]

Mikhail Gorbachev

The Soviet "Reformer" who took power in 1985 and sought to fix (not overthrow) Communism. He grew up under Stalinism and became involved in reform[cite: 3]

Glasnost

A policy of transparency and openness that introduced freedom of speech and ended press censorship. It revealed government mistakes and corruption[cite: 3]

Perestroika

A restructuring of the Soviet economy that introduced elements of capitalism and foreign investment. Blamed for exacerbating political and economic tensions within the Soviet Bloc[cite: 3]

Chernobyl (1986)

A nuclear power plant explosion that highlighted the Soviet government’s inability to deal with major internal disasters[cite: 3]

Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty (1987)

An agreement between Reagan and Gorbachev to destroy all battlefield nuclear weapons[cite: 3]

The Berlin Wall

Built August 13 1961 to keep East Germans from fleeing. Following Reagan’s "tear down this wall" speech and protests in Leipzig the wall came down on November 9 1989[cite: 3]

Velvet Revolution (1989)

Peaceful student demonstrations in Czechoslovakia that led to the first free elections in December 1989[cite: 3]

Malta Summit

A meeting between George H.W. Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev where they officially declared the Cold War over[cite: 3]

August Coup (1991)

An attempt by Soviet hardliners to hold Gorbachev hostage. Boris Yeltsin took a stand against the hardliners causing the coup to collapse and Russia to emerge as an independent state[cite: 3]

Boland Amendment

Legislation that made backing the Contras illegal to avoid another Vietnam-style war. Lt. Col. Oliver North was found guilty of perjury and breaking this amendment[cite: 3]

Soviet Political Factions

Hardliners included Lenin Stalin Khrushchev Brezhnev Andropov and Chernenko. Reformers were led by Mikhail Gorbachev[cite: 3]

Prosperity Gap

A realization occurring as Soviets traveled to the West and recognized Soviet poverty which convinced people the Soviet Union was not perfect[cite: 3]

Soviet-Afghan War (1979)

A conflict that contributed to the declining state and eventual thaw of the Soviet Union[cite: 3]

The Gorbachev Revolution Goals

Gorbachev aimed to fix communism and eliminate remaining hardliners rather than overthowing the system entirely[cite: 3]

Congress of People’s Deputies

A political reform allowing non-communists to run for election in the Soviet Union[cite: 3]

Soviet Bloc Consequences

Nationalism led Eastern European nations to seek independence. Revolutions aimed to get rid of Communism entirely because Perestroika was not enough[cite: 3]

Gorbachev’s Mistake

The belief that Eastern Europe actually wanted to be ruled by Communism[cite: 3]

Boris Yeltsin

Elected president of Russia with the goal of creating an independent Russia as Gorbachev's reforms led to the collapse of communism[cite: 3]

1990 Free Elections

Elections held in Eastern Europe and Central Asia following the collapse of communist control[cite: 3]