Ronald Reagan

(1981-1985) and (1985-1989), first elected president in 1980 and elected again in 1984. He ran on a campaign based on the common man and "populist" ideas. He served as governor of California from 1966-1974, and he participated in the McCarthy Communist scare. Iran released hostages on his Inauguration Day in 1980. While president, he developed Reagannomics, the trickle down effect of government incentives. He cut out many welfare and public works programs. He used the Strategic Defense Initiative to avoid conflict. His meetings with Gorbachev were the first steps to ending the Cold War. He was also responsible for the Iran-contra Affair which bought hostages with guns.

The federal economic polices of the Reagan administration, elected in 1981. These policies combined a monetarist fiscal policy, supply-side tax cuts, and domestic budget cutting. Their goal was to reduce the size of the federal government and stimulate economic growth.

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Nickname given to Reagan after the Intra-Contra Scandal because the one thing he did bad didn't stick to him it just "slipped" right off.

A movement begun in the early 1980's among religious conservatives that supported primarily conservative Republicans opposed to abortion, communism and liberalism.

also known as Starwars, it was the use of lasers in space to destroy nuclear missiles. The Soviet Union had tried to create one of their own but it proved to be too difficult, but the US was able to create it and it is still used to today against ballistic missiles. This would lead to the fall of the Soviet Union. (Defense against Soviet missile attacks)

A country where there was some political turmoil and the US got involved- "Sandinistas"

A group of reform-minded revolutionaries that included a large number of women and students who over threw the Nicaraguan government in 1979

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Reagan ran against Walter Mondale , who chose Geraldine Ferraro the 1st woman for VP. Reagan won by a landslide with 525 electoral votes

(b. 1930) Arizona state senator from 1969 to 1974, appointed to the Arizona Court of Appeals in 1979. Reagan appointed her to the U.S. Supreme Court, making her the first female Justice of the Supreme Court.

Although Congress had prohibited aid to the Nicaraguan contras, individuals in Reagan's administration continued to illegally support the rebels. These officials secretly sold weapons to Iran in exchange for the release of American hostages being held in the Middle East. Profits from these sales were then sent to the contras.

went to prison over the Iran Contra Scandal

George Bush (winner) vs. Michael Dukakis. Bush was elected on the strength of his association with Regan, seeming poised to confirm the ascendancy of his predecessor's conservative values.

he was governor of Massachusetts & George Bush's democratic opponent in the election of 1988

Vice President under Reagan and 41st President of the United States (born in 1924)

2nd African American Supreme Court Justice; current member

Former associate of Clarence Thomas, who accused him of sexual harassment in Senate Judiciary Committee hearings.

1992, an African-American motorist driver who, in 1991 was stopped and then beaten by Los Angeles Police Department officers (4 white men, then acquitted) after the acquittal riots erupted. Multicultural Riots

Site in Beijing where Chinese students and workers gathered to demand greater political openness in 1989. The demonstration was crushed by Chinese military with great loss of life.

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

as there was a dramatic increase in drug use, and demand for illegal drugs, especially "crack" cocaine, political figures of both parties spoke heatedly about the need for a "war on drugs", but government efforts to stop drug imports and reduce demand had little effect.

As president of Iraq, Saddam maintained power through the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988) and the first Persian Gulf War (1991). During these conflicts, Saddam repressed movements he deemed threatening to the stability of Iraq, particularly Shi'a and Kurdish movements seeking to overthrow the government or gain independence, respectively. While he remained a popular hero among many disaffected Arabs everywhere for standing up to the West and for his support for the Palestinians, U.S. leaders continued to view Saddam with deep suspicion following the 1991 Persian Gulf War. Saddam was deposed by the U.S. and its allies during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Desert Storm was the name given to the operation to liberate Kuwait. The operation was a success, Kuwait was liberated and Iraq defeated.

A dispute over control of the waterway between Iraq and Iran broke out into open fighting in 1980 and continued until 1988, when they accepted a UN cease-fire resolution

Bill Clinton won over George H.W. Bush because of the economy's problems and the solving of foreign policy problems, Bush's greatest strength.