Du Directoire à L'Empire

133540587630Terminale Euro THE USA AND THE WORLD: 1945-2003 The Reagan years Visual document 1: "The world according to Reagan" -> A satirical cartoon and map which denounces Ronald Reagan's undocumented and false, Manichean and imperialistic vision of the world. -> Explanation of a few examples extracted from the map. Why this criticism? Before becoming the 40th President of the USA from 1981 to 1989, Ronald Reagan had been an actor for films and television in Hollywood. Then he became governor of California from 1967 to 1975 (cf map). He was originally a Democrat who switched to the Republican party in 1962. He succeeded Jimmy Carter, a Democrat (highly criticized for his lack of dynamism and his weakness). Due to his comedian past, he was regularly accused of lacking general knowledge, culture and capacities in politics. At the very beginning of his first term, he also survived an assassination attempt in 1981. His two terms are also remembered for the escalation in the Cold War, with a reversal from the policy of Détente (1962-1979), as Reagan ordered a massive buildup of American armed forces and started an arms race with the USSR. He implemented new policies toward the Soviet Union, reviving missiles programs. Together with Margaret Thatcher, he denounced the Soviet Union in ideological terms, called it 'The Evil Empire". With the Reagan Doctrine, he also provided financial help to anti-communist resistance movements around the world. Critics labeled Reagan's foreign policies as aggressive, imperialistic and unilateral, especially in Afghanistan and Pakistan where Islamists are used to fight against the Soviets. Visual document 2: "The Star Wars" In March 1983, Reagan introduced the Strategic Defense Initiative, a defense project run by the NASA that would have used ground and space-based systems to protect the United States from a possible attack by Soviet nuclear missiles. Reagan believed that this defense shield could make nuclear war impossible. But his opponents believed that this technological objective was unattainable and unrealistic/ utopian and nicknamed SDI "Star Wars" as a reference to his past as an actor. This project was a bluff, but the Soviets became concerned about the possible effects SDI would have. Soviet leader Yuri Andropov said it would put "the entire world in jeopardy". For those reasons, SDI may have hastened the end of the Cold War. Video: "The Berlin Speech" At the beginning of the 80's, the Soviet Union was going through a major internal crisis, but the arrival of the reformer Mikhail Gorbachev in 1985 at the head of the Soviet government helped the USA's shift to diplomacy. The USA and USSR organized substantial arms agreements to free the world from nuclear weapons. Both countries started discussions on nuclear disarmament. Reagan also believed he could convince the Soviets to allow for more democracy and free speech, which could lead to the end of Communism. On June 12, 1987, Reagan challenged Gorbachev during his Berlin speech, saying: "General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization, come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" Conclusion In November 1989, ten months after Reagan left office, the Berlin Wall was torn down, the Cold War was officially declared over at the Malta Summit on December 3, 1989, and two years later, the Soviet Union collapsed.