COLD

WAR/REAGANISM
TIMELINE

March 1947- Truman Doctrine

Responded to Communist uprising
vs Greece government and Soviet
demand for water route in Turkey
Asked for $400 million in economic
and military aid to assist free
people of Greece and Turkey
against totalitarian regimes
Gained bipartisan support from
Republicans and Democrats in
Congress

1950-1953 The Korean War

Truman characterized U.S.
intervention as a police action
U.N. forces would advance to as far
as the Chinese border, but then
Chinese forces drove them back
out of North Korea
MacArthur advocated for
expanding the war and then fired
Armistice made at 38th parallel
Caused Republicans to characterize
Truman as soft on communism

Joseph McCarthy and The Red

Scare
House of Un-American Activities
Committee and Joseph McCarthy
investigated government officials
as well as outside groups (i.e.
Hollywood)
Alger Hiss, a prominent official in
the State Department, was
convicted of perjury and sent to
prison
After McCarthys tactics were
exposed in Army hearings,
millions viewed McCarthy as a
bully

July 29, 1958- NASA Created

Response to launching of Russian
space satellite Sputnik
Annual budget of $100 million
Project Mercury, Project Gemini,
Project Apollo
Culminated in landing a man on
the moon 1969

1962- Cuban Missile Crisis

U.S. reconnaissance planes revealed
Russians building missile sites in
Cuba
Kennedy set up naval blockade
Khrushchev agreed to remove
missiles while Kenned agreed to
remove U.S. missiles
Nuclear Test Ban Treaty ended
testing of nuclear weapons in the
atmosphere

Civil Rights Act of 1964

President Johnson signs the Civil
Rights Act, the largest civil
rights legislation since
Reconstruction
Prohibited all discrimination
based on race, color, religion,
gender, or national origin
Enforcement of Act was initially
weak but later supplemented

October 27, 1964- A Time for

Choosing Speech
Ronald Reagan delivered A Time
for Choosing address over TV
In support for Barry Goldwater in
1964 election
Made Reagan leader of the
conservatism movement
First time conservative was
received Republican nomination

November 8, 1966- Reagan

Elected Governor
Republicans were impressed by
Reagans A Time for Choosing
Speech
To send welfare bums back to
work and to clean up the mess
at Berkeley
Balanced the budget and crackdown of Berkeley protestors

August 9, 1974- Nixon Resigns

Committee to Re-Elect the President
broke into Democratic national
headquarters
Nixon ordered wiretaps on
government employees to stop
news leaks
House Judiciary Committee voted
three articles of impeachment:
obstruction of justice, abuse of
power, and contempt of Congress
Proved that U.S. constitutional
system of checks and balances
worked as intended

1979- Iran Hostage Crisis

More than sixty American citizens
and diplomats were held for 444
days
Operation Eagle Claw (attempt to
rescue hostages) failed miserably
Major factor in Jimmy Carters loss
in 1980 presidential election
Released the same day Ronald
Reagan was inaugurated to the
presidncy

November 4, 1980- Reagan

Elected President
Crushed President Jimmy Carter
in a landslide (won 44 states)
Advocated supply-side
economics (Reaganomics)
Called for drastic cuts in size of
the government and expansion
of U.S. prestige abroad
Pointed to misery index of 28
Are you better off now than you
were four years ago?

August 13, 1981- Economic

Recovery Act
Slashed income tax rates by 25%
across the board
Supply-side economics
Received strong bipartisan support
from Congress
Signified significant change in
course of federal tax policy

1982- Reagan Recession

Worst economic recession since the
Great Depression
American unemployment rate
exceeds 10%
Reagans approval ratings fall to 35%
United States would exit recession
relatively early
Contributed to savings and loans
crisis

March 23, 1983- Strategic

Defense Initiative (Star Wars)
Proposal to build space-based
lasers capable of shooting down
nuclear missiles
Labeled this futuristic and
expensive plan Star Wars
Important counter to the idea of
Mutual Assured Destruction
American Physical Society
determined that technology was
not physically feasible

November 4, 1984- Reagan Reelected President

Reagan reelected over
Democractic nominee Walter
Mondale in historic landslide
Wins 59% of popular vote and
every state except Mondales
home state
One out of every four Democrats
vote for Reagan and cross party
lines
Strong economic recovery from
the 1970s stagflation

November 3, 1986- Iran-Contra

Scandal
Lebanese magazine reveals that
United States had been secretly
selling arms to Iran despite arms
embargo
Hoped to secure release of U.S.
hostages and to fund Contras in
Nicaragua
Quickly confirmed by Iranian
government

June 12, 1987- Berlin Wall

Speech
Reagan calls for Soviet Premier
Mikhail Gorbachev to dismantle
Berlin Wall and open eastern bloc
to freedom
Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this
wall!
Reagan also called to end the arms
race with reference to the Soviets
SS-20 nuclear weapons