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Examines the escalation of military spending and rhetoric during the early 1980s.
What if a single speech and a 'science fiction' defense plan could bankrupt a superpower without firing a single direct shot?
By 1980, the period of 'thawing' relations known as Détente was over. Ronald Reagan entered the presidency viewing the Soviet Union not just as a political rival, but as an 'Evil Empire'. This rhetoric signaled a shift from peaceful coexistence to active confrontation. Reagan believed that the U.S. could win the Cold War by leveraging its superior economy to outspend and out-innovate the Soviets. This led to a massive increase in military spending, reaching roughly of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by the mid-1980s.
1. In 1983, Reagan addressed the National Association of Evangelicals. 2. He labeled the USSR an 'Evil Empire' and the 'focus of evil in the modern world.' 3. This was a deliberate move to frame the Cold War as a moral crusade rather than a mere geopolitical struggle.
Quick Check
How did Reagan's 'Evil Empire' rhetoric change the tone of U.S.-Soviet relations?
Answer
It moved the relationship from a period of negotiation (Détente) to one of moral confrontation and ideological warfare.
In 1983, Reagan announced the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), nicknamed 'Star Wars.' The goal was to develop a space-based shield using lasers to shoot down incoming Soviet missiles. This was a radical departure from Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD), the idea that peace is maintained because both sides would be destroyed in a nuclear war. If the U.S. had a shield, the Soviet nuclear deterrent became useless. Although the technology was mostly theoretical, the Soviets took it very seriously, fearing they could never match American computer technology.
Consider the economic pressure of the arms race: 1. The U.S. spent approximately billion annually on defense. 2. Because the Soviet economy was only about the size of the U.S. economy, they had to spend a much higher percentage of their resources to keep up. 3. Soviet military spending reached nearly of their , starving their civilian population of basic goods.
Quick Check
Why did the SDI threaten the Soviet Union even if the technology didn't fully work yet?
Answer
It threatened to make the Soviet nuclear arsenal obsolete and forced them into a high-tech arms race they could not afford.
The Reagan Doctrine moved beyond 'containment' (stopping the spread of communism) to 'rollback' (actively removing communist governments). The U.S. provided overt and covert aid to anti-communist 'freedom fighters.' In Afghanistan, the U.S. supplied Mujahideen rebels with Stinger missiles to down Soviet helicopters. In Central America, the U.S. backed the Contras against the socialist Sandinista government in Nicaragua. These proxy wars were designed to bleed the Soviet Union of resources and morale, much like Vietnam had done to the U.S.
The Reagan Doctrine applied a 'cost-imposing' strategy:
1. The U.S. provided $\$1\ million each.
3. The ratio of U.S. cost to Soviet loss was roughly , creating an economic 'bleeding' effect that the Soviet command economy could not sustain.
What was the primary goal of the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)?
Under the Reagan Doctrine, where did the U.S. support 'freedom fighters' against Soviet influence?
The Soviet Union easily matched U.S. military spending because their economy was larger than the American economy.
Review Tomorrow
In 24 hours, try to explain the difference between 'containment' and 'rollback' to someone else.
Practice Activity
Research the 'Stinger Missile' and write a short paragraph on how a single piece of technology changed the outcome of the Soviet-Afghan War.