History of the United States (1980–1991)
The history of the United States from 1980 until 1991 includes the last year of the Jimmy Carter presidency, eight years of the Ronald Reagan administration, and the first three years of the George H. W. Bush presidency, up to the collapse of the Soviet Union. Plagued by the Iran hostage crisis, runaway inflation, and mounting domestic opposition, Carter lost the 1980 United States presidential election to Republican Reagan.
| The United States of America | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980–1991 | |||
Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and Tip O'Neill in 1981 | |||
| Location | United States | ||
| Including | Reagan Era Late Cold War Third Industrial Revolution War on drugs | ||
| President(s) | Jimmy Carter Ronald Reagan George H. W. Bush | ||
| Key events | Iran Hostage Crisis 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens Early 1980s recession Reaganomics Iran-Contra Scandal Invasion of Grenada Reagan Doctrine Tear down this wall! Invasion of Panama Gulf War | ||
Chronology
| |||
| This article is part of a series on the |
| History of the United States |
|---|
|
In his first term, Reagan introduced expansionary fiscal policies aimed at stimulating the American economy after a recession in 1981 and 1982, including oil deregulation policies which led to the 1980s oil glut. He met with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in four summit conferences, culminating with the signing of the INF Treaty. These actions accelerated the end of the Cold War, which occurred in 1989–1991, as typified by the collapse of communism both in Eastern Europe, and in the Soviet Union, and in numerous Third World clients. The economy was in recession in 1981–1983, but recovered and grew sharply after that.
The Iran–Contra affair was the most prominent scandal during this time, wherein the Reagan Administration sold weapons to Iran, and used the money for CIA aid to pro-American guerrilla Contras in left-leaning Nicaragua.