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59. The Reagan Years

Morning in America, the economics that carried the name, the entanglements at home and abroad, life in the 1980s, and the end of the Cold War.

59. The Reagan Years

Ronald Reagan swept into office in 1980 with a sizeable victory over incumbent Jimmy Carter. Tax cuts and military spending were the hallmark of his administra…

59a. "Morning in America"

Ronald Reagan swept into office in 1980, capturing nearly 10 times as many electoral votes as his incumbent opponent Jimmy Carter. The Republican Party was als…

59b. Reaganomics

President Ronald Reagan unveils a new tax program, calling it "a second American Revolution for hope and opportunity." Upon taking office, Reagan called for a…

59c. Foreign and Domestic Entanglements

U.S. planes attacked Libya in 1986 after evidence surfaced that Libyan terrorists were responsible for a discotheque bombing in West Berlin. Libyan leader Muam…

59d. Life in the 1980s

> "I want my MTV." Americans enjoyed many fundamental changes in their standard of living in the 1980s. One major transformation was the new, expanded role of…

59e. The End of the Cold War

This map charts the change from the single communist nation of the USSR into the confederation of smaller independent nations once dominated by Russia. The fal…