Download
1 / 6
60 likes | 166 Vues
The 1980s were a pivotal decade for U.S. foreign policy marked by the Iranian Hostage Crisis, where 52 Americans were held captive for 444 days by Islamic extremists in Tehran, culminating in the Algiers Accords on January 19, 1981. Concurrently, U.S. interventions in Lebanon, Grenada, El Salvador, and Nicaragua showcased its commitment to combating communism and terrorist threats. The Strategic Defense Initiative, or "Star Wars," revolutionized missile defense technology, while the end of the Cold War saw détente, arms reduction treaties, and the dramatic fall of the Berlin Wall.
E N D
66 US citizens held captive in the US Embassy in Tehran • 52 were kept there for over a year (444 days) • Islamic student extremists were holding them captive • Ended in the signing of the Algiers Accords the day Ronald Reagan was sworn into office (January 19, 1981) Iranian Hostage Crisis
Lebanon • Briefly Occupied • Got PLO terrorists • Lost 239 marines • Granada • Stopped communist Rebellion • Libya • Muhammar Khadafi • Public Enemy #1 • El Salvador • Stopped Rebellion • Nicaragua • US funds rightist rebels against communist Sandinistas • “Boland Amendment” • Banned direct military aid to Nicaragua • Iran • Ayatollah Khomeini overthrew Shah • America became enemy • Funded terrorists like Bin Laden • No one took Responsibility Proxy Wars
Satellite missile defense system • Protect from nuclear ballistic missiles • Uses lasers • Stops missiles before they enter US airspace • Broke technology boundaries • No one even dreamed of anything like that before then • Solidified US position as World Power Strategic Defense Initiative (Star Wars)
End of the Cold War • Arms race crippled Soviet economy • Détente policy • Welcomed Capitalism • Ended “Star Wars” • INF treaty • Removed missiles from Europe • “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down that wall” • Famously said by Reagan • Berlin Wall Reference Fall of the Berlin Wall
