After such turmoil in the United States during the decade of the seventies, people were ready for a change. The seventies had caused great division within the United States due to the Vietnam War and finally our retreat from the war. The seventies had given people cause for distrust due to the Watergate scandal. There was more turmoil during the seventies due to racial and political protest taking place at colleges across the nation. In 1979 Iran had taken American hostages causing even more concern for Americans and President Jimmy Carter seemed unable to negotiate a peaceful resolution for their return. The people of the United States were ready for a change and with the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980, taking office in 1981, change finally came. It is impossible to discuss the eighties and not include Ronald Reagan. He was a movie star, governor and president of the United States.
English: US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet Gen...
English: President Reagan and General Secretary Go...
Official Portrait of President Ronald ReaganHe was the epitome of the American dream. Due to his soft spoken yet convincing style of speaking, he was often referred to as the Great Communicator. Some of the reasons for such change during the eighties were due to policies introduced by President Reagan during his two terms. He introduced policies during his presidency that contributed to conservative politics and an economic resurgence; the policies came to be known as Reaganomics. To deal with concerns over the Cold War, President Reagan introduced his defense initiative dubbed "Star Wars"; this initiative and the poor economy of the Soviet Union, helped lead to the end of the Cold War and the collapse of communism in Europe. The decade of greed was influenced socially by immigration, economically by government spending, and politically by international affairs. Another change taking place in the eighties was the emerging global community due to the...