The 80's: A Controversial Decade In American History

The 80 's was a pivotal and controversial decade in American history. It can be characterized by prominent political, religious, military, economic and social aspects. While turbulence was common, it is also noted for being one of the most influential and important periods for America and the rest of the world as well. When asked what they remember about 1980 's politics, one might immediately think of Ronald Reagan. Ronald Reagan was born February 6th, 1911. He originally chose a career in acting, but later came to be governor of California and was elected President in 1980. He remains a presidential favorite in that he is credited with ending the Cold War, lowering taxes, implementing free market and believed in limited government interaction (chiefly conservative ideas.) During the height of the Cold War, Reagan was reluctant to allow the Soviet Union to continue in their path of spreading communism, as he saw it as a threat to the freedom of the rest of the world. In an effort to stop the spread, he implemented a policy known as the Reagan Doctrine which funded anti-communist governments around the world. However this contributed to military spending largely and in 1982, America was in the worst recession since the Great Depression and there were nine

One characterizing feature of the military in the 80 's was the Cold War which lasted from 1983-1988. The most notable product of the Cold War was the Berlin Wall built in 1961 some time after the Second World War. The function of this wall was to divide Germany among the allies. The eastern half went to the Soviet Union, and the western half went to the United States, Great Britain and France. This wall would stop the flow of refugees from the communist east Germany to the west. The wall fell (metaphorically speaking) on November 9, 1989. East Berlin 's Communist Party 's spokesperson announced that citizens of East Germany were free to cross the border and that all gates at the checkpoints would