Question

1. The relations between the United States and the Soviet Union began to change in the 1980’s as new leadership appeared in both countries. Superpower relations were changing as a result. Read the short segment of a speech by the president of the U.S. and then write a short commentary (3-5 sentences) in which you discuss U.S. foreign policy in the 1980’s and the historical background of the time period. (10pts) But in the West today, we see a free world that has achieved a level of prosperity and well-being unprecedented in all human history. In the Communist world, we see failure, technological backwardness, declining standards of health, even want of the most basic kind -- too little food. Even today, the Soviet Union still cannot feed itself. After these four decades, then, there stands before the entire world one great and inescapable conclusion: Freedom leads to prosperity. Freedom replaces the ancient hatreds among the nations with comity and peace. Freedom is the victor...Mr. Gorbachev, come to Berlin...tear down this wall. —President Ronald Reagan Berlin, Germany|1987

Answer 1

When President Ronald Reagan came into office in 1981, he took a hard stance toward the Soviet Union.  Where previous leaders of the nations had pursued detente and nuclear arms reduction, Reagan spoke of the Soviet Union as the "evil empire" and, in 1983, proposed a major new space-based missile defense program, the Strategic Defense initiative.  But in 1985, the positions of the two countries began to shift again.  In March 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev proposed policies of perestroika (restructuring) and glasnost (openness) in the Soviet Union.  In November 1985, Reagan and Gorbachev met in person for the first of several summit meetings they would have, and developed a personal relationship.  Reagan's speech in 1987 was both a personal appeal to Gorbachev and a rallying call to all those who were living under communism.