Key learning points

1. Reagan was strongly anti-communist and made it clear that fighting communism would be the focus of his foreign policy.
2. Reagan’s tougher approach to the USSR led to a period of increased tension and hostility known as the Second Cold War.
3. Reagan inflamed tensions by describing the USSR as 'evil' and adopting an aggressive approach towards negotiations.
4. Reagan's announcement of the Strategic Defence Initiative (SDI) in 1983 caused great alarm in the USSR.
5. Reagan hoped that Soviet attempts to ensure they could compete in the arms race would cause their economy to collapse.

Keywords

• Cold War - a period between c. 1945 and c. 1991 of intense rivalry and tension between the USA and the USSR

• Doctrine - a set of principles or beliefs

• Deterrent - something that discourages or prevents an action or behaviour by creating fear of the consequences

• Limited nuclear war - a scenario where nuclear weapons are used on a smaller scale than in a full-scale nuclear exchange

• Trade union - a group set up to represent and advocate for the rights and interests of workers

Common misconception