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In American politics, the 1980s was the decade of Ronald Reagan. His vision of the nation and his conservative agenda shaped the economic and political fortunes of the United States throughout the decade and even into the next.
- Reagan Revolution
- Reaganomics
- Reagan Doctrine
- Fall of Communism
- Yuppie Culture
- Movies in The 1980s
- Television in The 1980s
- Music in The 1980s
- Fashion in The 1980s
- Aids Crisis
The populist conservative movement known as the New Right enjoyed unprecedented growth in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It appealed to a diverse assortment of Americans including evangelical Christians, anti-tax crusaders, advocates of a more powerful American presence abroad, disaffected white liberals and defenders of a free market with few if ...
Reagan advocated for industrial deregulation, reductions in government spending and tax cuts for both individuals and corporations, as part of an economic plan he and his advisors referred to as “supply-side economics.” His economic and social agenda was largely shared by his across-the-pond friend, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The res...
Like many other American leaders during the Cold War, Reagan believed that the spread of communismanywhere threatened freedom everywhere. As a result, his administration was eager to provide financial and military aid to anticommunist governments and insurgencies around the world. This policy, applied in nations including Grenada, El Salvador and N...
While Reagan and Thatcher trumpeted the march of conservative politics and capitalism, the foundations of communism grew increasingly shaky. In Poland, former electrician Lech Walesa led striking workers to form Solidarity, the first labor union to develop in a Soviet bloc nation. In 1980, representatives of the communist government of Poland agree...
In some respects, the popular culture of the 1980s reflected the era's political conservatism. For many people, the embodiment of the decade was the young, urban professional, or “yuppie,” a baby boomer with a college education, a good-paying job and expensive taste. Many people derided yuppies for being self-centered and materialistic, and surveys...
Unlike the 1970s, when hard-hitting movies addressed controversial subjects, lighthearted fare seemed to reign supreme in the 1980s. Films like “Ghostbusters,” “Die Hard,” “The Breakfast Club” and “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” kept audiences enthralled and box office receipts high. The decade was also the era when blockbusters dominated: Movies li...
At home, millions watched family sitcoms like “The Cosby Show,” “The Simpsons,” “thirtysomething” “Family Ties,” “Roseanne” and “Married...with Children.” They also skipped broadcast network fare and watched rented movies on their new VCRs. By the end of the 1980s, broadcast networks realized they were in serious trouble as 60 percent of American t...
The music videos MTV played made stars out of bands like Duran Duran, R.E.M. and Culture Club and megastars out of artists like Madonna, Prince, Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson, whose elaborate "Thriller" video helped sell 600,000 albums in the five days after its first broadcast. Later, MTV became a forum for those who went against the grain o...
In addition to serving as a platform for music, MTV also influenced fashion: People across the country (and around the world) did their best to copy the hairstyles and fashions they saw in music videos. Soon, musicians like Madonna, MC Hammer and Boy George also became style icons. But behind the gloss of MTV, another influence grew in both music a...
In 1981, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other sources began reporting on an outbreak of unusual health conditions in otherwise healthy, young gay men in New York City, San Franciscoand other urban areas. Within a few years, an alarmed public learned about the spread of a deadly infectious disease now known as AIDS, or Acqu...
The 1980s was an era defined by conservative politics, the rise of computer technology, the AIDS crisis and the end of the Cold War, as well as 1980s fashion and music.
Each story provides a unique angle on the decade’s remaking of race, gender, class, sexuality, and nation – from protests to protect abortion rights to Toshiba radios smashed at the U.S. Capitol – with ongoing impacts for radical activism, social welfare, foreign policy, and digital media today.
- The 1980 Presidential Election: Ronald Reagan’s landslide victory over incumbent President Jimmy Carter signaled the beginning of a new era. His campaign promised a break from the “malaise” of the 1970s and a return to optimism and American exceptionalism.
- “The Government is the Problem”: In his inaugural address, Reagan declared that “In the present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.”
- The Air Traffic Controllers Strike (1981): When air traffic controllers went on an illegal strike, Reagan took a firm stand, firing the strikers. His decisive action signaled a new, tougher stance on labor unions and reinforced his commitment to law and order.
- Reaganomics: Reagan’s economic policies, dubbed “Reaganomics,” focused on lower taxes, deregulation, and spending cuts. These measures led to significant economic growth, with GDP increasing by over a third during Reagan’s two terms.
Jun 26, 2023 · Politics in the 1980s were marked by the leadership of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, as well as significant strides in civil rights and social justice, LGBTQ+ activism, and environmental concerns.
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Jan 1, 1987 · Benjamin Ginsberg and Martin Shefter, of Cornell University, have analyzed how the Reagan Administration has "reconstituted" American politics. Some groups, for example, have changed their...
