1. Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush

2. Election of 1984 the growing economy that begun under his presidency, Republican Ronald Reagan easily defeated Democrat Walter Mondale Geraldine Ferraro – was the democratic candidate for vice-president, becoming the first woman to run for that office on a major party ticket

3. Afghanistan while President Carter had sent money ($30 million) to aid the Afghan guerrilla army, Reagan sent even more ($570 million) to prevent a Communist takeover America also helped fund groups like the Taliban and young rebels including Osama bin Laden with military aid

4. Mikhail Gorbachev new Soviet leader whose polices of reconstructing and openness gave Russians more civil liberties his negotiations with President Reagan seemed to mark growing cooperation between the two nations and a step closer to the end of the Cold War

5. Space Shuttle Challenger 73 seconds after take off, the space shuttle blew up killing all seven astronauts in an event that shocked a mournful nation

6. INF (intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces) President Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev signed this major arms limitation treaty, which provided for the dismantling of all short-range and intermediate-range missiles in Europe seen by many as the beginning of the end of the Cold War

7. George H.W. Bush Election of 1988 – the election was between Reagan’s vice president George H. W. Bush and Democrat Michael Dukakis. Bush’s strong campaign promise “read my lips: no new taxes” helps lead him to victory over Dukakis

8. Cold War Ends! On November 9 th, 1989 cooperation between U.S. and the Soviet Union finally spread to East Germany where the Berlin Wall finally came down uniting East and West Germany and year later.

9. Boris Yeltsin the new president of Russia who experiences a Communist military coup not long before taking office from Gorbachev he was able to suppress it and outlawed the Communist Party in Russia! the Cold War had ended

10. Tiananmen Square in Beijing several students and workers held demonstrations in support of democracy these demonstrations are quickly suppressed when government tanks and soldiers crushed the protests China would remain Communist

11. Iraq Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein sent troops in 1990 to invade and seize oil fields in Kuwait the UN condemned this act and the US led a collation of 34 other nations against Iraq called Operation Desert Storm

12. Desert Storm six weeks of air attacks using cruise missiles and laser-guided “smart bombs” destroyed many military targets Shortly after, ground troops were sent in just 100 hours after ground troops were sent in the war was over!