How did the American foreign policy differ from soviet policy in 1980?

Answer 1

In the 1980's Ronald Reagan was the president of the USA (1980-1988) while Mikhail Gorbachev was his counterpart in the Soviet Union (1985-1991). The Soviet Union was at war in Afghanistan trying to bring it under communistic control while the USA was supporting the tribes that were resisting the Soviet's invasion. The Soviets were in a war that wasn't going well for them and their economy was suffering so they ended up pulling their troops out of Afghanistan. This was a major signal of a change in Soviet foreign policy. Stemming from Mikhail's belief that communism was a flawed system, he also allowed most of the countries that were controlled by the Soviet Union to become self governing. The Soviet Union no longer existed and became the Russian Federation. They also abandoned communism and adopted democracy. In brief, the foreign policy for the Soviet's in the first half of the 1980's was to spread communism. After Mikhail Gorbachev became their leader in 1985, it was to abandon their old system and embrace democracy. The foreign policy of the USA in the first three/fourths was to limit communism and in the last fourth support the new Russian Federation financially and verbally.

Answer 2

In 1980, the American foreign policy aimed to contain and roll back communism, with a focus on supporting anti-communist movements and governments around the world. The American policy also emphasized promoting democracy and free-market capitalism. In contrast, the Soviet policy focused on expanding its influence and maintaining control over its satellite states, as well as supporting communist movements and governments worldwide.