U.s. Politics
Ronald Reagan, former governor of California, won the Republican nomination in 1980 by winning most of the primaries, becoming the 40th President of the United States. Reagan promised to rebuild the US military, which had sharply declined in strength and morale after the Vietnam War, and restore American power and prestige on the international front. He also promised an end to "big government" and to restore economic health by use of supply-side economics The public, particularly the middle class in the Sun Belt region, agreed with Reagan's proposals, and voted for him in 1980. Critics charged that Reagan was insensitive to the plight of the poor, and that anyway the economic troubles of the 1970s were beyond any president's ability to control or reverse. Reagan left office in 1988, and Vice President George H. W. Bush won the election against Gov. Michael Dukakis of Massachusetts, becoming the 41st president of the United States.