Answer: During the 1980s, the United States and the Soviet Union were engaged in a tense and competitive relationship known as the Cold War. The leaders of both countries played important roles in shaping the events of the decade.
In the United States, Ronald Reagan was the president from 1981 to 1989. Reagan was a staunch anti-communist who believed in American exceptionalism and the need to confront Soviet aggression. He pursued a policy of military build-up, increasing defense spending and developing new weapons systems, including the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) or "Star Wars," which was intended to shoot down incoming nuclear missiles. Reagan also pursued a policy of containment, supporting anti-communist governments and movements around the world, including in Afghanistan, Nicaragua, and Angola. Despite his aggressive rhetoric, Reagan also engaged in diplomacy with the Soviet Union, meeting with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in a series of summits that helped to reduce tensions between the two superpowers.
In the Soviet Union, the leader during much of the 1980s was Mikhail Gorbachev, who served as general secretary of the Communist Party from 1985 to 1991. Gorbachev was a reformer who recognized the need for change in the Soviet Union, which was suffering from economic stagnation and political corruption. He pursued a policy of perestroika, or economic restructuring, and glasnost, or openness, which aimed to increase transparency and freedom of expression. Gorbachev also pursued arms reduction agreements with the United States, including the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) in 1987, which eliminated an entire class of nuclear weapons from Europe. Gorbachev's reforms ultimately led to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Overall, the actions of American and Soviet leaders during the 1980s reflected the ongoing tension and competition between the two superpowers, as well as a recognition of the need for diplomacy and dialogue to avoid a catastrophic nuclear war.