How did the Strategic Defense Initiative support these goals?

The costs of the buildup were enormous. Over a five-year period, the United States spent an unprecedented $1.1 trillion on defense. These expenditures contributed to the growing budget deficits. Conservatives considered this the cost of fighting the Cold War.

3.Describe the course of the United States economy in the early 1980s.

By 1982, unemployment had reached a postwar high of 10.8 percent and several hundred businesses were going bankrupt each week.

The 1981–1982 recession did, however, pave the way for a healthier economy. The high interest rates cooled down inflation, and as Reagan's tax cuts took effect, consumer spending began to rise.