Exhibiting Historical Art: Out of the Vault: Stories of People and Things

1982: Historical Context of "Revolutions Per Minute"

In 1982, Ronald Reagan was serving as President of the United States, Brezhnev was the leader of the Soviet Union, and Margaret Thatcher was serving as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.  This led many to fear that, after, 30 years of the Cold War, nuclear war was imminent.  Events like the 1980 Olympics, which the United States boycotted because they were hosted in Moscow, further increased tensions.  Such events, and the common fear that Reagan was a 'war monger' who wanted to begin a nuclear war, allowed the Nuclear Freeze Movement gain serious momentum in their fight for the end of nuclear weapons.  This movement reached its peak in 1982, when almost one million people protested in New York City to demand the disarmament of all nuclear weapons.

The United States was also facing its worst economic recession since the Great Depression.  Unfortunately for Reagan, after getting his tax reform act passed by congress in 1981, the economy took a turn for the worse a few months later.  Though policies from the act had yet to even be enacted, the American public immediately associated the two events and questioned Reagan's policies.  Many who had voted for him felt betrayed by him and the government as they saw their savings dwindle quickly.  The economy would soon right itself, however, and Reagan would be re-elected in 1984.

In popular culture, space and technology were reaching the height of their popularity, as space themed movies, television shows, and even rides as Disney World, proliferated around the country.  The first space shuttle, Columbia, successfully entered and returned from space in 1981 and "E.T.: The Extraterrestrial" was released in movie theaters, spurring an increased interest in space, while television shows like "Knight Rider" presented new ideas of what future technology could accomplish.
 

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