What was the military spending of the soviets in 1980?
968049
I can guess millions and millions of dollars. They were always trying to build nuclear weapons and improving their military. They were a superpower, after all. They had the money that was from the many taxpayers of the extensive Soviet Union. They were rich. They also  got money from supplying anti-Western insurgents with weapons. They got poorer after 91' however after the collapse of the Soviet Union.\n\n\nhttp://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/russia/mo-budget.htm
778227
America did not dis-arm all their ICBM's, and never will, there are thousands in silos across the US. Russia still has thousands for sale, though they arent in good condition. Those who say Reagan were generally children during his presidency and knew no other for 8 years. His economics were that if you make the rich super-rich, they will bend down eventually and offer the lowly folks more. (trickle-down-economics). Lol, set wages back a decade. And he invaded a lil country full of rich-American resort homes owned by actors, news anchors, and , of course, politicians, all tax-free being out-of-country 'investments', because the local government wanted to benefit fairly from these people. "God Bless America", eh Ronnie?
440995
IIRC the M60A1 tank (produced about this time period) cost about $750,000.
138826
Most of you seem to miss the point China has a standing army of 2.4 million the USA is 1.7 with reserves and everything.  We spend about 450 billion on Defense a year they spend 70 billion.  China doesnt have access to top technology due to a EU and USA arms embargo they put on them in 1981 when they killed chinese student protestors.  THey buy all their weapons from Russia which are 2nd rate.  Make no mistake about it though they are becoming more and more a threat economicly as their economy is growing fast and as they moderenize their army.  AS of now we are stronger but a full out war with China would hurt us abit.  Remember EU countries have cut Defense spending i think Britian is the largest army aroun 500k troops.  SO we would not get alot of help from them
486644
It was rationing, an attempt to ensure there was enough of vital resources available for the nation's military efforts.  It is not true that rationing was re-instated during the 1970s.\n\nA person was issued a ration book.  Items that were rationed included foodstuffs like sugar, bacon, beef, flour, cornmeal, coffee and tea.  Whiskey, wine. tobacco and beer were rationed.  Gasoline for your car was rationed.  If one were a farmer, one could get a different ration book that allowed the purchase of more gasoline, but the extra gas had to be used ONLY in farm vehicles like tractors and combines - the gas was dyed so that an inspector could tell just by dipping a tube in the automobile gas tank whether the gas was supposed to be used by a farmer and not a non-farming citizen - and there were pretty tough penalties if you got caught!\n\nEven eggs were rationed.  So were leather and textiles that could be used to make uniforms and equipment for our Armed Forces.  And people were asked to contribute their steel, copper and aluminum items - cookware, copper teakettles, etc.  Even tires for your car were rationed, and with the then-extant technology, you were real careful how far you drove, 'cause tires did not last nearly as long as they do today.  You wore out a set of tires in much less time than now, and if you did that, you were sh*t outa luck: you didn't GET no new tires.  Indeed, you didn't get no new car, niether - they converted the automobile factories into making military vehicles like tanks, airplanes and the legendary jeep and the "deuce and a half" Army truck.  And though nylon had been invented pre-war, you couldn't buy nylon hosery - it was all being used to make parachutes for the Army!  \n\nTens of thousands of folks supplimented their daily diets by planting "victory gardens" in their yards and growing vegitables and fruits and learning to preserve and store the produce they raised for use during the winter months.  In short, there's a reason we call those folks - two of whom were my Mom and Dad - the "Greatest Generation".  The whole cotton-picking country had to work together to ensure a win in that monster of a war!  And by golly, they did win it!\nIt was a hard road to travel, but they did it and we need to remember their hard work and sacrifice and never, NEVER forget.  My poppa earned a Purple Heart in the Phillippines, but my Ma earned her stripes by scrimping, saving and buying war bonds - you can read about war bonds too - and keeping the home fires burning.  World War Two was the most profound threat to the existance of the United States since the American Civil War...and y'might wanna read 'bout that one, too.
343885
Hahaha! I like the spirit but perhaps this should be answered by someone unbiased and neutral.. that's me!\n\nWhile the USSR was truly mighty once upon a time, currently the strongest military force on the planet is the USA, whether you like it or not. Russia still has a formidable arsenal but they are certainly not as powerful as the US of A. Also, their economy will not be able to bear the strain of a full fledged modern conflict and so the USA it is again.
423941
Why did the US support Saddam. Gave him money and weapons in the 80's
383840
Ronald Regan gets the credit because he was the president at the time and he was noted for his anti-soviet politics.  My guess is that he was just there at the right time.  The economy in the Soviet Union was beyond repair.  "US intelligence experts did not fail to predict the self-destruction of the former USSR. The CIA's analysts had actually been warning US leaders since the early 1980s about the former USSR's weakening economy..."
183926
About ten cents in developing countries. If you want to buy it in the States and take it with you, it'll be a few dollars at any military surplus store.
850533
The long and the short of it is that government cut spending and balanced the budget under the Clinton administration, then STARTED collected more taxes than were being spent by the time Bush took office. This amounted to a PROJECTED surplus, not a real one "yet."\n\nBush continued and worked on cutting domestic spending (where Clinton cut spending in military) and pushed through tax cuts to stimulate the economy that was floundering when he took office, and then, of course the war on terror broke out. Though 'fixing social security' and rebuilding the military was part of his platform, (he really needed to rebuild it quickly now). Any of the PROJECTED surplus was spent away and the budget hasn't been balanced since (go figure) and no additional debt reduction was ever pursued.\n\nSo, the surplus you hear about never really came into being and the national debt has been steadily going up for over 50 years without any sign of being reduced. \n\nSo, since most of the government's IOU's are in the budget columns of social security, you had better invest into a 401k! Hope that makes sense....
29903
The source below says that it was Wilson, who jumped from outlays of $713 million in 1916 to $1.954 billion in 1917 because of the costs of WWI. However, they lump all of 1789-1849 and 1850-1900 into two large categories. However, it is unlikely that spending reached one billion dollars during that period.
863909
Because the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979.
109765
Ronald Reagan was president from 1980 - 1988.
36153
It didn't last for the USSR! :)
671923
In 1985, the assumption of power in the Soviet Union by a reformer, Mikhail Gorbachev, paved the way for political and economic reforms in East Central Europe. Gorbachev abandoned the “Brezhnev Doctrine”—the Soviet Union’s policy of intervening with military force, if necessary, to preserve Communist rule in the region. Instead, he encouraged the local Communist leaders to seek new ways of gaining popular support for their rule. In Hungary, the Communist government initiated reforms in 1989 that led to the sanctioning of a multiparty system and competitive elections. In Poland, the Communists entered into round-table talks with a reinvigorated Solidarity. As a result, Poland held its first competitive elections since before World War II, and in 1989, Solidarity formed the first non-Communist government within the Soviet bloc since 1948. Inspired by their neighbors’ reforms, East Germans took to the streets in the summer and fall of 1989 to call for reforms, including freedom to visit West Berlin and West Germany. Moscow’s refusal to use military force to buoy the regime of East German leader Erich Honecker led to his replacement and the initiation of political reforms, leading up to the fateful decision to open the border crossings on the night of November 9, 1989. \n\nIn the wake of the collapse of the Berlin Wall, Czechs and Slovaks took to the streets to demand political reforms in Czechoslovakia. Leading the demonstrations in Prague was dissident playwright Vaclav Havel, co-founder of the reform group Charter 77. The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia quietly and peacefully transferred rule to Havel and the Czechoslovak reformers in what was later dubbed the “Velvet Revolution.” In Romania, the Communist regime of hardliner Nicolae Ceausescu was overthrown by popular protest and force of arms in December 1989. Soon, the Communist parties of Bulgaria and Albania also ceded power. \n\nThe revolutions of 1989 marked the death knell of communism in Europe. As a result, not only was Germany reunified in 1990, but soon, revolution spread to the Soviet Union itself. After surviving a hard line coup attempt in 1991, Gorbachev was forced to cede power in Russia to Boris Yeltsin, who oversaw the dissolution of the Soviet Union. \n\nThe collapse of communism in East Central Europe and the Soviet Union marked the end of the cold war. The U.S. long-term policy of containing Soviet expansion while encouraging democratic reform in Central and Eastern Europe through scientific and cultural exchanges, information policy (e.g., Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty), and the United States’ own example, provided invaluable support to the peoples of East Central Europe in their struggle for freedom. \n\nhttp://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/time/dr/17672.htm
930804
80% of the military is Republican
9677
Russian  An-124 or An-225\n\nUS Galaxy is close, but not quite there. Commies liked their stuff big.