The presidency of Ronald Reagan began at noon EST on January 20, 1981, when Ronald Reagan was inaugurated as the 40th President of the United States, and ended on January 20, 1989. Reagan's 1980 election resulted from a dramatic conservative shift to the right in American politics, including a loss of confidence in liberal, New Deal, and Great Society programs and priorities that had dominated the national agenda since the 1930s. Even prior to becoming president, Reagan was the leader of a dramatic conservative shift that undercut many of the domestic and foreign policies that had dominated the national agenda for decades. An unexpected new factor was the emergence of the religious right as a cohesive political force that gave strong support to conservatism. A civil war had broken out in Lebanon in 1975, and both Israel and Syria undertook military action within Lebanon in 1982. A civil war had broken out in Lebanon in 1975, and both Israel and Syria undertook military action within Lebanon in 1982.