Economics was a big part of the Cold War, as the United States used economic might as a weapon against the Soviets. President Regan turned the United States into a low-savings, high consumption economy, supporting it's allies in a recovery and growth process that out-consumed the USSR and China. This exhausted the resources of the USSR, as Soviets felt the need to keep with the Americans spendings and military growth that Regan was so focused on. The exhaustion of their resources lead the Soviets into a financial crisis. For the Americans, this form of economy was perfect for a war environment. As mentioned above, this strong economy played a big part in helping the United States win the war. However, as soon as the war ended, the economy was shown to not work as well outside of a war environment. Unemployment rate rose along with the national debt. In 2007, a study was done that showed well over 50% of households in the United States could not maintain their living standard without going deeper into debt.