Ronald Reagan: The 40th President of the United States
Ronald Reagan is widely regarded as one of the greatest American presidents of all time. He is remembered not just for his conservative views but also for his strong humanitarian streak. As the 40th President of the United States, Reagan sought to restore America’s greatness with heavily influenced Reaganomics, or “supply-side economics”. He also tried to bring a seemingly-endless Cold War to an end by building new relationships with the Soviet Union through means of arms-control as well as by supporting democracy movements in Eastern Europe. There seem to be even more considerable accomplishments that are attributed to Reagan, such as his staunch support for Israel, his involvement in the attempted rescue of American hostages from Iran, and his speech in Dresden, Germany on June 12, 1987 in which he implored Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down” the Berlin Wall. This essay will explore the life and legacy of Ronald Reagan, focusing on his term as President of the United States as well as some of his most successful endeavors.
Ronald Reagan was born in Tampico, Illinois, on Feb. 6, 1911. Reagan’s early family life was rooted in a small, rural community with a strong sense of moral and Christian values – his father Jack was an alcoholic and often times absent due to his failed business ventures. Despite these setbacks, Reagan was a generally well-adjusted child with an early passion for sports, public speaking, and politics. He attended nearby Eureka College on scholarship and earned a degree in economics and sociology in 1932. After college, Reagan pursued a career in radio broadcasting before signing a seven-year contract with Warner Brothers as an actor in 1937.
Early political ambitions
Reagan’s political aspirations began to take shape in the late 1940s, after learning more about the Democratic Party’s policies through the help of his wife and college sweetheart, the actress Jane Wyman. In 1947, Reagan became the president of the Screen Actors Guild, which led him to further involvement in the Democratic Party. However, growing dismayed over their policies, especially those in relation to communism, Reagan began to lean further and further to the right. He resigned from the Democratic Party in 1962 and announced his support of the GOP nominee Barry Goldwater, becoming one of the most significant figures in modernizing the Republican Party.
Reagan’s 1970s campaign
Reagan cemented himself in the public eye and further proved his popularity as a potential leader by running for governor of California in 1966. Re-elected for a second term in 1970, Reagan made a bold move and announced his candidacy for president in 1976 against then sitting President Gerald Ford. Ford, who was being favoured to become the GOP nominee, was mainly opposed by Reagan’s extreme conservative ideologies and beliefs. After conceding during the Republican primaries, Reagan ran ex-Texas Gov. John Connally in the general election, but ultimately lost to incumbent Jimmy Carter. Still, Reagan’s charisma and ambition earned him the nomination for President of the United States for the 1980 election.
Reagan’s domestic policies
Reagan was a strong advocate for smaller government and less regulation. His views on fiscal strategies were rooted heavily in supply-side economics, which consisted of lower taxes and less government spending. Additionally, he placed an emphasis on using the budget deficit as a means to fund his military agenda, which sought to “defeat” the Soviet Union. The Reaganomics agenda also included his domestic welfare reforms with the passage of bills such as the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981, the Social Security Amendments of 1983, the Tax Reform Act of 1986, and the Budget Summit of 1988.
Reagan and the Cold War
Reagan entered the White House in January 1981 with a plan to make the United States stronger than its Cold War counterpart, the Soviet Union. To this end, he deployed a substantial amount of military and economic aid to anti-communist forces around the world. By 1983, his policies had led to an increase in US defense spending and a heightened military presence in the Pacific. Reagan also believed that direct communication with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev could bring an end to the Cold War. In 1987, the two sat down for the historic summit in Geneva, which resulted in the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty that provided for the destruction of intermediate-range nuclear warheads in Europe. Reagan’s initiatives later laid the foundation for the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Talks and led to the end of the Cold War.
Reagan and the 1988 election
Reagan’s presidency was a great success, with 54 percent of Americans approving of his handling of affairs. As the 1988 election drew near, Reagan was able to garner a great deal of support due to his rhetoric of peace and prosperity. He easily clinched the Republican nomination and faced off against the Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis in the general election. Reagan’s popularity had grown tremendously, and he was re-elected with a landslide victory.
Reagan’s legacy
In the years since Reagan left office, his legacy has been a source of debate and controversy. While his economic policies greatly strengthened the US economy, his foreign policies have since been heavily criticized due to their militaristic nature and what many consider to be the US’s complicity in various human rights abuses throughout the world. Nevertheless, Reagan is often remembered for many of his bold initiatives, such as his historic summit with Gorbachev and his economic policies that have since been adopted by many leaders from across the political spectrum.
The life and legacy of Ronald Reagan cannot be easily defined or reduced to a few simple words. The 40th President of the United States remains one of the most influential figures in modern American politics, in part due to his strong commitment to his ideals and his passionate attempts to make the world a better place.
