Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
The United States and the Cold War
Ronald Reagan impact
Ronald Reagan impact
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: The United States and the Cold War
President Ronald Reagan is one of the most known American politicians of all time. He helped redefine the purpose of government and pressured the Soviet Union to end the Cold War and has surpassed odds many presidents would never accomplish. Even though his terms as president caused some problems he solidified the conservative agenda for decades after his presidency.
Ronald Regan was born in Tampico, Illinois on February 6, 1911 to John Edward "Jack" Reagan and Nellie Wilson Reagan. He studied in Economics and Sociology at Eureka College but after graduating in 1932, he found work as a radio sports announcer in Iowa. Years later Reagan was offered a seven-year contract with the Warner Brothers movie studios. While working for the group he married actress Jane Wyman. The couple had 1 child together, and adopted another before their divorce in 1948. During World War II, Reagan was unfit for combat duty due to his poor eyesight , so he spent his time in the Army making training films. From 1947 – 1952 Reagan served as president of the Screen Actors Guild which lead to him meeting his future wife, Nancy Davis, who had sought his help after she was mistakenly accused of being a possible communist promoter on the "Hollywood blacklist." Over time they married in 1952 and had two children, Patricia and Ronald. During this time his political views were shifting from Democratic to a Conservative Republican stance. He led pro-business discussions, and started speaking out against excessive government regulation and wasteful spending which became central themes of his future career as a politician.
Reagan started his journey into the national political spotlight in 1964, when he gave a televised speech for Republican presidential candid...
... middle of paper ...
...Central America. He initially refused knowing any knowledge about it but, Reagan later announced that he did which portrayed him as a liar. Reagan also engaged in a diplomatic relationship with Mikhail Gorbachev, chairman of the Soviet Union in 1987. This led to the historic agreement to eliminate intermediate-range nuclear missiles thus beginning the end of the Cold War, and the Soviet Union. That same year Reagan spoke at Germany's Berlin Wall, and famously challenged Gorbachev to tear it down and 2 years later it was destroyed and the once separated Germany was once again a whole.
On June 5, 2004 Ronald Reagan passed away at the age 93. Many of Reagan’s Beliefs and practices are still in our government today, and some may never leave. He was an American with a love for his nation. He was a symbol of how great democracy is, and will forever be remembered as that.
Ronald Reagan, like many other presidents, had his successes and his failures while in office. He led the nation with a conservative agenda that a lot of critics disagreed with. Some of his actions can be called a success or a failure depending on who is looking at it. His successes included the tax cuts of 1981, appointing the first woman to the United States Supreme Court, reduced the amount of nuclear arms by signing a deal with the Soviet Union, made progress towards the end of the Cold War, got the Soviet Union to leave Afghanistan, released the Air Traffic Controllers who went on strike, the rescue mission in Grenada, the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986, and the Strategic Defense Strategy Initiative of 1983. His failures included the Marines
Eisenhower’s foreign policy was about containment and trying to discourage other countries from joining it by giving them financial and military aid. When he realized that containment itself was not enough to stop the Soviet expansion, he adopted a policy which he called massive retaliation whereby the U.S. was prepared to use atomic weapons if they were to be attacked. He tried diplomacy to develop relation with the Soviets even agreeing to join other leaders in Geneva Switzerland with the intention to calm the temperatures between the two nations. When diplomacy didn’t work, he signed a bill that allowed countries to request economic and military help from the U.S. if they are being attacked by a communist nation. Cold War did not end until after Ronald Reagan’s time as president when he challenged the leader of the Soviet to take down the Berlin wall which was the most recognizable symbol of the Cold War. At this time, the Soviet Union was disintegrating and its influence in Eastern Europe was waning fast bringing the war to an
"American President: Ronald Wilson Reagan: Impact and Legacy." Miller Center. University of Virginia, n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2013.
Reagan rose into power after years of turmoil and the American pride was dipping. About a decade before he became president, the war in Viet-Nam was winding down and the troops were returning home to negative demonstrations towards their duty. Then, during the Carter years, America transitioned into a détente policy, which meant that the United States would try to ease the tensions with the Soviet Union by not expanding the military, but not doing anything to acting ease the tension. The idea behind this became known as MAD, mutually assured destruction, (Hannaford) which meant that both the United States and Soviet Union would maintain and even number of nuclear weapons so that if one would fire, the other would be able to fire back equally. Reagan completely disagreed with this philosophy and created a whole new policy when he became president. The foreign policy he established was to create the Reagan Doctrine. According to a speech by Peter Hannaford, the Reagan Doctrine was that America would support democratic movements in any Communist country until that country could enjoy the fruits of freedom (Hannaford). This meant that the United States would help any country who wanted to leave the influence of the Soviet Union and create their own democracy. Also, to counter the Soviet Union and end the Cold War, a race between the United State and Soviet Union to create the best technology and become the world powerhouse, Reagan increased military spending. Ronald Reagan knew that the Soviet Union was unable to keep up the United States in military spending and still having enough funds to fund their own economy to keep it stable. Reagan used this knowledge to convince Congress to increase military budget to build up technology, causing the Soviets decide on what to do. The United States had the funds to continue, but the Soviet Union could not keep up. The breaking point
To crack down on communism, Reagan issued the Reagan Doctrine.... ... middle of paper ... ... At the congressional hearings, Oliver North took full responsibility for the scandal, claiming he did it in the name of patriotism.
Ronald Reagan was born to parents Nelle and John Reagan in February 1911. He went to Eureka College where he studied economics and sociology. Before Reagan began his political career, he was a Hollywood actor. Starring in over 50 movies, his n...
Ronald Wilson Reagan served two terms as the 40th president of the United States of America. Reagan was known for having a strong faith in the goodness of people. In college he was known as, “the jack of all trades” for excelling in everything he did (“Life Before the Presidency”). President Reagan’s beliefs gave him lots of respect from citizens around the world. One of his main beliefs was that peace comes with strength. I believe that Ronald Reagan was a great president because of his leadership qualities, domestic policies, and foreign policies.
ending of the cold war. It has been said that President Ronald Reagan ended the
...imes when we are faced with national tragedies we are left at a loss for words. We look upon our leaders to help us through these difficult times, to have all the answers. We listen to what they have to say with vulnerability and uncertainty of what’s to come next for our country. Reagan was aware of all these factors when he gave his famous address. He was aware that in order for any argument to be considered a powerful and successful one it needs to be thought through and take into consideration the outside factors that are affecting it. Reagan’s challenger argument was one that had a clear audience, distinct setting, and finally the argument had a definite and in this case necessary purpose. By Reagan utilizing these three elements and effectively combining them he created a memorable speech that is now widely considered a masterpiece of public communication.
Reagan’s speech on the night of January 28, 1986 dramatically “took the first step toward uniting the country in its grief (Ritter, 4)”. Ronald Reagan reached out to the schoolchildren of America and all other citizens of the United States to counsel them in time of tragedy. He gave hope to the nation through emotional and spiritual reference. He was effective in conveying his message but the way his thoughts were organized was in part ineffective. His speech is very unorganized, and he could have ordered his thoughts better. More importantly than disorganization though, Ronald Reagan reached out to a nation that needed him as there president. He gave the people of the United States hope and Reassurance, a task that the President has been expected to do since the beginning of our country.
...s of economic and political initiatives that became known as "the Reagan revolution." His accomplishments of winning the Cold War without firing a shot, recovering the American economy known as Reaganomics and his “Star Wars” predicament, his two terms during presidency did not go unseen. He restored the traditional spirit of can-do optimism to the American people, making him a President that cannot be forgotten.
Ronald Reagan was a true hero to many people. He showed strength when the country, and the world needed a strong person. When there were challenges he rose to the occasion, and conquered them. He was an honest man with a big heart that had a love for country, and all of the people in it. Overall most people have nothing but respect for his legacy, even most of his critics give him respect for some of his accomplishments. This is why Ronald Reagan was a hero to many, and his legacy still lives on today.
The United States of America’s 40th president, Ronald Wilson Reagan served as our country’s leader from 1981 to 1989. Ronald Reagan was a very strong advocate for freedom. Many and most of his speeches were related to freedom or the concept of freedom was thrown in and mentioned in the speeches. A large part of Reagan’s campaign was freedom. His beliefs on this matter did not all come from morals, Ronald Reagan’s perception of freedom came from his lifestyle of/in Christianity.
... years in office. Even when President Reagan, didn’t make wise decisions, he took full blame for them, which made the American population trust him and gain more popularity. With his many major accomplishments in helping the American people, and putting them first, really helped in his favor. Reagan has built up the US military to what it is now because he believed that we needed to “restore America's ability to defend itself and fulfill its responsibilities as a trustee of freedom and peace in the world” (Wild Thing, January 21, 2006). President Reagan is man that has a heart and soul with America, and will fight for our freedoms and rights for as long as his lives. In 1994, President Reagan got Alzheimer’s disease, left public life, and died on June 5, 2004 from pneumonia. Reagan is still looked up to and is considered one of the greatest Presidents of all time.
Ronald Reagan was a very popular person before, during, and after his time of presidency. He went from a mere radio announcer, to the head of the United States of America. Ronald had defeated most of the world’s problems with Communism, improved the economy, and handled terrorist threats like a pro. Ronald quickly took America’s heart with his honorable deeds and doings. He was very famous by the time he became deceased. (Ronald Reagan Facts.)