World leaders have immense power. Some use that power for good; others use it for evil. Whether they are looked upon fondly or not, world leaders are still loved by many people. They can inspire good character, good morals, and responsibility. The best example of this is how people view the United States presidents. Some of the former presidents are considered heroes, and even depicted to be on the same level as gods. These people have been so highly praised, that saying anything bad about them is looked down upon. There are statues and monuments dedicated to presidents like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, and so on. The point is, former US presidents are held in high regard. One of these …show more content…
presidents held to this high standard was the US president throughout most of the 1980s. His name was Ronald Reagan. He went from being a typecasted, “Good Guy” actor to politician to becoming President of the United States of America. Ronald Reagan’s background as a performer contributed directly to his effectiveness as a politician. One of the character traits that Ronald Reagan embodied was good public-speaking. He was able to convince people that he was on their side and that he was there to improve the problems in the American government. During his inaugural speech in 1981, he said, “government is not a solution to our problems; government is the problem.” In the same year, Reagan was shot by a would-be assassin. The gunshot wounded the president, but he survived, saying to his wife, “Honey, I forgot to duck.” (Biography.com Editors, 2017) This caused his popularity to soar, being seen as an incredibly charismatic and good-humored man. Another character trait that Reagan showed was American Idealism.
He was a married man with a son and daughter, representing the perfect nuclear family unit of the time. Reagan was known for wearing cowboy attire and owning a ranch, personifying the American male ideal. American citizens saw this as trustworthy and inspiring, representing Hollywood’s elevation of the cowboy as the perfect man. Reagan was also made Christianity a major part of his presidency, representing the “Conservative Revolution” that he lead during his administration. The last important trait that Reagan had was his ambition. Unlike the other traits mentioned, however, this trait caused him to lose credibility in his administration. One of his most ambitious projects was the “Strategic Defense Initiative.” The main goal of this project was to keep America safe from nuclear missiles launched by the America’s enemies, which was really just directed at the Soviets. This was presented as an alternative to the policy of M.A.D., aka Mutually Assured Destruction, which was seen as worst case scenario in case of nuclear war. The plan for S.D.I. was to put a defensive laser or railgun in space to shoot down any nukes coming after the US and its allies. This was seen as over-ambitious due to how expensive such an endeavor would entail. The media called this the “Star Wars” program due to the plan sounding like it came straight from a Science Fiction movie. (KnowledgeHub, 2016) Despite this, Reagan’s optimism in …show more content…
these seemingly impossible odds is what made him so loved and valued among the American people. What could be applied from Ronald Reagan’s life was his confidence.
Whether people agree with him or not, he was able to captivate people with his inspiring speeches and his likable personality. Confidence in what someone says and what someone thinks is what makes that someone an icon, for better or for worse. Reagan had confidence in his policies and his ideas. Many people have confidence in their own ambitions and goals. However, this can go awry when someone’s goals can lead to them not making the best decisions. Ronald Reagan’s second term was severely damaged when the Iran-Contra affair happened. What happened was the US was selling weapons to Iran, which was illegal at the time. The money made from the selling of weapons was directed into funding anti-communist insurgencies throughout Central America. This was made even worse when Reagan tried denying that it ever took place. He eventually gave in and told the truth, but the damage had already been done. (Biography.com Editors, 2017) Reagan, nonetheless, was able to redeem himself with overseeing the fall of the Soviet Union. Even though it did not officially end until after Reagan left office, Reagan was the one to really push for better relations with Russia and encouraging the leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, to become more open. Famously, he was able to convince Gorbachev to let the people of Germany tear down the Berlin wall, which was one of the last nails in the coffin of the USSR. (Biography.com Editor’s, 2017) The
fall of the Soviet Union and the rising of the Iron Curtain were Ronald Reagan’s biggest achievements in office, and this was due to him never giving up and standing his ground. In conclusion, while far from perfect, Ronald Reagan was a beacon of hope for the American people. After the economic and political turmoil of the 1960s and 70s, people were ready for a change, and Ronald Reagan was what people saw as that change. The American attitude in America became more patriotic, based in good morals and family values. This optimism encouraged Americans to aspire to be better. Even though Reagan was, at times, to confident, he was able to help American citizens to want to be better, and build a better future for themselves. Reagan believed in the United States, and the United States believed in Reagan. Whether Reagan actually was a good leader or not, that is up for someone else to decide. What is important is that he influence people to be good Americans. This is way Ronald Reagan has, and always will be, looked back upon fondly in American History. References Biography.com Editors. (April 27, 2017). Ronald Reagan Biography.com. Retrieved from https://www.biography.com/people/ronald-reagan-9453198 Freidel, Frank; and Sidey, Hugh. (2006). Ronald Reagan. Retrieved from https://www.whitehouse.gov/1600/presidents/ronaldreagan KnowledgeHub, (2016, Sept 27). What Was the “Star War” Program. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XI-YkEIiUXY
... 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.
Though these acts helped America during an economic downturn, they had consequences which are still being felt today. During Reagan’s presidency, the distribution of wealth shifted unfairly towards individuals with higher incomes and has not shifted back since.... ... middle of paper ... ... Though he was the cause of much pain and suffering, one should not forget that he was the one to maneuver us out of a situation we had never been in.
One of the most important aspects of Reagan’s time in office was his domestic policy. He knew to have a successful presidency and create a strong, the people of the United States needed to be cared for. His first goal was to turn the economy around from the stagflation it encounter in the Carter era. Stagflation is very similar to inflation. The main difference is that inflation is the result of a quick economic growth while causes the value of money to decrease with now economic growth. To accomplish the turn around, Reagan introduce his economic policy which became known as Reaganomics. Reaganomics was based in supply side economics. This economic theory says that lowering taxes through tax cuts increases revenue by allowing more money
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.
In 1948, George Orwell wrote one of the most memorable dystopian novels, 1984. This novel depicts a totalitarian world where there are no ways to use freedom, express free though, or express individuality, but there are various sources of brainwashing propaganda. The Party’s slogan ‘war is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength’ is where the brainwashing process in Oceania begins. Brainwashing and government control are also crucial elements in Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games. In the world of Panem, 1 boy and 1 girl are chosen from each of the 12 districts to fight to the death. The game’s slogan ‘may the odds be ever in your favor’ shows the Capitol’s usage of doublethink. These slogans are used by the ruling groups as propaganda and show one of the similarities in how the governments brainwash, torture, and control the past of their people.
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.
He used his glasnost (openness to public debate) policy and perestroika. restructuring to help the Russian economy. Both leaders wanted a "margin of safety". Reagan took a tough stand. against Russia and its allies.
The democrats were having a rough time because Carter’s image was brought down by the massive inflation and bungling foreign affairs. The other option was Edward Kennedy, but his image was also hurt because of the "Chappaquiddick incident," in which he drank and then drove his car off of a bridge, killing his passenger and delayed reporting the incident. Reagan was grandfatherly, photogenic, attractive and his values were from the pre-60s generation. Overall, he believed that government wasn’t there to fix the problem, but was the problem and thus he would cut government spending. He won easily, even if it was mainly because of ABC votes.
...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 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.)
There were many problems in which Carter had been blamed for, especially the Iran hostage crisis which proved to be very humiliating. He failed to deal with any of these situations. Either as hesitant or ineffective is how many Americans viewed Carter. He also had attacked Reagan as a dangerous radical after he defeated Tom Kennedy for the nomination. For his part Reagan, the charismatic ex-Governor of California, repeatedly made fun of Carter's powerlessness , and won a landside victory that carried the United States Senate for the first time in 28 years. Reagan's victory marked the beginning of the "Reagan Revolution."
When Ronald Reagan was a boy, his home was formed in a Christian faith lifestyle, his dad, however, was Catholic and his mom Protestant. Religion made a part and partially broke the family over a simple, yet complex difference. Nelle, his mother, though was more
Upon taking office in 1981, Ronald Reagan began to implement a simple strategy to win the war against the Soviets: he would outspend them in an arms race and force them to the negotiating table. Over the course of this erratic arms build-up, the president spent a total of $2 trillion on the military alone. The most notorious of these programs was the Strategic Defense Initiative, also known as Star Wars, in which the president authorized billions to be spent to research a program that could defend America against a possible nuclear attack by blowing an incoming nuke out of the sky. A vast majority of the scientific community thought such a program to be absurd and implausible, but Reagan pushed on. His belligerence in this arms race only provoked the Kremlin, and increased tensions.
James A. Garfield was an outstanding man of many endeavors who went from driving boats down the canal to become a general of the union army to the twentieth president of the United States of America (The American Heritage Book of the Presidents and Famous Americans). James A. Garfield was against slavery and had great plans for reconstruction, but sadly they were cut short. His term only lasted in the first year, as Garfield was shot by an office seeker and died many months later (The American Heritage Book of the Presidents and Famous Americans).
We have had some bad presidents, but we don't hate all of them. Some of them work hard to contribute something to us, just like professional athletes do. We just have to Remember that they are human just like us and that Michael Jordan and Dennis Rodman aren't gods just because they have a lot of money.