Ronald Reagan: True Hero of America

As the United States and the Soviet Union emerged as dominant, and opposing, forces in the 1980's, America itself was experiencing an economic recession, while simultaneously, the image of the American democracy was being tarnished. The Watergate Scandal and Carter's Energy Crisis Speech proved to the nation that government and America's way of life was changing for the worse. Ronald Reagan would soon emerge in 1981, to serve two terms and be remembered as one of the most popular presidents of the United States for his attitude and achievements through his foreign policy. Reagan (1981-1989) is well remembered for leading the United States out of recession and putting an end to the Cold War. However, Reagan's military aggression would not remain the only factor that resulted in the end of the Cold War. Ronald Reagan's foreign policy, the existence of a worthless Soviet economy, and the reform and openness of Mikhail Gorbachev, the Soviet's leader, proved that numerous factors contributed to the end of the Cold War, the fall of Eastern Europe, and the end of the Arms Race.

Developed in 1983, Reagan's most successful strategy against the Soviet superpower was his decision to drastically increased U.S. defense spending. Ronald Reagan was convinced that "Moscow couldn't compete with us at this level, that if we unleashed the capabilities of our technology, the communist state would be unable to keep pace." Reagan and SDI. He chose to have the defense department develop a "Strategic Defense Initiative", also known as SDI or Star Wars. This program, an idea created for additional protection from the USSR, required an extreme amount of funding that would put the United States into an excessive amount of debt. The Soviets first reaction to Reagan's plan was to, of course, maintain the Arms Race and also put great amounts of money towards a similar defense program. However the Soviet Union, unlike the United States whose society was not greatly impacted by the national debt, fell into great poverty and no longer received the necessary resources they needed. Losing everyday resources in affect threw off the worth of Soviet money, destroying their economy. A West German defense analyst commented on the program saying, "I have never seen Soviets so emotional as they are over Star Wars." (pg. 1616) Although the program was never achieved, it took on a greater purpose in triggering the fall of the Soviet economy- a vital step in the end of the cold war. "SDI became the "ridiculed Reagan fantasy", and although the majority of the American public advocated the program, SDI never lost its mythological status." Reagan and SDI. The president's idea successfully put pressure on the Russian superpower and was a key factor in getting the Soviet Union and Gorbachev back to the arms negotiating table.

Although the Soviet Union economy fell as a result of Ronald Reagan's SDI, it was destroyed long before as a result of the Communist government spending to match the United States. Previous great Soviet leaders, Stalin, Brezhnev and Cherenko were unmasked as the brutal oppressive murders they really were and contradictory to Gorbachev, who would become leader in the Communist Government, continued to fund a defense program, making the country weake. However, Gorbachev was intelligent enough to understand that the United States did not want to destroy the Soviet Union through war and that the Soviet Union was incapable of supporting such an expensive project. Therefore, he halted the Soviet's great defense funding and ignored Reagan's Star Wars. "Empty store shelves and housing problems," stated a Soviet economist, "have made the process difficult, but something absolutely vital has taken place in Russian terms: a change in our way of thinking." Mikhail Gorbachev's affect on Russia Gorbachev also introduced Glasnost Perestroika, a concept of openness and economic reform that would alter communist boundaries and forever erase the importance of Soviet history books. New economic policies replaced direct central, censorship of the mass media was forbidden, and Soviets even obtained the right to establish their own television and radio stations, thus broadcasting their own opinion. Overtime, citizens began to question the effectives of a Communist government. Gorbachev himself summarized the results of all his policies: "Having embarked upon the road of radical reform, we have crossed the line beyond which there is no return to the past. . . . Things will never be the same again in the Soviet Union-or, for that matter, in the whole communist world." Mikhail Gorbachev's affect on Russia. Gorbachev's plan allowed the Soviet people to realize why so much had been kept from them for so long and began demanding answers and the truth for why their country was in the terrible condition it was.

Eventually, Reagan and Gorbachev developed a relationship that would be essential in allowing communication between the United States and the Soviet Union and an end to the Cold War. "Gorbachev had a different view about defense than had Khrushchev and Brezhnev. Gorbachev saw U.S. leaders as rational, as not interested in destroying the Soviet Union through war and as wanting to avoid a nuclear holocaust." Gorbachev's Leadership Reagan took advantage of the moderate Gorbachev was and realized that his only way to communicate with the Soviet government was while Gorbachev was in power. Reagan met with Gorbachev numerous times such as in Geneva and Reykjavik, Iceland and "signed six agreements on cultural and scientific exchanges and other matters." (page 1621). The two leaders' ability to work with one another remained another contributing factor to the end of the Cold War in the late 1980's.

Although the fall of Eastern Europe, the Arms Race ending, and the end of the Cold War is often associated with just Reagan's foreign policy, it must not be forgotten that these events were triggered by other factors as well. Reagan's high persistence in winning the Arms Race, the Soviet's poor economic system, and idea of reform revealed weaknesses in the communist government- something Reagan would learn to take advantage of. During 1989 and 1990, the Berlin Wall came down, borders opened, and free elections ousted Communist regimes everywhere in eastern Europe. Russia's economy began to improve as well as the country's attitude and relationship with the United States. A competition that lasted many decades finally came to an end but is still questioned in people's minds if it was worth the excessive amount of spending. Our country's significant national debt was largely prompted by Reagan's extreme military and domestic spending to "outrun" the Soviets. Reagan increased spending by 80% in eight years and tripled the national debt Reagan Facts; while likewise, the Soviet Union was spending billions to keep up. However, in the end, a closer relationship with two world superpowers and an end to the tears and pain of the Cold War was... priceless.

1) http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2004/6/11/123141.shtml

2) http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=896

3) http://www.nationalreview.com/flashback/dsouza200406061619.asp

4) http://www.russianspaceweb.com/reagan.html