Ronald Reagan left office as the most popular president in modern American history. His legacy endures even today thanks to his impact on the country’s culture, economy, and foreign policy. When Reagan came into office in 1981, he inherited from Jimmy Carter a crippling recession with high unemployment rates and an unfriendly international climate.
With the help of his chief economic adviser Paul Volcker, he was able to turn the nation around so much that by the end of his presidency it was heading into a prosperous future. The Gipper’s Resolute Leadership Ronald Wilson Reagan was born on February 6, 1911, in Tampico, Illinois to John Edward and Nelle Wilson Reagan.
The family soon moved to Dixon, Illinois where Ronald grew up. After graduating from Eureka College in 1932 with a degree in economics and sociology and after working as an actor for two years, he moved to Los Angeles where he got a job as a radio broadcaster at station KMPC. Less than two years later he became its General Manager.
In addition to his broadcasting duties, Reagan also served as an unpaid volunteer for the Army Reserve during World War II; this gave him valuable experience when it came time for him to run for governor of California later on.
1) Ronald Reagan’s Early Career
When Ronald Reagan was a young man, he was a radio actor who wrote plays and speeches for movie studios. He also ran a radio station in Los Angeles and had an unsuccessful run as Governor of California. In the 1930s, Reagan worked for a radio network and 20 years served as the president of the Screen Actors Guild.
He also wrote speeches for many famous people, including Franklin D. Roosevelt and John Wayne. In 1940, Reagan enlisted in the military and became a captain in the Army. After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in December, he was transferred to the Navy and served as a liaison officer. After the war, he returned to radio and then entered politics.
2) The Conservative Leaders Is Elected
On the campaign trail in 1966, Reagan was optimistic about the future of the United States. He believed that the nation was on the right track and that the best way to move forward was through a series of conservative measures.
His campaign platform included proposals like term limits for Congress, a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution, and tax cuts. During the general election campaign, Reagan promised to reduce the burden on citizens by getting rid of unnecessary federal programs and by getting rid of government employees who were not doing their jobs.
He also promised to bring the federal budget under control. In the end, the public responded positively to Reagan’s proposals and elected him president.
3) President Reagan Puts the People First
Reagan’s campaign promises included a focus on the economy, but he soon became known for his foreign policy initiatives as well. In his first State of the Union address, he called for a strategic switch away from a Cold War focus on Moscow and towards a focus on finding ways to improve relations with other countries.
This shift in focus had immediate results, as it led to the treaty that ended the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. Other foreign policy successes included the end of the Cold War, the defeat of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, a reduction in the nuclear arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union, an agreement with the Soviet Union to eliminate all offensive missiles, and the reunification of Germany.
4) What Ended the Cold War?
In the early stages of the Reagan administration, U.S. intelligence began to notice some strange things happening in the Soviet Union. The Soviets seemed to be parroting many of the same arguments that had been put forward by the U.S. dissidents who had been calling for change for years.
It seemed that the Soviets were now acknowledging a number of the same problems in their society that the dissidents had been calling attention to, including the lack of freedom of speech, the lack of personal freedom, and the lack of ability for people to make a decent living. This led intelligence officials to begin to suspect that there might be a group in the Soviet Union who were actively trying to help bring the Soviet system to an end.
5) The Economic Success of the 1980s
During the Reagan years, the U.S. enjoyed a lengthy period of economic prosperity that was the result of a few key factors. One of these was that the country was able to get interest rates as low as it did during the early years of the Reagan administration thanks to the efforts of the secretary of the treasury, Paul Volcker.
At that time, the Federal Reserve held interest rates at a high level to try to stimulate the economy. Volcker believed that this was a bad idea and that the Fed should be holding interest rates low to help bring about a strong economy without engaging in irresponsible practices like inflating the money supply.
Thanks to Volcker’s efforts, the U.S. economy was able to grow quickly thanks to cheaper credit, which in turn made it possible for businesses to invest in new technologies and for consumers to enjoy a nice boost in their income.
