Ronald Reagan is one of the most well-known Presidents of the United States of America. He was a charismatic leader with remarkable communication skills. Reagan is well known for his leadership during the Cold War era. Know The Fact brings you the life of “The Great Communicator,” Ronald Reagan.
Ronald Reagan, whose real name was Ronald Wilson, Reagan was born in Tampico, Illinois on February 6, 1911. He served as the 40th United States President from 1981 to 1989. Before his entrance into the political arena, Reagan worked as an actor and served as the president of the Screen Actors Guild two times. He also served in the U.S. Army.
Governor of California for a single term
Ronald Reagan contested the governor of California’s election in 1966 as a Republican. He won the election on January 2, 1967, against Democratic two-term governor Pat Brown. During his term as Governor, he increased taxes to cover the budget deficit under the administration of Brown. He was elected for a second term in 1970.
The Presidency of Ronald Reagan and Reaganomics
Ronald Reagan served as the President of the United States for two terms, from 1981 to 1989. During his term as president, the United States saw the implementation of “Reaganomics”. President Reagan introduced many policies, such as the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981, the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982
(TEFRA), Social Security, the Deficit Reduction Act of 1984, and the Tax Reform Act of 1986. These policies resulted in widespread tax cuts, bringing down inflation levels, decreasing unemployment, decreased social spending, deregulation of domestic markets, and increased spending on the military.
Regan’s policies have been labelled by critics as “trickle-down economics.” The way it works is that tax policies favouring the wealthy will eventually “trickle down” and reach the poor. Under his administration, the national debt of the United States increased from $997 billion to $2.85 trillion.
Ronald Reagan and the Cold War
Ronald Reagan was known to be a staunch opponent of communism and the Soviet Union. When Korean Air Lines Flight 007 was shot down by the Soviet fighters, his administration’s all-Soviet passenger airline services broke several negotiations. This led to the financial suffering of the Soviets. He also oversaw the arming and training of the Mujahideen forces to combat the Soviet Army.
Under President Reagan, the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) was implemented, which involved using a ground and space-based defence system against nuclear ballistic missiles. This move made the Soviets worried. President Reagan believed that this was a major factor that helped in ending the Cold War.
The bombing of Libya
The US had a strained relationship with Libya and its leader, Muammar Gaddafi, to begin with. In April of 1986, a bomb explosion took place in a Berlin discothèque. This led to 63 American military personnel being injured and the death of one serviceman. President Reagan called it proof of Libyan terrorism. In retaliation, on April 15, 1986, Libya was targeted with airstrikes. This led to the deaths of 45 soldiers and officials, including 15 to 30 Libyan civilian casualties. Several nations condemned the attack in the United Nations General Assembly and it was declared to be a violation of the Charter of the United Nations and international law.
Assassination Attempts and Death On March 30, 1981, Reagan was shot at by John Hinckley Jr. outside the Washington Hilton hotel. Reagan survived and was discharged from the hospital on April 11. As a result, he became the first American President to survive a gunshot assasination. He also survived an assassination attempt during his first term as president. The assassination attempt was most likely due to his War on Drugs, invasion of Grenada, and fight against public sector labour unions.
Ronald Reagan passed away on June 5, 2004 due to complications from Alzheimer’s disease. He was 93 years old. A state funeral was conducted on June 11 and was attended by many world leaders, including Tony Blair, Prince Charles, Silvio Berlusconi, German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and others. Ronald Reagan is considered to be one of the most influential US Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt.
