Ronald Reagan's Accomplishments
Andrew Finotti
Dr. Veronica Wilson
History 1968-Present
Wednesday 3:00-5:40
April 14, 2014
Ronald Reagan and the 1980’s Ronald Reagan was one of the greatest presidents in the history of the United States. His one of a kind charisma and many outstanding qualities caused many people to admire him and his views. He has been recognized for having a close knit family life as well as a kind hearted sense of humor. Another reason he was viewed as a great president was his new approach to foreign policy. Under his leadership America was viewed as a powerhouse by the Soviet Union in turn ending the cold war. The number one reason Reagan was one of the greatest presidents in American history was his economic policies. His plan to better the economy …show more content…
called Reaganomics also known as Supply-Side Economics proved to be a success. Ronald Reagan was one the greatest commander-in-chiefs ever to be sworn into office and turned around a decade of American because of his character, foreign policy, and economic stand. The 1960’s were years full of protest and reform, disorder and rejuvenation. Young Americans demonstrated against the Vietnam War, African Americans fought for their civil rights and women protested for equal treatment. For many in this time, a society 's hero was a person who helped others and gave all they had. Over time that would change as many in the 1980’s, a society 's hero was the person who helped himself. The period of change came during the 1970’s. Although some of these years remained coupled with the social experiments and struggles of the 1960’s, they slowly showed signs of what Americans would be like in the 1980’s. There were a number of reasons for the change. One reason was that the United States ended its military involvement in Vietnam. Another was that the civil rights movement and women 's movements reached many of their goals. A third reason was the economy. During the 1970’s, the United States suffered an economic recession with the oil and energy crisis. Interest rates and inflation were high. There was a shortage of imported oil. Many Americans were scared, they had not seen such struggle since the great depression and WWII. As the 1970’s moved toward the 1980’s, Americans became tired of social struggle. They became tired of losing money. They had been working together for common interests. Now, many wanted to spend more time on their own personal interests. Although this time period seem scary to many, there were some who were growing and making strides, as Gil explains, “The women’s movement would emerge as perhaps the most influential movement of the 1960’s, and in the 1970’s it made major strides, In 1970 only 30 percent of women with children under six worked; by 1985 more than half did. Women rushed in the professions, transforming their work environments, their families, and the society along with their own destinies.” (Gil 33) This change appeared in many parts of American society. It affected popular culture, education, and politics.
Ronald Reagan was known for his unique character unlike any other president. His character was different from every president before him because of his outstanding communication skills. In fact his communication skills were the reason for his extraordinary popularity during the 1980s. His impeccable people skills resulted in him being known as “The Great Communicator.” Reagan was known for being able to address everyone from high to low class Americans. He proved this to be a key connection to the people to support what he wanted to do through his first term and eventually into his second. “Reagan hoped to apply that optimism and heroism to save the American economy.” (Gil 52) Reagan’s mission was simple, while in office he and his supporters wanted to lower taxes for all Americans and businesses, with a Democratic controlled House and Senate. This in turn led to the largest and most robust period of economic growth in United States history. He wanted to set in motions events which lead to the end of the Cold War and the fall of the Iron Curtain, in doing so he wanted to stop communist expansion within the Western Hemisphere. Reagan along with the help of the USSR totally eliminated an entire class of nuclear weapon. The way President Reagan addressed the people in a kind hearted manor, yet on a personal level caused them to bestow a tremendous amount of trust in his promises. Helped bring freedom to Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, El Salvador, and?combined with wall street’s speculative mania and the structural realities of a service economy, enriched the rich and widened the gap between American’s wealthiest 1, 2, 5, 10, or 20 percent and the poorest corresponding percentages.” (Gil 223) The spending deficit soared from 900 billion dollars to 1.3 trillion. Regan also got a lot of flak from the public that there was no raise in the minimum wage. The people thought that with the inflation raise of the 1970’s into the 80’s they should have gotten a raise in the amount of money they were being paid. Probably one of the biggest controversies during Reagan’s presidency was the Iran-Contra Affair, in which several investigations ensued. Neither found any evidence that President Reagan himself knew of the extent of the multiple programs. Ultimately the sale of weapons to Iran was not deemed a criminal offense but charges were brought against five individuals for their support of the Contras. Those charges, however, were later dropped because the administration refused to declassify certain documents. The indicted conspirators faced various lesser charges instead. In the end, fourteen administration officials were indicted, including then-Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger. Eleven convictions resulted, some of which were vacated on appeal. The rest of those indicted or convicted were all pardoned in the final days of the presidency of George H. W. Bush, who had been vice-president at the time of the affair. The way President Reagan was able to balance being a family man and America’s hero was incredible and admired by most people throughout America, even though he faced many criticisms from the public about his views on economy.
By far the most unique characteristic of Ronald Reagan was his sense of humor. Reagan told jokes to everyone from political leaders to average Americans he met on the streets. Reagan often used his humor as a method of proving points indirectly. He used comedy while addressing an audience simply to lighten the mood. He also put his sense of humor to good use in speeches no matter how serious they were. He often used comedy to make light of situations while making sure the audience stayed interested. As an example of his unique humor, while Reagan was being rushed into the hospital after being shot by a would-be-assassin, he made light of the situation by telling the surgeons, “I hope you are all Republicans.” With Reagan’s distinct personality admirable characteristics, he proved himself to be extremely charming and unlike any president before him. Aside from Reagan’s outstanding character he was well versed in his knowledge of foreign policy.
George Bush who was Reagans Vice President, specialized in foreign affairs and policies, together they were able to create a considerable stance and alliance with other nations. Ronald Reagan often expressed the idea that America was better than any other country in the world, and as long as it stayed vigorous the world would remain free from trouble. He used this theory to help end the Cold War and strengthen Soviet relations. Gil explains more as to how Reagan’s thoughts kept him and America strong, “Reagan’s hostility to Communism defined his ideology and motivated him throughout his political career…” (Gil 239) To keep America strong he upped military spending and ensured Americans that the American military was superior to all else in the world. Regan worked alongside Prime Minister Gorbachev to reduce nuclear forces throughout the world. Another factor that led up to the Cold War’s end is known as the Strategic Defense Initiative Plan also known as Operation Star Wars. Reagans SDI plan protected the United States along with the World from nuclear attack by intercepting incoming rockets. Hearing this plan Gorbachev feared that he could not match America’s defenses which caused his surrendered all of the Soviet Union’s nuclear powers. This brought on the long anticipated end of the Cold War. Eventually it was found out that operation Star Wars was a made up operation to intimidate the Soviets into surrendering. (The Cold War Museum) From strengthening the United States Military to convincing the Soviet Union to back off Ronald Reagan played an enormous role in the Cold War’s end. Reagan deemed Communism “a form of insanity-a temporary aberration which will one day disappear from the earth because it is contrary to human nature.” (Gil 240) Throughout Reagan’s Presidency he went from having fierce confrontations with the soviets to ending the cold war and even
creating relations with them. While this was extremely difficult Reagan understood that while he couldn’t completely abolish Communism, he can at least stop the fighting that was tearing the world apart. Reagan was quoted as saying “If the Soviet Government wants peace then there will be peace.” (Gil 242) Alongside the struggles with the USSR, there were also struggles with Communist parties in Central America. This has significance with the Iran-Contra Affair, which I spoke of earlier. With Republican Government officials supporting Contras, who were fighting Communist parties in El Salvador and Nicaragua. While this was thought to be one of the best ways to fight communism in Central America, others were not so convinced. “Tip O’Neill repeatedly mobilized his Democratic majority to cut off federal aid to the Contras. The president “thinks he’s John Wayne.” The funding of Contras in Central America came with sever countermeasures from other political parties that led the investigations into what exactly Reagan and his administration where putting America’s money into. The investigation put Reagan in an unusual situation for him, he is quoted as saying “For the first time in my life people didn’t believe me.” (Gil 247)
Perhaps the greatest accomplishment of Reagan’s presidency was the removal of the Berlin Wall. The Berlin Wall needed to be destructed because of the way in which it separated West and East Germany. The Berlin wall’s fall was essential to peace between the United States and the Soviet Union. To convince Prime Minister Gorbachev of this, Reagan stood in front of the Berlin Wall and spoke his most famous words in history, “Mr. Gorbachev… Tear down this wall”. With this speech as well as Reagan’s keen communication skills while working alongside Gorbachev, the wall was destructed as instantaneously as it was erected.
Lastly, Reagan developed many special relationships with the U.K. during his presidency beginning with their prime minister. Reagan developed friendships with a plethora of world leaders during the time of presidency. This allowed him to be able to strengthen America’s relationships with other countries. In fact, Reagan was able to become close to the British Royal Family. These new relationships were so strong that he was often invited to go horseback riding at the Windsor Castle and was even an honored guest at two royal weddings during his lifetime. The foreign relationships that were strengthened through the Reagan Administration were truly greater than any relationships made by previous presidents and they benefited America in a number of ways. At the beginning of Reagan’s presidency he was faced with the worst American economy since the Great Depression. Reagan’s first step in cleaning up the economy was cutting taxes on everyone throughout America. Reagan believed in a flat tax, meaning that everyone would be taxed the same percentage no matter how much money they made. So to support his belief Reagan began cutting taxes instantaneously. That as a result of this belief Reagan cut taxes on the rich from 70 percent to 50 percent along with taxes on average Americans from 14 percent to 10 percent almost as soon as he was sworn into office. Reagan was absolutely correct to cut taxes for everyone throughout America because it put money back in the pockets of consumers, resulting in a more active economy.
To further ensure the nation’s economic recovery Reagan promised to cut unnecessary government spending. President Reagan was the only president who successfully reduced the budget of eight out of fifteen agencies in his first term along with 10 out of those 15 agencies by the end of his second. Reagan cut an unbelievable amount of spending in areas such as the department of education, agriculture, transportation, commerce, and so many more, ultimately cutting almost 31 billion dollars by 1982. By making this many reductions of government spending, Reagan was able to make up for all of the tax cuts he passed to boost the American Economy. The Ronald Reagans spending reductions had a positive effect on America’s economy.
When Reagan first took office the stock market was on the brink of disaster. By using the eight pillars of Reaganomics he was able to put America back on the map. This happened only after cutting taxes and decreasing spending in almost every area. Because of Reagan’s economic strategies the country experienced an economic boom unlike any other in history. The stock market recovered by the end of Reagans first term due to his successful economic plans. Reagan was also able to restore the faith in America starting with the 2 main pillars of Reaganomics, cutting taxes and reducing spending. Reagan’s economic strategies led to a growth period in American Economics. In conclusion, Ronald Reagan was the right man for getting America back on top. Reagan had an outstanding personality unlike any other president ever to take office. He was “the Great Communicator” as well as a dedicated family man with a sense of humor that made him the full package. Creating the largest peacetime margin of growth the United States has ever seen. He also played a strong rule in the Cold War’s end, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and was able to create strong relationships with other countries. Reagan saved America’s dying economy by cutting taxes as well as spending. His strong work ethic and effective plans without a doubt sent America into an economic boom period unlike any other. Without his leadership America would have been sent into another great depression or even worse. America was lucky to have a leader like Ronald Reagan who had amazing character, who was able to strengthen foreign relationships, and who was the perfect guy to solve America’s economic problems.
Works Cited "The Cold War Museum." Cold War Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.
Troy, Gil. Morning in America: How Ronald Reagan Invented the 1980s. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2005. Print.
Dr. Veronica Wilson
History 1968-Present
Wednesday 3:00-5:40
April 14, 2014
Ronald Reagan and the 1980’s Ronald Reagan was one of the greatest presidents in the history of the United States. His one of a kind charisma and many outstanding qualities caused many people to admire him and his views. He has been recognized for having a close knit family life as well as a kind hearted sense of humor. Another reason he was viewed as a great president was his new approach to foreign policy. Under his leadership America was viewed as a powerhouse by the Soviet Union in turn ending the cold war. The number one reason Reagan was one of the greatest presidents in American history was his economic policies. His plan to better the economy …show more content…
called Reaganomics also known as Supply-Side Economics proved to be a success. Ronald Reagan was one the greatest commander-in-chiefs ever to be sworn into office and turned around a decade of American because of his character, foreign policy, and economic stand. The 1960’s were years full of protest and reform, disorder and rejuvenation. Young Americans demonstrated against the Vietnam War, African Americans fought for their civil rights and women protested for equal treatment. For many in this time, a society 's hero was a person who helped others and gave all they had. Over time that would change as many in the 1980’s, a society 's hero was the person who helped himself. The period of change came during the 1970’s. Although some of these years remained coupled with the social experiments and struggles of the 1960’s, they slowly showed signs of what Americans would be like in the 1980’s. There were a number of reasons for the change. One reason was that the United States ended its military involvement in Vietnam. Another was that the civil rights movement and women 's movements reached many of their goals. A third reason was the economy. During the 1970’s, the United States suffered an economic recession with the oil and energy crisis. Interest rates and inflation were high. There was a shortage of imported oil. Many Americans were scared, they had not seen such struggle since the great depression and WWII. As the 1970’s moved toward the 1980’s, Americans became tired of social struggle. They became tired of losing money. They had been working together for common interests. Now, many wanted to spend more time on their own personal interests. Although this time period seem scary to many, there were some who were growing and making strides, as Gil explains, “The women’s movement would emerge as perhaps the most influential movement of the 1960’s, and in the 1970’s it made major strides, In 1970 only 30 percent of women with children under six worked; by 1985 more than half did. Women rushed in the professions, transforming their work environments, their families, and the society along with their own destinies.” (Gil 33) This change appeared in many parts of American society. It affected popular culture, education, and politics.
Ronald Reagan was known for his unique character unlike any other president. His character was different from every president before him because of his outstanding communication skills. In fact his communication skills were the reason for his extraordinary popularity during the 1980s. His impeccable people skills resulted in him being known as “The Great Communicator.” Reagan was known for being able to address everyone from high to low class Americans. He proved this to be a key connection to the people to support what he wanted to do through his first term and eventually into his second. “Reagan hoped to apply that optimism and heroism to save the American economy.” (Gil 52) Reagan’s mission was simple, while in office he and his supporters wanted to lower taxes for all Americans and businesses, with a Democratic controlled House and Senate. This in turn led to the largest and most robust period of economic growth in United States history. He wanted to set in motions events which lead to the end of the Cold War and the fall of the Iron Curtain, in doing so he wanted to stop communist expansion within the Western Hemisphere. Reagan along with the help of the USSR totally eliminated an entire class of nuclear weapon. The way President Reagan addressed the people in a kind hearted manor, yet on a personal level caused them to bestow a tremendous amount of trust in his promises. Helped bring freedom to Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, El Salvador, and?combined with wall street’s speculative mania and the structural realities of a service economy, enriched the rich and widened the gap between American’s wealthiest 1, 2, 5, 10, or 20 percent and the poorest corresponding percentages.” (Gil 223) The spending deficit soared from 900 billion dollars to 1.3 trillion. Regan also got a lot of flak from the public that there was no raise in the minimum wage. The people thought that with the inflation raise of the 1970’s into the 80’s they should have gotten a raise in the amount of money they were being paid. Probably one of the biggest controversies during Reagan’s presidency was the Iran-Contra Affair, in which several investigations ensued. Neither found any evidence that President Reagan himself knew of the extent of the multiple programs. Ultimately the sale of weapons to Iran was not deemed a criminal offense but charges were brought against five individuals for their support of the Contras. Those charges, however, were later dropped because the administration refused to declassify certain documents. The indicted conspirators faced various lesser charges instead. In the end, fourteen administration officials were indicted, including then-Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger. Eleven convictions resulted, some of which were vacated on appeal. The rest of those indicted or convicted were all pardoned in the final days of the presidency of George H. W. Bush, who had been vice-president at the time of the affair. The way President Reagan was able to balance being a family man and America’s hero was incredible and admired by most people throughout America, even though he faced many criticisms from the public about his views on economy.
By far the most unique characteristic of Ronald Reagan was his sense of humor. Reagan told jokes to everyone from political leaders to average Americans he met on the streets. Reagan often used his humor as a method of proving points indirectly. He used comedy while addressing an audience simply to lighten the mood. He also put his sense of humor to good use in speeches no matter how serious they were. He often used comedy to make light of situations while making sure the audience stayed interested. As an example of his unique humor, while Reagan was being rushed into the hospital after being shot by a would-be-assassin, he made light of the situation by telling the surgeons, “I hope you are all Republicans.” With Reagan’s distinct personality admirable characteristics, he proved himself to be extremely charming and unlike any president before him. Aside from Reagan’s outstanding character he was well versed in his knowledge of foreign policy.
George Bush who was Reagans Vice President, specialized in foreign affairs and policies, together they were able to create a considerable stance and alliance with other nations. Ronald Reagan often expressed the idea that America was better than any other country in the world, and as long as it stayed vigorous the world would remain free from trouble. He used this theory to help end the Cold War and strengthen Soviet relations. Gil explains more as to how Reagan’s thoughts kept him and America strong, “Reagan’s hostility to Communism defined his ideology and motivated him throughout his political career…” (Gil 239) To keep America strong he upped military spending and ensured Americans that the American military was superior to all else in the world. Regan worked alongside Prime Minister Gorbachev to reduce nuclear forces throughout the world. Another factor that led up to the Cold War’s end is known as the Strategic Defense Initiative Plan also known as Operation Star Wars. Reagans SDI plan protected the United States along with the World from nuclear attack by intercepting incoming rockets. Hearing this plan Gorbachev feared that he could not match America’s defenses which caused his surrendered all of the Soviet Union’s nuclear powers. This brought on the long anticipated end of the Cold War. Eventually it was found out that operation Star Wars was a made up operation to intimidate the Soviets into surrendering. (The Cold War Museum) From strengthening the United States Military to convincing the Soviet Union to back off Ronald Reagan played an enormous role in the Cold War’s end. Reagan deemed Communism “a form of insanity-a temporary aberration which will one day disappear from the earth because it is contrary to human nature.” (Gil 240) Throughout Reagan’s Presidency he went from having fierce confrontations with the soviets to ending the cold war and even
creating relations with them. While this was extremely difficult Reagan understood that while he couldn’t completely abolish Communism, he can at least stop the fighting that was tearing the world apart. Reagan was quoted as saying “If the Soviet Government wants peace then there will be peace.” (Gil 242) Alongside the struggles with the USSR, there were also struggles with Communist parties in Central America. This has significance with the Iran-Contra Affair, which I spoke of earlier. With Republican Government officials supporting Contras, who were fighting Communist parties in El Salvador and Nicaragua. While this was thought to be one of the best ways to fight communism in Central America, others were not so convinced. “Tip O’Neill repeatedly mobilized his Democratic majority to cut off federal aid to the Contras. The president “thinks he’s John Wayne.” The funding of Contras in Central America came with sever countermeasures from other political parties that led the investigations into what exactly Reagan and his administration where putting America’s money into. The investigation put Reagan in an unusual situation for him, he is quoted as saying “For the first time in my life people didn’t believe me.” (Gil 247)
Perhaps the greatest accomplishment of Reagan’s presidency was the removal of the Berlin Wall. The Berlin Wall needed to be destructed because of the way in which it separated West and East Germany. The Berlin wall’s fall was essential to peace between the United States and the Soviet Union. To convince Prime Minister Gorbachev of this, Reagan stood in front of the Berlin Wall and spoke his most famous words in history, “Mr. Gorbachev… Tear down this wall”. With this speech as well as Reagan’s keen communication skills while working alongside Gorbachev, the wall was destructed as instantaneously as it was erected.
Lastly, Reagan developed many special relationships with the U.K. during his presidency beginning with their prime minister. Reagan developed friendships with a plethora of world leaders during the time of presidency. This allowed him to be able to strengthen America’s relationships with other countries. In fact, Reagan was able to become close to the British Royal Family. These new relationships were so strong that he was often invited to go horseback riding at the Windsor Castle and was even an honored guest at two royal weddings during his lifetime. The foreign relationships that were strengthened through the Reagan Administration were truly greater than any relationships made by previous presidents and they benefited America in a number of ways. At the beginning of Reagan’s presidency he was faced with the worst American economy since the Great Depression. Reagan’s first step in cleaning up the economy was cutting taxes on everyone throughout America. Reagan believed in a flat tax, meaning that everyone would be taxed the same percentage no matter how much money they made. So to support his belief Reagan began cutting taxes instantaneously. That as a result of this belief Reagan cut taxes on the rich from 70 percent to 50 percent along with taxes on average Americans from 14 percent to 10 percent almost as soon as he was sworn into office. Reagan was absolutely correct to cut taxes for everyone throughout America because it put money back in the pockets of consumers, resulting in a more active economy.
To further ensure the nation’s economic recovery Reagan promised to cut unnecessary government spending. President Reagan was the only president who successfully reduced the budget of eight out of fifteen agencies in his first term along with 10 out of those 15 agencies by the end of his second. Reagan cut an unbelievable amount of spending in areas such as the department of education, agriculture, transportation, commerce, and so many more, ultimately cutting almost 31 billion dollars by 1982. By making this many reductions of government spending, Reagan was able to make up for all of the tax cuts he passed to boost the American Economy. The Ronald Reagans spending reductions had a positive effect on America’s economy.
When Reagan first took office the stock market was on the brink of disaster. By using the eight pillars of Reaganomics he was able to put America back on the map. This happened only after cutting taxes and decreasing spending in almost every area. Because of Reagan’s economic strategies the country experienced an economic boom unlike any other in history. The stock market recovered by the end of Reagans first term due to his successful economic plans. Reagan was also able to restore the faith in America starting with the 2 main pillars of Reaganomics, cutting taxes and reducing spending. Reagan’s economic strategies led to a growth period in American Economics. In conclusion, Ronald Reagan was the right man for getting America back on top. Reagan had an outstanding personality unlike any other president ever to take office. He was “the Great Communicator” as well as a dedicated family man with a sense of humor that made him the full package. Creating the largest peacetime margin of growth the United States has ever seen. He also played a strong rule in the Cold War’s end, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and was able to create strong relationships with other countries. Reagan saved America’s dying economy by cutting taxes as well as spending. His strong work ethic and effective plans without a doubt sent America into an economic boom period unlike any other. Without his leadership America would have been sent into another great depression or even worse. America was lucky to have a leader like Ronald Reagan who had amazing character, who was able to strengthen foreign relationships, and who was the perfect guy to solve America’s economic problems.
Works Cited "The Cold War Museum." Cold War Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.
Troy, Gil. Morning in America: How Ronald Reagan Invented the 1980s. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2005. Print.