Who Is Mr Putin A Hero

In the 1980’s Americans at home and millions of Russians living in the Soviet Union said U.S. President Ronald Reagan was a great communicator because he was the first to openly say the Soviet Union was an “evil empire” that must be defeated. However, in today’s Russia, a high percent of Russians regret the Soviet Union collapse which was so relentlessly pursued by the United States. Mr. Putin has called the empire’s break-up “A national tragedy of enormous scale.” This conflict made Mr. Reagan’s Presidency controversial, some saw him as a hero while others saw him as a zealot wanting all the power. People can be seen as a hero to some and a villain to others because of their actions and how they are perceived.

Villains and even heroes
are subject to criticism. It was no surprise to anyone the Soviet Union was such an empire, but the idea someone would say it from a stage for all to hear was a big deal! For so many, Mr. Reagan was a hero because he challenged Communism and managed to get Mr. Gorbachev to negotiate an agreement between the two nations to end the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union. This inspired a generation pro democracy activists because if words could crush a wall what else could President Reagan do to make the world a better place? This is a reason many people like him because no other president has done this before. When the “Iran Contra affair” occurred many people viewed him as a villain and criticized him because he was selling weapons to the rebel guerilla fighting against Iran. To many, Reagan’s actions hurt his image while to others he portrayed leadership.

The Hero or villain status seems to be found in the eye of the beholder. Although President Reagan worked for democracy, inside Russia not everyone was happy including many Russian military people. They said President Reagan was guilty of undermining Russia’s rightful place in the world. They even said Mr. Reagan and Mr. Gorbachev pushed the two countries to the brink of war and ultimately Mr. Gorbachev was a traitor who caved to America. They thought the United States and specifically, President Reagan wanted to destroy the Soviet Union any way possible and he found the way from the inside. Some Americans thought Mr. Reagan’s reason for this dramatic position was really to build up U.S. military strength knowing it couldn’t overcome the U.S.S.R. These same people thought the reason the war ended was only because Mikhail Gorbachev and Reagan negotiated an agreement between the two nations to end the Cold War, something Reagan’s huge military couldn’t have done without the agreement.

Although President Reagan promoted exceptionalism of America as a shining city on a hill and a beacon of liberty in the world, many agreed with his idealism. Others saw his attitude as an elitist opinion which led them to have disdain for him and our great nation. Whatever anybody believes the good news is Communism and the threat of nuclear war was eliminated from the U.S.S.R. and we can sleep soundly at night knowing the unimaginable threat was firmly dealt with by President Reagan. Even after all that, Reagan was viewed as a hero by many and a villain by many too because his decisions and actions were polarizing.