“All of us have grown up accepting with little question certain images as accurate portraits of public figures—some living, some dead. Very seldom if ever do we ever ask if the images are true to the original.” ~Ronald Reagan
Very few figures in American history are as studied and scrutinized as Ronald Reagan. Reagan was elected to the presidency in a crucial period in American history; a recession threatened American prosperity and the Soviet Union’s aggressive expansion threatened the freedom of the entire world but Reagan endeavored to combat these evils with his strong Conservative beliefs. Reagan was an influential figure in U.S. history and accomplished much in his two terms as president, however, modern Conservatives tend to idealize …show more content…
This view is adapted from Reagan’s firm condemnation of the Soviet Union. In a 1982 speech before the British Parliament, Reagan pleaded for the spread of Democracy and stated that Marxism and Leninism would eventually “lie on the ash heap of history” . Perhaps Reagan’s finest moment was his 1987 speech in West Berlin, where he stood defiant against the scourge of Communism proclaiming “Mr. Gorbechev, tear down this wall!” Reagan’s patriotic boldness in the face of the Soviet Union is an appealing image to Americans, and thus, he has been idolized for his policies and …show more content…
According to journalist James Mann, part of Reagan’s “mythology” is the belief that “the president spoke, the Soviets quaked, the [Berlin] wall came down.” The truth, however, is more ambiguous and historians have questioned Reagan’s role in the fall of the Soviet Empire. Reagan did take a firm stance against the Soviets as he waged the Cold War, but there were many factors at play. Even without the pressure of the Cold War, was collapsing under its own weight and could not last. The Soviet Union was a huge nation and the state run economy was simply not as expedient as capitalism. Because of this, the economy eventually became stagnant and the Soviet Union began to dismantle. Furthermore, Mikhali Gorbachev, the Communist party leader in the Soviet Union, was responsible for much of the progression towards peace and away from communism. Gorbachev, instituted the policies of perestoika and glasnost which introduced capitalists principals and encouraged freedom of speech. These policies not only gave more freedoms to the soviet people but also revealed the inadequacies of the communist system. Dissatisfied with the Soviet government, many citizens revolted, launching revolutions in 1989 in countries like Germany, Hungary, and
Very few figures in American history are as studied and scrutinized as Ronald Reagan. Reagan was elected to the presidency in a crucial period in American history; a recession threatened American prosperity and the Soviet Union’s aggressive expansion threatened the freedom of the entire world but Reagan endeavored to combat these evils with his strong Conservative beliefs. Reagan was an influential figure in U.S. history and accomplished much in his two terms as president, however, modern Conservatives tend to idealize …show more content…
This view is adapted from Reagan’s firm condemnation of the Soviet Union. In a 1982 speech before the British Parliament, Reagan pleaded for the spread of Democracy and stated that Marxism and Leninism would eventually “lie on the ash heap of history” . Perhaps Reagan’s finest moment was his 1987 speech in West Berlin, where he stood defiant against the scourge of Communism proclaiming “Mr. Gorbechev, tear down this wall!” Reagan’s patriotic boldness in the face of the Soviet Union is an appealing image to Americans, and thus, he has been idolized for his policies and …show more content…
According to journalist James Mann, part of Reagan’s “mythology” is the belief that “the president spoke, the Soviets quaked, the [Berlin] wall came down.” The truth, however, is more ambiguous and historians have questioned Reagan’s role in the fall of the Soviet Empire. Reagan did take a firm stance against the Soviets as he waged the Cold War, but there were many factors at play. Even without the pressure of the Cold War, was collapsing under its own weight and could not last. The Soviet Union was a huge nation and the state run economy was simply not as expedient as capitalism. Because of this, the economy eventually became stagnant and the Soviet Union began to dismantle. Furthermore, Mikhali Gorbachev, the Communist party leader in the Soviet Union, was responsible for much of the progression towards peace and away from communism. Gorbachev, instituted the policies of perestoika and glasnost which introduced capitalists principals and encouraged freedom of speech. These policies not only gave more freedoms to the soviet people but also revealed the inadequacies of the communist system. Dissatisfied with the Soviet government, many citizens revolted, launching revolutions in 1989 in countries like Germany, Hungary, and