Who knew a small town boy turned actor would become the most impactful president of the United States? Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United States, charmed voters with his good looks and demeanor and his effective storytelling qualities. He grew up in a small town in western Illinois and after college became a radio broadcaster, who was popular for his public speaking abilities. He then went on to test for movies, and his career took off when Warner Brothers began casting him in movies. Hollywood shaped Reagan’s life because it caused him to shift to the right politically, and eventually run as a Republican despite being raised as a Democrat. Reagan had many visions for the presidency, such as fighting social problems, fixing the
…show more content…
This was first fueled by his feelings that Hollywood was being taken over by communists, and was supported by his participation in testimonies with the FBI and the House of Un-American Activities Committee regarding communists in Hollywood. When Reagan took office, he emphasized his visions in what was known as the three-legged stool, with one of the legs being anti-communist ideas. During his time in office, Reagan mainly fought against communism in the Soviet Union. He even referred to the Soviet Union as an “evil empire.” Reagan supported the containment of communism that began under Truman’s administration. To do this, Reagan increased military spending and supported a large arms build up to combat the size of the Red Army. Reagan devised a plan for a missile-defense system known as the Strategic Defense Initiative, also frequently called "Star Wars." This military buildup caused the Soviet Union to go into economic decline, and eventually led to it’s collapse. Therefore, Reagan can be remembered as being the president who helped bring the Soviet Union to an end. He was able to ease tensions with Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev, a change from his usual bellicose rhetoric. This brought about the beginning of the end to the Cold War, as Reagan ordered Gorbachev in the late 80’s to tear down the Berlin Wall, a physical symbol of the communist divide in Europe. He also worked to rid Central American countries of Marxist rebels, such as those in El Salvador, Nicaragua and Cuba. Therefore, Reagan was extremely impactful in that he was able to achieve his goals of containing communism all over the
This was first fueled by his feelings that Hollywood was being taken over by communists, and was supported by his participation in testimonies with the FBI and the House of Un-American Activities Committee regarding communists in Hollywood. When Reagan took office, he emphasized his visions in what was known as the three-legged stool, with one of the legs being anti-communist ideas. During his time in office, Reagan mainly fought against communism in the Soviet Union. He even referred to the Soviet Union as an “evil empire.” Reagan supported the containment of communism that began under Truman’s administration. To do this, Reagan increased military spending and supported a large arms build up to combat the size of the Red Army. Reagan devised a plan for a missile-defense system known as the Strategic Defense Initiative, also frequently called "Star Wars." This military buildup caused the Soviet Union to go into economic decline, and eventually led to it’s collapse. Therefore, Reagan can be remembered as being the president who helped bring the Soviet Union to an end. He was able to ease tensions with Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev, a change from his usual bellicose rhetoric. This brought about the beginning of the end to the Cold War, as Reagan ordered Gorbachev in the late 80’s to tear down the Berlin Wall, a physical symbol of the communist divide in Europe. He also worked to rid Central American countries of Marxist rebels, such as those in El Salvador, Nicaragua and Cuba. Therefore, Reagan was extremely impactful in that he was able to achieve his goals of containing communism all over the