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Ronald Reagan Legacy Research Paper

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Ronald Reagan Legacy Leader When I look at the grand scale of leaders throughout history to present, one individual's legacy stands out above the rest. The 40th President of the United States (US), Ronald Wilson Reagan's character was above reproach. His charisma could inspire action in minutes. He was in office when the Cold War ended, his policies led the US economy to a generation of growth, and provided authorities for the entire intelligence community (IC). The purpose of this composition is to thoroughly describe how the late Ronald W. Reagan's legacy contributed to the IC, the US militaries, and my development as a leader. On 4 December 1981, President Reagan signed, Executive Order (EO) 12333 - United States Intelligence Activities, …show more content…

Reagan reflected later in his autobiography, "As I took my place, the sun burst through the clouds in an explosion of warmth and light." As he recited his oath, it was as if the heavens accepted this change in leadership. Seemingly as the skies accepted Reagan, I must assume the DoD felt the same joyful acceptance. During this time the nation was taking a knee as the public and military's morale tried to rebuild from the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War's impact on the American military, beleaguered by low morale, poor compensation, dated equipment, and no funds to repair or replace what material was left. Throughout Reagan's two terms the DoD built up a massive military which inevitably broke down the Soviets ending the Cold War. Reagan's administration recharged the B-1 bomber program. At the end of Reagan's tenure in the Oval Office, he had built the US military budget to an approximate 43 percent increase from what it was at the height of the Vietnam War. Reagan's changes resulted in an increase of tens of thousands of troops who saw a 4.8 percent annual pay raise, more weapons, and serviceable equipment. Thanks to Reagan's EO 12333 this also produced a more robust and confident intelligence

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Presidential Power Ronald Reagan served as America’s 40th president. Reagan managed to cut taxes, increase defense spending, negotiate a nuclear arms reduction agreement with the Soviets and is credited with helping to bring a quicker end to the Cold War. I think that president Reagan used his presidential powers properly in order to achieve what needed to be done. Ronald Reagan was president as the Cold War was raging worse than it had ever before. Reagan used his executive power, Commander in Chief, to put up resistance against Mikhail Gorbachev and push his defensive strategy.

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Reagan's many successes as president owed much to his actor's instincts and much to the popular pessimism that he inherited and that his sunny temperament helped at least temporarily to dispel. The same factors contributed as well to the many shortcomings of his administration: its tendency to emphasize style over substance, its emphasis on short-term economic and political benefits at the price of long-term costs, and its insouciant refusal to acknowledge deep domestic and international problems that might undermine the hopeful picture of the world Reagan consistently presented. His presidency coincided with, and contributed to, a long period of dramatic economic growth and the beginning of a momentous change in international relations. But

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Ronald Reagan was America’s 40th president who lead our nation through The Cold War, one of the most intense time in the history of America as they fought against communism. In Margaret Thatcher’s eulogy speech for Ronald Reagan(2004), she elucidates what a kind and powerful man he was, unifying a formerly divided nation. Margaret expresses that Reagan’s leadership was the key to ending The Cold War. She adopts a solemn and sentimental tone in order to appeal to the american people after the death of one of america's most inspirational presidents. Thatcher uses repetition, strong diction, and ethos in order to illustrate what an influential president Ronald Reagan was.

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Whenever the world began to doubt Reagan and his ideas, he seemed to turn everything around. During this latter period of his second term, the Soviet Union experienced economic troubles which, in turn, enabled America to relieve its war tensions. In Conclusion, Ronald Reagan inherited America during a very tough time, and essentially made a lot of major changes that are still in office today. Even when his plans seemed like they would be unsuccessful and Reagan would not be able to keep his promises, he remained optimistic and continued to push America in the right

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James P Fifner, states that Ronald Reagan was a larger-than-life individual, a formidable politician, and an important president. But as in all presidents, his character was complex, resulting in a presidency of paradoxes, marked by some great successes and some unfortunate failures. Both Reagan’s successes and failures stemmed from his character and style of political leadership. Reagan’s broad vision and clear direction made his political ideals appealing.

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At the peak of military spending, the U.S. spent nearly 30 million per hour. Over the eight years he was in office, the national deficit ran up to 2.7 trillion, almost triple to that of 1980. (p. 119 ibook). To combat the event of nuclear bombing on U.S. soil, the SDI (strategic defense initiative) was created. The plan was to build a “space shield” that could shoot down any incoming nuclear missiles.

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Unemployment rates began to increase. Over time, Reagan had increased taxes 11 times, mainly on the middle class. When Reagan had left office, he had tripled the national debt of United States. This had affected the United States and led to several issues later on. This is the reason Reaganomics had both aided some and destroyed others.

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( Biography) To this day Reagan is considered by many to be one of the greatest presidents in U.S. history. He helped Bring an end to the era of communism. All of these things would not have happened if he had not been successful as an actor which shifted his political views. Ronald Reagan died in his home in 2006 at the age of

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Ronald Reagan’s presidencies are commonly referred to as “The Reagan Era,” which was full of ups and downs. He was strongly supported for his familiar and casual rhetoric, although it often reflected his lack of knowledge on the topics he dealt with. One occurrence where his amiable and humorous demeanor settled itself negatively within his career was in 1984 when he “...made a joke about bombing Russia. The recording was transmitted to the press…” (History.com). This slip revealed how reckless of a figure Reagan was, and gave the public reason to question his adaptation of what is appropriate at the executive level, thus questioning his credibility.

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During his service the economy improved and ended the cold war. This is a such great thing that he did, in ending the cold war. I think that he did improve the economy by everything he was changing and fixing. Reagan’s main importance was for us to win the cold war because he thought all people deserved to be free. I think that he worked really hard to win the cold war, because he cared about everyone.

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He focused on advance missiles defense technologies to bring global stability. After a meeting with joint chiefs of staff telling him that his idea could be implanted, he pushed the strategic defensive initiative program officially. As early as February 24, 1982 showed concern for a “dark future” on Grenada becoming communist beachheads. Reagan organized a rescue mission for Grenada on October 25, 1983 deposing communist leaders. After this he rescued 800 American medical students held captive.

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Reagan possessed visionary ideas on how to protect America from Soviet missiles through the Strategic Defense Initiative. Additionally, by selling arms to Iran, Reagan focused his ethics on securing the release of seven American hostages. Reagan created a felt need for change, inspired America’s intellectual stimulation, faced ethical dilemmas and had to think critically to solve problems. In his eyes, the old ways of doing business were outdated.

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The Reagan administration believed that the Soviet Union's military strength was the greatest threat to the security of the United States (Fischer, 1997). Reagan refused to believe the Soviets would cut back on certain missiles if the U.S. would refrain from deploying immediate range missiles in Europe. Reagan would increase the number of weapons and revive military programs that had been previously cut. He would also propose to build better weapons that could disable nuclear weapons from space. Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative, or Star Wars, violated the 1972 ABM Treaty forbidding defensive systems capable of covering the entire U.S. or Soviet Union.

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In order to do this he got more weapons and troops, which would give his military more power. Reagan did strengthen the military, and it payed off for him(Beard, 180). With his powerful military, he saved Granada,and he rescued 800 people who were held captive(uscb.edu). Although he wanted to keep peace he still needed to protect his

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“The Great Communicator,” who, when listing the top presidents in American history, would be towards the top every time. As evident throughout his life, Ronald Reagan is indeed one of the most influential citizens of American history. For starters, Ronald Reagan was not only the most inspirational American in U.S. history, but he also lived the real American dream. He was the Average Joe born in the suburbs with a middle class family. It was then in his hometown of Dixon, Illinois that he learned, “the love and common sense of purpose that unites families and communities

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