Ronald Reagan Life's Journey

Ronald Wilson Reagan (tampico illinois), February 6. 1911 - Bel-Air (california), June 5, 2004) was an American actor and politician. He was the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989

After a career as a movie actor Reagan later went into politics. As a member ao the republican Party from 1967 to 1975 he was the 33rd governor of california before he was the successor to Democrat Jimmy Carte, the 40th president of the United States and two terms - from 1981 to 1989 - as such functioned. Reagan's nickname in the United States was the Great Communicator (the great communicator) because of his ability to communicate with the public

Reagan's presidency was marked by a neo-liberal economic course, partly based on the teachings of Milton Friedman. This "reaganomics" were characterized by reduction of the state ystem, tax cuts to stimulate growth and a highly restrictive attitude to wards unions. when Reagan left the White House, was the feared inflation low and stable skills, and unemployment at the endof Jimmy Carter's tenure at 7.5% was reduced to 5.3% Reagab militarily distinguished by huge budgets to be allocated to defense, which led to a renewed arms race with the Soviet Union.

Reagan was born the son of an alcoholic shoe salesman. He began his career with a regional radio station as a sports commentator. The Hollywood film company Warner Bros. in 1937 offered him a contract and until the early 50's he played a total of 53 films, the most important role his role in Kings Row, a 1942 film that was nominated for three Oscars. His career was like that of many other actors in those years, in a negative way affected by World War II. Just before the outbreak of a contract that he signed him the highest paid actor of the moment was. During the term of this contract, and war broke out he was (since the thirties reserve officer) called to active service in the U.S. Army. At that time he was a supporter of the Democratic Party.His work for the army was to make training films. Ronald Reagan had bad eyes and wore glasses since his childhood. Due to the quality of his eyes, he was rejected for combat positions. In public, in movies and pictures he usually wore no glasses. His first wife Jane Wyman. He married her in 1940 and divorced her in 1948. Then he met his second wife, Nancy Davis, with whom he married in 1952.In 1950 he went next to his acting work for the company include General Electric (household appliances). He was the "commercial face" of GE and pulled with a roadshow across the country in order to praise the products. He also worked from time to time on television, then a medium in its infancy. Ronald Reagan acted as host of several Saturday programs, known as GE Theater. During this time he gradually made the transition to the Republicans. He gained national prominence in 1964 with a televised speech supporting the Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater. This talk, A time for choosing, contained the ideas that his entire political career has remained unchanged: a limited role for government, protection of individual liberties and a powerful military apparatus to protect a world that, according to Reagan, increasingly was threatened by communism.In 1966 he was elected governor of California, which he remained until 1974. In 1976, he was a candidate for president but was in the preliminary round at the last minute (during the closing conference) defeated by incumbent President Gerald Ford. In 1980 he called the Republican candidate and defeated at the age of 69 President Jimmy Carter convincing.

President's Policy

Foreign Policy and Defense 

 
When U.S. President Reagan wanted the defensive shield SDI space to develop: a system for enemy nuclear missiles could be eliminated before they could reach the U.S.. Reagan continued the strategy was generally accepted paradigm of mutual assured destruction overboard. The idea that the United States could not defend against a nuclear attack by no means pleased him, and called science and industry to develop a method that would allow an attack to hit. A space shield was chosen as the correct answer. A well known saying of Reagan in this regard was: Let's Defend the American people, not avenge em. The plan was a major factor in his negotiations on mutual nuclear disarmament with the then Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev in Reykjavik (Iceland) (1986). The Russians realized that they could not answer this challenge. It lacked the Soviet Union both money and technical capabilities to respond to the arms race. America during Reagan's presidency is not at war. The invasion of Grenada in 1983 was the main armed conflict. Have financed the U.S. under Reagan's reign the mujahideen in the Afghan war against the Soviet Union fought and which formed the basis of the group around Osama bin Laden, the Contras in Nicaragua, Jonas Savimbi's rebels in Angola and Saddam Hussein, whose Iraq war with Iran. Transports arms to Iran to finance the Contras thus led to the Iran-Contra affair.

Economic policy

Reagan tried the U.S. economy out of recession by pulling an economic policy that is called Reaganomics, supply-side economics and supply-side, and his eventual successor and party colleague George HW Bush's voodoo economics. It will stimulate the economy through tax cuts. Who are not citizens while (= buyers for products), but to the rich (potential investors) and companies (suppliers of products =). That would have to put them to invest, creating more jobs would be created, while higher sales and profits would be achieved. Because of the increased employment among citizens and the higher profits of the companies would be more taxes coming in, which would recoup the tax itself.
Except for tax reduction was also aimed at low inflation (and thus low interest rates, favorable for investors) and the reduction of the legislation for businesses. All these steps led up to a temporary increase in consumer demand, but that was not enough to offset lower tax revenues. This together with the large increase in defense spending led to the end of Reagan's reign to a greatly increased budget deficit and national debt.

personal characteristics

President Reagan was not known for his appetite for reading. The newspaper began with the traditional cartoons. They say he did not need his opinions and positions during his presidency a further tightening to read. At the start of his presidency, he was almost 70 and had finally formed his opinions and positions. He also was not far too deeply into the people around him. But he said as president would like anecdotes and jokes with his humor, his tall figure and wonderful soft voice, he impressed his audience. His second wife Nancy Reagan (before he married the actress and Oscar-winner Jane Wyman) was a partner of great help, especially during the last years of his presidency was she in the background an important role by monitoring the needed 'rest' in his diary. He was known for his humor and jokes. About the huge budget deficit rising, he once said: "I'm not worried about the deficit. It is now so great that it can take care of themselves." The then British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was Reagan consent. Her Thatcherism is still with his Reaganomics compared. As President Franklin D. Roosevelt Reagan was intelligent but not intellectual: a second-class mind but a first-class temperament. His personal qualities were the main points paradoxical. He was popular and people were naturally attracted to him. Yet he was basically not interested in others and was not (like many politicians) seeking personal recognition by the support of others. He is seen as an advocate of choice for family values ​​but was divorced from his first wife, had a difficult relationship with his four children and his grandchildren hardly knew. He spoke often about the value of religion and belief in God, but was not a regular churchgoer. A particular personal characteristic that also explains much of the confidence with which he held the presidency and the unshakable belief that he had in the correctness of his political agenda, is the great success he had in his life in everything he did. Born into a poor family, he was within five years after graduation financially independent from his salary as a popular radio announcer. His career (movie star, union leader, GE spokesman and governor) made him multi-millionaire and went without any major failures. On his seventieth, when he accepted the presidency, he could truly trust that he would perform this task successfully accomplish. About how he would be remembered, he was not worried. He was satisfied with his presidency and the results he was able to reach, and was confident that in the future to the appropriate value would be estimated. In retrospect it can be concluded that the conservatism of Reagan the U.S. political agenda until well into the 21st century will determine. His main agenda items, at his election in 1980 revolutionary, are now in the Democratic Party agreed (with the most central a limited role for government, plenty of room for economic growth and a dislike of totalitarian regimes) and the policy objectives in the seventies in the U.S. were seriously thinking about (a progressive system of income tax, a national social security system) have disappeared from the political agenda.


assessment

On March 30, 1981 John Hinckley Jr. committed. an attempt on his life. He shot Reagan down to the entrance of the Washington Hilton Hotel. He missed Reagan's heart, but after an inch. This bullet pierced his lung and the blood began to cough. Reagan recovered quickly and completely. Hinckley and his actions would impress the actress Jodie Foster.


Retirement and death

The last years of his life Reagan suffered from Alzheimer's disease and lived in southern California. His daughter Maureen died in 2001 at the age of 60, but he had little notion. Already in 1993, began his illness to play (although some historians argue that Reagan during his presidency in the first phase of the disease had come) and a half years later he took leave of the world by letter. The letter was necessary after the press he had spoken by phone and he did not remember who had just died Nixon. Ronald Reagan wrote in his letter included the words "I now begin the journey to the sunset of my life." On the morning of June 5, 2004 the media reported that Ronald Reagan's health deteriorating after 10 years he has suffered from Alzheimer's disease. Reagan died that same day at the age of 93 in his California home of pneumonia. He died at his home at 13:09 PDT (8:09 p.m. UTC, or 4:09 p.m. EST). At his side stood his wife and two of his children, Ron and Patti. His eldest son Michael visited his father one day before. With his 93 years he was at the time of his death the oldest former president of the United States. On Sunday, November 12, 2006 Gerald Ford was the oldest living former president of the United States and remained until his death on Tuesday, December 26, 2006. After Reagan's death followed a seven-day state funeral, from 5 to 11 June 2004. His body was transferred from his home in Bel Air California to the Kingsley and Gates Funeral Home in Santa Monica, California to prepare for the laying out. On June 7, his body was taken to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley (California), and then to Washington DC on June 9 for a service and the public could say goodbye to the Capitol. On June 11, 2004 attended the state funeral in Washington DC after then-President George W. Bush was a day of national mourning was declared. Senator John Kerry, at that time the Democratic presidential candidate suspended his campaign until after the funeral out of respect for Reagan. Later that day the coffin was transferred to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. The American flag was at half-mast for 30 days at the White House and other official U.S. institutions in the world.

Status 


Reagan's legacy is as much praise as criticism. Supporters praise him because he is the efficient and prosperous economy has to function, her confidence returned to the U.S. and the Cold War peacefully managed to finish. Hence the title of Margaret Thatcher that Reagan was "Ronald Reagan won the Cold War without firing a shot. Opponents suggest that Reagan's economic policy was quadruple the national debt. Moreover, Iran gave the Gate affair sure that American politics in a very unbelievable day came to be. His role in ending the Cold War is disputed. The Soviet Union was on its last legs anyway have been during the '80s and earlier thanks to the exhaustive Afghan War (1979-1989) and the reforms of Mikhail Gorbachev came to fall. 
During his reign was often hailed and criticized Reagan for his habit with all kinds of jokes and anecdotes of conversation to change the subject and his use of "cheat sheets"/He was regularly the subject of parodies. Reagan is now, decades later, highly rated in public popularity polls. Within the Republican Party, he is seen as a hero of iconic proportions. Both conservative and progressive historians and political scientists agree that Reagan's most influential president since Franklin D. Roosevelt is. Ronald Reagan was honored by the United Kingdom with the (honorary), Knight Grand Cross of the Most Noble Order of the Bath. In America he was included in the exclusive company of Cincinnati. In the election of The Greatest American he won the first place.

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