RONALD REAGAN | 1981-1989
At the end of his two terms in office, Ronald W. Reagan viewed with satisfaction the achievements of his innovative program known as the Reagan Revolution, which aimed to reinvigorate the American people and reduce their reliance upon government.
Born February 6, 1911, in Tampico, Illinois, Reagan worked his way through Eureka College. He studied economics and sociology, played on the football team, and acted in school plays. Upon graduation, he became a radio sports announcer. A screen test in 1937 won him a Hollywood contract. Over the next 20 years he appeared in 53 films.
As president of the Screen Actors Guild, Reagan became embroiled in disputes over the issue of Communism in the film industry. His politics went from liberal to conservative, and he toured as a television spokesman for conservatism. He was elected governor of California in 1966, then re-elected in 1970 by a margin of a million votes. Reagan won the Republican presidential nomination in 1980 and voters, troubled by inflation and the year-long confinement of Americans in Iran, swept him into the White House. Soon after he took office, he was shot by a would-be assassin, but quickly recovered and returned to duty. His grace and wit during the dangerous incident caused his popularity to soar.
Reagan obtained legislation to cut taxes, stimulate economic growth, curb inflation, increase employment and strengthen national defense. Even when the strengthening of defense forces led to a large deficit, he refused to deviate from his course. A renewal of national self-confidence by 1984 helped his administration win a second term. In 1986 Reagan obtained an overhaul of the income tax code. At the end of his administration, the nation was enjoying its longest recorded period of peacetime prosperity without recession or depression.
In foreign policy, Reagan sought "peace through strength." In meetings with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, he negotiated a treaty that would eliminate intermediate-range nuclear missiles. Reagan declared war against international terrorism, sending American bombers against Libya after that country was involved in an attack on American soldiers in a West Berlin nightclub. By ordering naval escorts in the Persian Gulf, he maintained the free flow of oil during the Iran-Iraq war. In keeping with the Reagan Doctrine, he supported anti-Communist insurgencies in Central America, Asia, and Africa.
He left office in 1989, retiring to his California ranch. Overall, the Reagan years saw a restoration of prosperity, and the goal of peace through strength seemed to be within grasp. President Ronald Reagan passed away after ten years of Alzheimer's, at 93 years of age.
