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Ronald Reagan Research Paper

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President Ronald Reagan: Not a God Among Men

Ronald Reagan was a good president and an even better man. However, as charismatic and amiable as he was, he was not incapable of making mistakes and was certainly not flawless.
His policy of reaganomics, also known as supply-side economics, took two years to create a change in the United States economy, but was overall a success. He negotiated with the leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, to form the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) which reduced the global number of nuclear armaments. Reagan even appointed the first female Supreme Court justice- Sandra Day O’Connor. While Reagan did an incredible number of good things, he simply did not do other things. For example, he …show more content…

Although, he was the one who put social and political pressure on the Soviet Union, specifically Mikhail Gorbachev, to tear down the Berlin Wall by proclaiming in front of the wall to the people of West Germany, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” This act empowered the people of East Germany to physically attack and dismantle their portion of the wall, as well as the very symbol of the grips of communism itself, without fear of arrest or persecution. This act also empowered the Soviet satellite states to begin talking about breaking away from the Soviet Union, greatly weakening Gorbachev’s power and authority. While he pressured Gorbachev in this way, throughout his presidency, he also spoke diplomatically with Mikhail Gorbachev and negotiated a weapons treaty with him. Gorbachev and Reagan signed the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty. This treaty required both the United States and the Soviet Union to destroy their nuclear weapons therefore reducing the risk of nuclear war and increasing global safety. In this instance, the Soviet Union and the United States were able to work together for the good of the world despite being in the midst of the Cold War. Perhaps because of this as well as his ability to speak eloquently about national issues in front of large crowds he was called the great communicator. His successes, …show more content…

His approval rating was phenomenal as he succeeded in restoring the economy, helped put an end to the tensions of the Cold War, and took a huge step forward in women’s equality by appointing Sandra Day O’Connor as the first female Supreme Court justice. Yet he also failed to address the chaos of the HIV/AIDS epidemic that affected many Americans and fumbled in actually enacting some of his foreign policies. Countless conservatives today look to President Reagan as an idol, as the best president the U.S. has ever had, as a god among men, but he was simply a man among men. He did some good things and was a likeable, kind person so he did very well in the eyes of the American public, but he made some mistakes as well. As far as presidents go, he was good, but he was nothing

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