Ronald Wilson Reagan, the 40th President of the United States, whose presidency went down in history with the American armed invasion of Grenada, the bombing of Libya, the Star Wars program, was born on February 6, 1911 in Tampico, Illinois, USA. The small apartment in which his parents lived was located in the house where the local bank was located on the ground floor. This made it possible for Reagan to joke that this was his only contact with the bank.
The child was born strong and fat, apparently affected by the Irish roots of his father.

According to family legend, the father called the newborn "Dutch", for his resemblance to the fat Dutch babies that they are drawn in the pictures, while mentioning that he could become president. But the childhood and youthful years of Ronald Reagan did not give hope that this playful prophecy would come true.

The family moved frequently, but in 1919 they returned to Tampico again, and in the 20th they moved to Dixon, Illinois. In this town, he attends high school, successfully performs in the school football team. After graduating from school, he entered Eureka College, from where he graduated in 1932 with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Artistic career of the future president

Ronald Reagan dreamed of theater and cinema since childhood. Thanks to his excellent diction, he gets a position as a sports commentator at a local radio station. Starting in Davenport, he landed a position at NBC radio station in Des Moines, Iowa. His dream of Hollywood takes him to the set of a film studio in Burbank, where he gets his first role as a sportscaster. From 1937 to 1976, Reagan starred in 50 adventure films, where he played positive roles.
After the outbreak of World War II, he was drafted into the army, but not for military service, but for the technical units of the US Air Force, where he was involved in the preparation and release of documentaries and educational films. During his military service, Ronald Reagan became interested in politics, but only by 1960 did he make his final choice - he began to vote for the US Republican Party. In 1962, he joins its ranks and begins active political activity, having by this time experience in organizational work. He was already president of the US Screen Actors Guild, representing the interests of General Electric.

Ronald Reagan and his political career

Reagan became widely known in political circles after his famous "Time to Choose" speech, which he delivered at the Republican party conference in 1964. This speech made Barry Goldwater the Republican presidential candidate. And Ronald Reagan was asked to run for governor of California, which he did, defeating his rivals twice, in 1966 and 1970.

In 1980 - he is a Republican candidate for the US presidential election and becomes the master in the White House. The domestic policy pursued under his leadership was distinguished by a reduction in state intervention in the economy, lower taxes, and a reduction in government spending. In the foreign policy he is pursuing, the idea of ​​fighting the "Evil Empire", as he dubbed the USSR, has become the strategic line of the United States. This doctrine was expressed in the growth of the arms race, support for the anti-communist movement throughout the world.

In 1984, Ronald Reagan re-nominates his candidacy for the presidency. His propaganda campaign, in the form of the news program "Morning in America", the clear success in the economy - all this gave him the opportunity to win a clear victory over Democrat Walter Mondale. The second term of the presidency was marked by the beginning of detente, the warming of relations with the USSR.

The global crisis that broke out in 1987, caused by falling oil prices, led to a collapse in quotations on American stock exchanges. In addition, the budget deficit grew, the balance of foreign trade was not in favor of the US economy. This led to a fall in Reagan's authority, so he did not start the presidential race for the 3rd time. George Bush spoke for the Republicans.
Ronald Reagan was remembered by the citizens of his country as a wise and responsible president, who, at the very beginning of his reign, was assassinated.

Ronald Wilson Reagan was born on February 6, 1911 in a city called Tampico, in the state of Illinois, USA. His father's name was John Edward "Jack" Reagan and his mother was Nellie Wilson Reagan. Due to various circumstances, the family periodically changed their place of residence, but in 1920 they settled in the city of Dixon, in the state of Illinois. There, Ronald's father opened his own shoe store. In the same city, Ronald graduated from the High School, this event happened in 1928. In addition to studying at school, the boy was actively involved in sports and showed the qualities of a leader, for which students more than once elected him to the presidency. Among other things, he liked to participate in school plays. He spent his summer holidays usefully, namely, he worked part-time as a bodyguard.

After Ronald won an athletic scholarship, he entered Eureka College, where he intensively studied economics and sociology. In 1932, Reagan went to work for radio as a sportscaster.

Hollywood career and marriages

1937 was notable for Reagan by signing a seven-year contract with the Warner Brothers film studio. For thirty years, he managed to star in fifty films.

In 1940, Ronald tied the knot with actress Jane Wyman, soon the couple had a daughter, who was named Maureen. After eight years, the family broke up. Poor eyesight was the reason that he was not allowed to military service. But, he did not stay away from those terrible events and filmed training films for the army.

In the period from 1947 to 1952, Reagan headed the Screen Actors Guild. Then he met the charming actress Nancy Davis. The young people got married in 1952, after some time Reagan became the father of two more children, who were named Patricia and Ronald.

Reagan's film career soon declined, and in 1954 he began hosting a weekly television drama series called the General Electrics Theatre. This period of life was a turning point for Reagan, his liberal views changed to more conservative ones. He does not hesitate to discuss the interests of the business community, stands up for the interests of the government, which is under excessive pressure from all sides, opposes empty spending, and generally raises topics that will be the main ones in his future politics.

Governorship and presidency

In 1964, Reagan demonstrated his political knowledge when he gave a pep talk concerning US Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater. Later, Reagan ran for office for the first time and defeated Democrat Edmund "Pat" Brown Jr. to become governor of California.

Reagan repeatedly put forward his own candidacy for the presidency, and after a while he managed to get the support of the party. This event took place in 1980, he was called the oldest president of America, at that time Reagan was already 69 years old.

Inauguration and assassination attempt

Reagan delivered his inaugural address on January 20, 1981, at the same time he noted that the government does not solve the problem, the government is the problem. He says that with his coming an era of national revival will come and that he will make his country "a beacon of light for those who lack freedom."

On March 30, 1981, Reagan left the Washington Hilton with several advisers, a shot was fired, but Secret Service agents pushed the president into a limousine with lightning speed. This time was enough for the shooter to injure Reagan, the bullet pierced the lung and almost caught the heart. This incident did not stop the President, because, after a few weeks, he again returned to his work duties.

Domestic politics

Reagan in the internal affairs of the country cuts social programs and encourages the introduction of various businesses. It also reduces taxes, which helps to stimulate the development of the economy. He calls for increased military spending and stops government regulation of private business. Thanks to his innovations, in 1983, a period of economic recovery was noticed in the United States.

Foreign policy

The Cold War was a priority issue in the president's policy. Reagan considered the Soviet Union an "evil empire", which provoked him to take further action. He takes active steps to increase the production of weapons and strengthens the military forces of the country. He introduced the "Reagan Doctrine", according to which America will help: Latin America, Asia and Africa in support of anti-communist movements.

In addition, the presidential administration is experiencing certain difficulties with the Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi.

The second term for President Reagan was marked by the establishment of contacts with the reformist Mikhail Gorbachev. In 1987, the heads of state of Russia and the United States signed a historic agreement that provided for the elimination of intermediate-range nuclear weapons.

The next election, held in 1984, ended with another victory for Reagan. He beat out Walter Mondale, who was the Democratic nominee. In his second term as president, Reagan faced the Iran-Contra scandal, a rather complex system for supplying weapons to US adversaries in Iran, the money from the operations carried out went to support anti-communist rebels in Central America.

Final years and death

Reagan left the White House in 1989, the president and his wife Nancy returned to their home in Los Angeles, California.

In 1994, Reagan released a handwritten letter that mentioned Alzheimer's disease.

On June 5, 2004, Reagan passed away at the age of 93. An outstanding political figure was buried in California on the territory of the Presidential Library.

Ronald Wilson Reagan - 40th President of the United States- born February 6, 1911 in Tampico (Illinois), died June 5, 2004 in Los Angeles (California). President of the United States from January 20, 1981 to January 20, 1989.

Ronald W. Reagan was - after Dwight D. Eisenhower - the second president in post-war American history to serve two terms. He retired with a high public profile and was instrumental in getting his vice president elected as his successor in 1988. To follow the comments of some journalists, political scientists, and historians, no other president since Franklin D. Roosevelt has brought about more change in American politics than he has. It was about the "conservative revolution", and even about the "Reagan revolution". The president, at the start of his first term in office, set the tone himself with a timpani strike when he declared that liberalism was bankrupt and that the state was no longer the solution to problems but had become the problem itself. Therefore, it is a matter of time to stop the growth of the state and turn it back.

Was there really a “conservative revolution” under Reagan? This question determined the structure of the subsequent biography of Ronald Reagan. In this case, first of all, it should be clarified what, in fact, should be understood by “conservative” or the opposite of this “liberal”. Both concepts are firmly established in everyday language, they are vague and are considered to be meaningless categories, but at the same time they contain so much meaning that they could be reasonably used to characterize and distinguish between various political contents and states of affairs. While in the Old World liberalism is rooted in the 19th-century tradition of “state as watchman” and seeks minimal state intervention in the economy and society, i.e. state restraint, in the United States under “ liberals understand just the opposite, namely, a positive position in relation to an active welfare state. In contrast, in the United States, "conservative" denotes a principled opposition to (federal) government intervention in the economy and society, and emphasizes the independence of individual states and communes and, at the same time, the active social activity of private organizations, unions, and institutions. More specifically, in social and economic policy, American conservatism approaches such keywords as abolition, government orders and spending, tax cuts, a balanced government budget, free play of market forces and deregulation, debureaucratization and free trade. Added to this in the area of ​​social and moral issues is the revival of the American family and the values ​​associated with it, as well as a return to the "good old morality", namely: speaking out for a common morning school prayer, against pornography, homosexuality, abortion and crime on the streets. Conceptually, it is confusing that "conservative" in international relations means exactly an interventionist foreign policy, "power politics" and the policy of a strong state, specifically - the fight against communism, the Soviet Union and terrorism, hostility to the policy of detente, as well as an increase in military spending.

When Ronald Reagan ran for president in vain in 1976 and then successfully in 1980, it seemed that the society and politics of the United States had turned the needles on a conservative turn. Beginning in the late 1960s, election observers noted that liberal strongholds were being destroyed, while conservatism, on the basis of social and structural changes, on the contrary, was becoming stronger and stronger. Structural transformations were observed in the American economy, namely: the decline of the mining industry and the old industry producing consumer goods, and the rise of new industries, the oil and chemical industries, the electronics industry, but above all, the expansion of the tertiary and quaternary spheres, various enterprises of household services and the industry of culture and education.

The results of the 1980 and 1984 elections showed that Reagan was able to infiltrate the traditional stronghold of Democratic voters and, compared with the previous Republican candidate for the presidency, find more support among ethnic Catholic voters, among unionized workers , women, youth and the South. The driving force behind the coalition of Reagan voters in 1980 and 1984, to which the "Reagan Democrats" also belonged, was formed on the basis of the socioeconomic and demographic changes that took place in the country in the 60s and 70s. Its mainspring was structural transformation, economic growth, social upheaval, and the movement of modern industry into the "sun belt" region that stretched from Georgia on the Atlantic coast through Texas to southern and central California. In addition, already in 1980 (and this was especially clearly manifested in 1984), the coalition of Reagan voters was joined by a group of voters that had previously been distinguished by abstaining from voting, but was activated by the conservative rhetoric of the presidential candidate: white Protestant " "reborn" Christians in the South and Midwest states, rallied into predominantly Baptist church communities around charismatic television preachers such as Pat Robertson or Jerry Falwell (president of the "moral majority" of the Conservative Protestant campaigning organization).

Along with the transformations in the social and economic structure of the United States, there were also urgent reasons for Reagan's election victory in 1980. His success should be measured more as a rejection of Jimmy Carter than an endorsement of the new president. So the critical state of the American economy decisively determined the behavior of voters. In the election year, the inflation index was 14%, the unemployment quota was 8%, and the real income of workers and employees was declining. The Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in December 1979 and the Tehran hostage story were seen as a profound humiliation of American national pride. In the face of the dire environmental, social, and foreign policy situation in the United States, at least the public accepted it as such, there was a growing demand for active political leadership, and Ronald Reagan could do it much better than Jimmy Carter. In fact, as a brilliant campaigner and experienced politician, Reagan was underestimated not only by the European press, American journalists and political consultants, but also by President Carter. The prejudice that the Republican candidate was nothing more than a mediocre actor did not take into account the fact that Ronald Reagan, by virtue of his biography and political career, was best prepared for the presidency. This was also shown in the way the conservative Republican managed to turn his election victory - 50.7% of the vote for him and 41% for Carter - into a political mandate and in the first half of his presidency developed a breakneck pace in making political decisions. The 1984 election campaign against colorless Democratic challenger Walter Mondale, who ran for the first time with a female vice presidential candidate, ended in victory, with Reagan receiving 58.8% of the vote to 40.5% and 523 votes to 13 in the electoral college. The skills that a modern president in the second half of the 20th century needed to have in order to be successful included:

To be able to set priorities, to separate the important from the unimportant, that is, to know what he wants, and at the same time not lose sight of what he can achieve;

go for compromises and thereby establish a consensus, that is, act pragmatically;

create coalitions and find a majority in their own administration, in Congress and among the public, that is, to convince people, win them over, win over and acquaint them with their appeal and their speeches.

It was these qualities that Ronald Reagan learned during his long political career. Ronald Wilson Reagan was born into a family of modest financial standing. His parents and grandparents were of Irish, Scottish and English descent. He spent his childhood and youth in the small provincial towns of Illinois, in addition to the city where he was born, also in Moymouth, Dixon and, finally, in Ewerik, where he attended college from 1928 to 1932. This was a region of the United States in the Midwest, where a young growing man could perfectly assimilate and internally feel the basics of American ideology: individualism, the belief that everyone is the blacksmith of his own happiness, and deep skepticism towards the central government in distant Washington. .

After graduating from college, Reagan became a sportscaster, first for a year at a small radio station in Davenport, Iowa, then at the larger NBC radio station in Des Des Moines, Iowa. These were years of training in a skill that ultimately earned Reagan the title of "great communicator." In 1937, he moved to Hollywood, where he began a 30-year film and television career. It was also important for his political development that he became an active trade unionist and, in 1947, president of the film actors' union. This activity taught him how to negotiate (also on a tariff) and developed an instinct for when to remain adamant and when to compromise. In 1952, he married his colleague, actress Nancy Davis.

Two years later, Reagan became a contract worker for General Electric to host, among other things, the television program The General Electric Theatre. The agreement also included that 16 weeks a year Reagan had to travel to the production departments of the enterprise to speak at production meetings and thus improve the production climate and stimulate the identification of employees with the firm. His standard speech also contained a political message: he emphasized the importance of the individual, praised the ideals of American democracy, warned against the communist threat and the danger of a greatly expanding welfare state. In 1962, Reagan, who originally considered himself a Democrat in the spirit of Roosevelt, officially changed his party affiliation and became a Republican.

It was no coincidence that Reagan, experienced in the media in 1965 - 1966. it was California that ran for governor: here, in comparison with other states, the personalization of politics had advanced far ahead, and the parties played a relatively small role. Although Reagan was known as a supporter of Barry Goldwater, the failed arch-conservative Republican presidential candidate in 1964, he ran a moderate but unequivocally conservative campaign. He advocated a return to good old morality, to law and order in relation to worried students and universities, to reduce the budget of the State of California and to transfer responsibility back to the communities and citizens. During Reagan's 8 years as governor of California, many of the characteristics that later characterized his presidency were revealed in his leadership style and in the content of politics. He headed the executive branch as chairman of the supervisory board, emphasized his conservative principles, knew how to set priorities, but did not interfere in particular with the administration and the legislative process. The governor repeatedly appealed directly to the voters in order to put pressure on both houses of the legislature. In controversial cases, he knew how to act pragmatically, make compromises and find a majority. Contrary to his conservative campaign rhetoric, his two terms as governor raised taxes, doubled the state budget, and did not reduce the number of civil servants.

Once again, Reagan's ability as a media professional and communicator flattened his path to the White House. His deft performance as a politician-citizen found a great response in the Republican Party. After losing the nomination to President Gerald Ford in 1976 with 111 votes (out of 2257) at the Republican convention, in 1980 he won 29 of 34 rounds and achieved success at the party congress.

His great success as a speaker was also due to the fact that his rhetoric was based on fundamental beliefs. He was an actor with political principles who knew how to identify himself and his politics with American values ​​and traditions. His personal qualities included calm self-confidence and optimism.

His energetic manner and an avalanche of personnel and political business decisions in the first months after his election reinforced the public impression that a political turn had come with the assumption of the new president, even a “conservative revolution” had broken out. First of all, Reagan succeeded in restoring the lost faith in the institution of the president as an institution in which national policy is formed and carried out. In an interview with Fogen, the president explained that his method of leadership is to surround himself with outstanding personalities, maintain authority and not interfere, as long as his policies are carried out correctly. Indeed, the president was cut off from the day-to-day administrative flow of events, which at first functioned admirably, but in his second term led to the Iran-Contra scandal, which made it clear that the president was no longer the owner of the White House.

How brilliantly Reagan and his closest advisers were prepared for the presidency was shown by their personnel policy in 1980-1981. Particular attention was paid to the fact that below the level of the cabinet were envoys of the President who pursued the policies of the White House. These high-ranking officials, before they went to their ministries, were really trained by trusted Reagans. The 300 most important appointments were based on party affiliation, something not seen since 1960: more than 80% of all new appointments were Republicans, only 3% Democrats (among them such a conservative woman as United Nations Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick). And in this area, the second term of the presidency marked a turning point, corruption played an increasing role. Until the end of 1986, more than 100 members of the Reagan administration were fired for this reason or were under indictment.

In his first term in office, the president was surrounded by two rings of advisers. The inner ring was the so-called troika, namely: James Baker as chief of staff, Edward Meese as chief of the cabinet, and Michael Deaver, responsible for public relations. The second ring consisted of those who reported to the troika, but did not themselves have access to the president. In 1980, under the leadership of Meese, 7 cabinet committees were formed in order to tie cabinet members to the White House in this way and avoid the mistakes of the Carter administration when members of the cabinet publicly argued with each other. In April 1985, these 7 cabinet committees were re-equipped into 2, namely: the council for domestic policy and the council for economic policy. Cabinet members now, however, increasingly disregarded the agreements made in these councils. Right at the start of the Reagan presidency, the budget process within the executive was streamlined, centralized and politicized in the management and budget department under David Stockman. In general, administrative and organizational measures in the executive authorities after 1980 - 1981 were aimed at centralizing power in the White House and programmatically binding the political officials who head the institutions. During Reagan's second term, this concept turned into an over-centralization due to the fact that the place of the trio was taken by a single person, Donald Reagan, who was less competent than his predecessors and incapable of collective leadership. Energetic and ambitious First Lady Nancy Reagan also seemed to increasingly influence her husband's schedule, while drawing on horoscopes and trusting the advice of astrologers. The prestige of the president and his institution suffered because of the Iran-Contra scam, the collapse of the stock exchange in October 1987, and the rapidly growing budget and foreign trade deficits. Chief of Staff Donald Reagan was eventually forced to resign and was replaced by the politically experienced former Republican Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker.

In the White House Legislative Liaison Office, Reagan assembled a professional team that, led by Max Friedersdorf, was at first extremely efficient in dealing with Parliament. It was possible to create in both chambers an independent voting coalition that supported Reagan's economic and social policies, but, above all, his budget projects. From the very beginning, Reagan and his collaborators skillfully linked direct influence on Congress and indirect pressure on parliament through public mobilization. The first 6 months of the Reagan administration were marked by breathtaking success in Congress. However, this coalition of votes fell apart soon due to the impending budget deficit and the beginning of a deep economic crisis. In the second term of his presidency, Reagan tried to maintain the voting successes of the first years. In fact, the Congress, which since 1986 again had a Democratic majority in both houses, increasingly determined the content of policy. Reagan was by no means the most successful legislator since Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon B. Johnson, as the legend created by conservative journalists in the first year of Reagan's presidency claimed. Moreover, he is second to last among seven presidents since 1953 in terms of congressional support.

More Reagan succeeded in placing his preferred candidates on federal court chairs. However, due to the constitutionally binding consent of the Senate when appointing judges, the president was forced to conduct a very cautious practice, as shown by the failed nomination of Robert Bork to the Supreme Court. However, Reagan succeeded in replacing almost half of all judicial seats in the district and appeals courts, as well as 3 out of 9 seats in the Supreme Court. Most of these lawyers were conservatives, but not necessarily dogmatists, much less ideologically rigid.

With a timpani strike, Reagan heralded the beginning of his presidency, and his initial successes in economic and social policy in Congress gave the impression of a "conservative revolution." However, here, too, two terms of office should be distinguished, as well as two presidencies. Congress functioned as a liberal brakeman, so Reagan's conservative policies could not be carried out undiluted.

The core of the proclaimed Reagan revolution was Reaganomics, a proposal-oriented economic program that was understood as a response to the economic problems of the 1970s. According to it, taxes should have been significantly reduced, depreciation opportunities offered, and government regulations that hindered investment removed or simplified in order to boost the economy. Losses in income had to be prevented in the short term by savings on social programs, and long-term - to be covered by an increase in income from an expanding national economy - and all this with a balanced budget. It was quite clear that targeted conflicts would arise here, especially since at the same time defense spending should have increased significantly.

Reagan actually achieved the adoption of the main provisions of his economic program with the approval of the budget for the first half of 1981. It was decided to cut taxes by 25%, 5% in the first and 10% in the next two years. Since 1985, taxes have been indexed to inflationary price growth, so that the depreciation of money is no longer automatically followed by increases in real taxes. The tax quota has indeed decreased for the majority of taxpayers. However, not least in the face of an alarmingly widening budget deficit, even under Reagan there were 13 tax increases that reversed nearly a quarter of the tax cuts. Added to this was an increase in Social Security contributions. In general, tax revenues as a percentage of the total social product fell from 20% to 18.6% during the Reagan presidency, which roughly corresponded to the share immediately after the Second World War.

The fact that the "conservative revolution" did not take place is most clearly demonstrated by the fact that the size of the federal budget under Reagan constantly increased, namely, from $699.1 billion in 1980 to $859.3 billion in 1987 (respectively dollar value in 1982). If you do not even take into account military spending, the budget during this period increased from 535.1 to 609.5 billion dollars. At the same time, the state budget deficit at times completely got out of control and reached a record high of $221 billion in 1986. This deficit in the state budget, due to tax cuts and at the same time increased spending, was the fault of the president himself, who, as a conservative, firmly adhered to the principle of a balanced state budget and wanted to see it enshrined in the constitution.

Cuts to social programs have long been insufficient to contain the growing hole in the budget. Characteristically, those programs that were cut most of all were those that concerned the poorest and worst organized groups of the population, which, moreover, took the least part in the presidential or Congress elections. Food stamps have been abolished and benefits for single mothers have been significantly reduced. At the same time, social programs useful to the middle class remained almost unchanged, as well as pension insurance and related health insurance. Under Reagan, there was a polarization in American society between the poor and the rich, a redistribution in favor of the rich, while at the same time the number of those who lived below the poverty line increased.

Because of the protest of Congress, the largest decentralization program in the history of Western democracy, Reagan's "new federalism", which aimed both at a significant reduction in federal contributions, and at the same time "reverse" the transfer of social and state tasks and at the same time tax resources to individual states, failed. . The cuts in federal subsidies to the states have been significant in housing and urban development. The growth rate of federal funds in the states nominally slowed down already under the Carter administration, but in reality, as a result of high inflation, they even decreased. The years of the Carter presidency can be seen as a period of transition to the "new federalism" of Reagan. This also applies to the realm of deregulation policy: here the deregulation of federal-state restrictions on competition in air and road travel began under Carter and was continued under Reagan with the abolition of environmental protection and labor protection provisions.

The Reagan administration successfully fought inflation and unemployment. The inflation index dropped from 12.5% ​​in 1980 to 4.5% in 1988. The quota of unemployed in the same period fell from 7 to 5.4%. 18 million new jobs were created, although many jobs were in the lowest income group. At the same time, one should not forget that the economic recovery followed the severe recession of 1981-1982. (with an unemployed quota of 10%) and that the foreign trade deficit was growing rapidly, almost dramatically.

Quite in the spirit of conservative policy there was a huge increase in military spending directed against the Soviet Union, whose entry into Afghanistan was instrumentalized accordingly. So here, even under Carter, an unprecedented weapons program began, which had to meet the Soviet threat, to put in place the "evil empire" (as Reagan publicly called the Soviet Union). The President also gave free rein to the secret services, especially the CIA under William Casey, to stimulate resistance within the Soviet sphere of influence and to support anti-communist partisan forces in the Third World. In this policy, at first, there seemed to be no place for disarmament and arms control. Only after the American military weight had increased in relation to the Soviet Union - primarily due to the deployment of medium-range missiles in Western Europe since 1983 - was Reagan able, during his second term in office, to engage with the Soviet Union. skilfully negotiates from a position of strength. Four high-level conferences followed, the conclusion of an INF treaty, successes in limiting strategic arms and in mutual external inspections. However, already in 1982, a broad coalition formed in Congress, which first cut the growth rate required by the president in the military budget by half, and from 1984 completely excluded it. Due to the high rate of armaments, public opinion changed dramatically, and anxiety over huge budget deficits, which led to an explosive increase in public debt, increasingly determined all areas of politics, including defense policy. It is left to other studies to determine whether the Reagan administration's weapons program was indeed directed initially against the Soviet Union or, as E.O. Champil was supposed to deliberately serve as a lever for the elimination of the American welfare state.

Reagan's foreign policy was evasively anti-communist, as it manifested itself not only in relation to the Soviet Union, but in its original ideologically rigid lines also in relation to Central America and especially to the Sandinistas in Nicaragua. That the policy of détente was pursued under Reagan is one of the paradoxes of his presidency. The power struggle with the Soviet Union was won because Mikhail Gorbachev, who came to power in 1985, ended his expansionist world politics and, through reforms, hastened the end of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact. Reagan, it is true, attached this victory to his flag, but it was more a gift from Gorbachev than it was won. The rest of the advances in foreign policy took place mainly through symbolic actions, such as the invasion of the small island of Grenada in 1983, which was supposed to end Cuban influence in the Caribbean, and the aerial bombardment of Libya in 1986 as punishment for a country accused of terrorism. At the same time, American foreign policy has largely remained flexible and pragmatic, as shown by the rapid withdrawal of American troops from Beirut after the bombing attempt in which 200 American soldiers were killed. It was in the sphere of foreign policy that various political institutions competed, such as the National Security Council, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Defense, the CIA and White House employees. It was this situation that made possible the Iran-Contra scam, which came to light in 1986 through foreign press reports. Over the objections of Foreign Secretary George Shultz and Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger, the US secretly supplied arms and ammunition to Iran, which had been waging war against Iraq since 1980. The goal was thus to free the American citizens who were being held hostage by Iran, which, however, succeeded in one single case. Profits from the arms deal, apparently at the instigation of Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North, who was a member of the National Security Council at the White House, were used by the CIA to support the Nicaraguan Contras waging a guerrilla war against the Sandinista government. Congress investigated these illegal and unconstitutional activities in 1986 and 1987, but failed to prove that the president was directly involved. Given the traumatic experience of the Watergate story, Congress feared a process to remove a still-popular president that would restore America's self-confidence. Democratic Deputy Schroeder spoke in this connection of Reagan's "teflon presidency", from which all bad news slips.

Characteristic of Reagan's political pragmatism was that he defiantly kept aloof from social and moral issues, such as allowing morning prayer in public schools or banning abortion. Contrary to the insistence of his Christian conservative supporters, he limited himself to rhetorical statements, but did not show any concrete initiative. The emotions lurking in these conflicting issues could easily lead to polarization and jeopardize economic and social policy in Congress. In concrete politics, these socio-moral issues, which characterized certain conservative positions, did not have priority for Reagan.

Reagan presidency was marked by paradoxes: as a conservative, the president created the largest mountain of debt in American history. Despite the fundamental turn of "Reaganomics" against the branded as "socialist" Keynesianism, with the help of weapons, a massive investment program was created, which in its economic impact was reduced to "military Keynesianism". If at the beginning of his presidency Reagan saw in the Soviet Union another "evil empire", then in 1987-1988. mutual understanding with this country was in the foreground. Although Reagan helped convince the public that the federal government was incapable of solving current problems, he nevertheless revived the institution of the president and showed that the political system is responsive to the president.

The very contradictions and purposeful conflicts inherent in Reagan's conservatism contributed to its downfall. That the conservative claim, as Reagan rhetorically brilliantly presented it, did not materialize is evident in many ways: the New Deal welfare state still existed, Reagan's concept of "new federalism" essentially failed. Socio-moral issues at the very top of the New Right's agenda were not accepted by Reagan. On issues of civil rights, women's emancipation, and birth control, the American public has remained liberal.

The number of federal officials increased by 3% between 1980 and 1987. If in the 1980 election campaign Reagan promised to eliminate the departments of energy and education, not only was this promise not kept, but another department of veterans' affairs was created. Instead of the planned 11 ministries, there were 14 ministries at the end of Reagan's presidency, the federal government was not reduced, but increased. Also in the party system and in public opinion in the 80s there was no conservative change: the Democratic Party dominated the House of Representatives and in most states.

What has changed under Reagan and what has given the appearance of a "conservative revolution" are the topics at the center of political discussion. These changes, as Kurt L. Schell aptly pointed out, were equal to changing samples. What was put up for discussion was the expansion of the welfare state, its scope and functions were critically elucidated. That the political zeitgeist had already changed under Carter is shown by the carefree way in which Liberal Democrats had previously joined the politics of austerity and deregulation.

In preparing the material, an article by Peter Lösche "President of the "conservative revolution"" was used.

In Tampico, Illinois (USA). His parents were descendants of Irish, Scottish and English settlers.

The Reagan family moved frequently until they settled in Dixon, Illinois, in 1920. Since 1926, Ronald Reagan worked every summer for seven years as a lifeguard on the city beach. In 1928 he graduated from high school in Dixon, where he was actively involved in sports and participated in school plays.

Reagan graduated from Eureka College, Illinois, in 1932 with a degree in sociology and economics. During his studies, he headed the organization of student self-government, played in an amateur student theater.

Since 1932, he worked as a sportscaster, first at a small radio station in Davenport, Iowa, and then at a larger one in Des Moines, Iowa, which was an affiliate of NBC.

In 1937, Reagan's acting career began, he signed a seven-year contract with the Hollywood company Warner Brothers. For 30 years of work as an actor, Ronald Reagan took part in the filming of more than fifty films. Basically, the artist got secondary images.

In 1938, Reagan joined the Screen Actors Guild of America and took an active part in its work, was elected a member of the board.

During the Second World War, he was drafted into the army, but due to poor eyesight, he was recognized as limited fit. From 1942 to 1945 he served in a special unit of the Air Force, where training and propaganda films were made.

After demobilization, he continued to work in Hollywood, was reinstated as a member of the board of the Screen Actors Guild.

From 1947 to 1952, and also from 1959 to 1960, Ronald Reagan was president of the Guild. As the head of the actors' union, he took an active part in the campaign to "expose the facts of communist penetration into Hollywood", testified as a witness for the prosecution in the Un-American Activities Committee (1947). Over the years, Reagan acted less as an actor, more and more engaged in purely administrative activities.

In 1954, Reagan became spokesman for General Electric (GE). From 1954 to 1962 he presented the weekly GE Theater show on television.

Reagan's job involved frequent trips to company sites throughout the United States; he spoke a lot at meetings of the company's shareholders, local businessmen. His standard speech also contained a political address.

Ronald Reagan was originally a member of the US Democratic Party, but in 1962 he switched to the Republican Party. In 1964, he delivered his famous "A Time for Choosing" speech in support of Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater, after which Reagan was invited to run for governor of California.

In 1966, he was elected Governor of California by a margin of one million votes. In 1970 he was re-elected for a second term.
Reagan ran twice (in 1968 and 1976) for the US presidency in the primary elections from the Republican Party, but lost both times.

In 1980, Reagan won the party's primary election, becoming the Republican Party's presidential candidate. On November 4, 1980, after defeating the Democratic nominee, incumbent President Jimmy Carter, Reagan was elected the 40th President of the United States.

On January 20, 1981, he took office, and at the end of March, he was assassinated. Reagan was shot in the chest by John Hinckley, who was later declared insane. Despite being seriously injured, the president was soon able to return to his duties.

The first half of Ronald Reagan's presidency was marked by the exacerbation of Soviet-American relations. Reagan declared the Soviet Union an "evil empire." The so-called "Reagan Doctrine" was expressed in direct confrontation with communism, an arms race and support for anti-communist movements around the world.

The economic policy of the Reagan administration was called "Reaganomics". It was based on the theory that lowering tax rates encourages capital inflows into the economy, which in turn leads to more jobs, economic growth and, consequently, higher tax revenues.

In 1984, Ronald Reagan was re-elected as President of the United States. Mikhail Gorbachev's coming to power in the USSR changed the climate of Soviet-American relations. Reagan in 1985-1988 took part in several meetings with Gorbachev. In 1988, the US President visited the USSR.

The second term of Reagan's presidency was overshadowed by a political scandal over the illegal sale of weapons to Iran (the so-called Iran-Contra affair).

After leaving the presidency in 1989, Ronald Reagan settled in Los Angeles (California) on his estate. In 1991, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum was opened in Simi Valley, California.

In November 1994, Reagan announced that he had Alzheimer's disease and stopped appearing in public.

Ronald Reagan died on June 5, 2004 at his home in Los Angeles. He was buried near the Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley. Reagan was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom (USA, 1993), the Congressional Gold Medal (2002), was a Companion of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum (Japan, 1989), was awarded the title of an honorary knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, one of the highest British orders (1989).

Reagan was married twice. His first wife was Hollywood star Jane Wyman (real name - Sarah Jane Mayfield, 1917-2007), they got married in 1940, in 1948 the marriage broke up. They had a daughter, Maureen (1941-2001) and an adopted son, Michael (born 1945).

In 1952, Reagan married a second time to Hollywood actress Nancy Davis. In 1952, the couple had a daughter, Patricia, and in 1958, a son, Ronald Prescott.

Washington National Airport was named after Ronald Reagan in 1998 and a nuclear aircraft carrier in 2003.

About Ronald Reagan filmed biographical television film "The Reagans" (The Reagans, 2003).

The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources

One of the most famous and popular world politicians, the 40th US President Ronald Reagan is best known in Russia as the author of the Star Wars program and one of the perpetrators of the collapse of the Soviet Union. Many Americans put him on a par with the greatest presidents in US history, Abraham Lincoln, and Reagan was a long way to his goal, he was 69 years old when he took the highest government post and became the oldest US president. Nevertheless, he left a bright and noticeable mark in the history of world politics.

early years

In the small town of Tampico, Illinois, on February 6, 1911, a boy was born in the family of John Edward and Nellie Wilson Reagan, who was named Ronald Wilson. Mom was Scottish and dad was Irish. The family was not rich, John worked as a salesman, Nelly was a housewife and was raising two boys. Ron loved his parents and always emphasized that his father taught him to be persistent and hardworking, and his mother taught him patience and mercy. Ronald Reagan wrote in a brief biography that when his father saw him for the first time, he said that his son looked like a little fat Dutchman, but maybe someday he would become president. And Ron was nicknamed the Dutchman for a long time. Throughout their childhood, the Reagan family roamed the Middle East in search of a better life.

Ron changed many schools and cities and thanks to this he learned to be sociable, easy to make acquaintances, became charming and friendly. He studied average, devoting more time to American football and the drama club, becoming a real star of the scene. In 1920, the family returned to Dixon, where Ron graduated from high school. A list of interesting facts from the biography of Ronald Reagan can be started from his childhood, for example, in 1926 he received his first money working as a lifeguard on the beach, he even saved several people. Then Ron worked on this beach every summer vacation for 7 years. Despite the fact that they did not live well, Ronald Reagan noted in his biography, and his family also confirmed this, his childhood was happy and dignified.

Steps into adulthood

Ronald graduated from high school during the hard times of the Great Depression. Millions of Americans lost their jobs, including John Reagan. In particular, due to the fact that his father drank a lot, the guy made the right life conclusions, and in the biography of Ronald Reagan there were never cases of alcohol abuse.

Despite the difficult economic situation, Reagan managed to find an inexpensive college in the small town of Eureka, 150 kilometers from Dixon. As a good athlete, he managed to get a discount on tuition fees. He paid for college by himself, working in two places where he washed dishes. The money he earned was also enough for the material support of his parents, and a year later, for partial payment for the studies of his older brother, whom he offered to study at the same college. Ronald spent a lot of time playing sports and participating in student theater, but he hardly studied. Ronald Reagan, in a brief biography, noted that the professor knew that he only needed a diploma, and he never received a grade higher than "C" (three).

radio star

After receiving a bachelor's degree, Ronald decided to get a job as a commentator on the radio. In the era of the rapid development of radio and cinema, this work was extremely prestigious. But all the leading radio stations refused the guy without special education and connections. Reagan was lucky a few months later in Davenport, in neighboring Iowa, where he was hired to fill in for an ill football commentator. He received $5 for his first experience. But more importantly, he liked his work, and Ronald got a job at the WOW station with his own program covering the games of the local basketball club. Six months later, the local broadcast star was invited to work for a more prestigious job at the NBC radio station in the largest city in the state of Des Moines. The reason for his success was his amazing ability to improvise and his voice, as they wrote later, characteristic and charming. He became a real celebrity of the state, earning money wherever he could earn money. Reagan led political banquets and parties, was the toastmaster at weddings and anniversaries. Thus passed the stage (1932-1937) of his adult life as a radio commentator. As Ronald Reagan later wrote in a brief biography, these years were the best of his life.

Second movie hero

In 1937, he went to Los Angeles to comment on another baseball game, where he also participated in screen tests. Under the patronage of a native of Des Moines, the famous Hollywood actress Joy Hodges, he got to watch at the Warner Brothers film studio. He was not told anything, and he returned home, thinking that nothing had worked out with his film career. However, after some time, as Ronald Reagan wrote in his biography, information about the conclusion of a contract with him caught up with him in Des Moines. The studio offered him a six-month contract with a seven-year extension, guaranteed movie roles and $200 a week. In his first film, Love on the Air, Reagan played the role of a radio commentator who entered into an unequal battle with the local mafia. The film was low-budget, with a primitive script, and this picture forever defined the role in the cinema - "an honest, but narrow-minded guy with an attractive appearance." In total, over the years of his acting career, Reagan played in 56 films, all the roles were the main ones in low-budget films and secondary ones in first-class films. In the movies, he was always the third wheel in love triangles, and in cowboy shootouts, he was always the first to be killed. Maybe a successful film career was hindered by military service. He did not go to the front due to severe myopia, Reagan spent all the years of the war making training films for the Air Force and playing roles in propaganda videos.

First experiences

Almost immediately after starting his acting career, in 1938, Reagan joined the right-wing film trade union - the Screen Actors Guild. And by 1941 he became a member of the board of the Guild, although at meetings he was more silent. Along with the first experience of participation in public life, Reagan first married a Hollywood star (real name - Sarah Jane Fulks). Against the backdrop of the fight against "depraved" mores in the acting environment, Jane and Ronald became the flag of counter-propaganda of the film industry.

They have become an exemplary Hollywood couple who love each other, do not use drugs, almost do not drink alcohol and do not swear. Later it turned out, as Ronald Reagan wrote in his biography, his personal life was not so cloudless. Jane fully indulged in the temptations of Los Angeles, considering Ronald a boring puritan. Returning from the army after the end of the war, Reagan began to devote more and more time to trade union activities, almost not acting in films. He managed to restore order in the trade union, tried to harmoniously ensure the interests of employers and actors and avoid strong economic conflicts. Reagan became president of the Actors Guild in 1947, devoting himself to the fight against communism in the film industry. Realizing that he could not become a movie superstar, he decided to become a politician.

Victory over the Left in Hollywood

Reagan was elected president of the Screen Actors Union five times between 1947 and 1952. Over the years, he managed to reorganize the Actors Guild and purge it of people of leftist persuasion. During the war years, many people appeared among actors and directors who, to varying degrees, sympathized with the ideas of Marxism. As a right-winger, Reagan was troubled by this increase in left-wing sentiment. He willingly began to cooperate with the Un-American Activities Commission, to which he was called in 1947. The commission, headed by Senator Joseph McCarthy, dealt with the fight against the communists. Speaking at Senate hearings, Reagan said that the Communists were going to take over the film industry in order to create a worldwide propaganda base. Around the same time, information appeared in the biography of Ronald Reagan that he became one of the authors of the famous black list. It included all figures in the film industry who adhered to leftist, pro-communist beliefs. All these people then lost their jobs and were forbidden to return to the film industry.

Thanks to these lists, he married a second time. By this time he had been single for two years, Reagan divorced in 1949. In 1951, he was asked to help Nancy Davis, who was erroneously included in the lists of the Left. In March 1952, Nancy and Reagan were married, she became his assistant and adviser for the rest of his life. During the five years of his presidency, he managed to ensure national unity within the framework of a separate trade union. This was Ronald Reagan's first big success in the politician's biography.

Entry into politics

The first and only time he participated in the election campaign of the Democratic Party in support of Hollywood actress Helen Douglas in the US Senate. When the Republican Party nominated the famous war hero - the general - he voted for him, joining the organization "Democrats for Eisenhower". Then, in the next two elections, he again voted for the Republican candidates, considering their programs more convincing. Thus began a smooth transition from the Democratic to the Republican Party.

In 1954, he changed his profession, becoming the host of the television program "The General Electric Theater". Reagan brought the theater, film and stage star every week to one of the 139 factories where they performed and talked with workers about American values. In one of these programs, Reagan announced that he was moving to the Republican Party, after which he was offered to leave the company.

In 1964, Reagan took part in the Goldwater election campaign as head of the California branch of the Goldwater-Miller Citizens for Goldwater committee. At the Republican party conference, he delivered the "Time to Choose" speech to a multi-million television audience. So he received nationwide fame and the support of functionaries of the Republican Party.

California Reaganomics

In 1966, Ronald Reagan becomes the Republican Party's nominee for office. His colorful campaign speeches attracted and shocked voters. He was an ardent anti-communist and a staunch supporter of a free market economy, low taxes, and minimal social policies. With a landslide victory by 1 million votes, Reagan embarked on the reforms that became the basis of the famous Reaganomics.

The conservative policy of the new governor met with fierce resistance from the left-liberal Democrats. Nevertheless, he managed to somewhat reduce the number of staff of institutions, reduce funding for colleges, social assistance to the black population, and the volume of free medical care. Already in the first year of his reign, he managed to restore order at the University of Berkeley, where many supporters of leftist and anti-war views studied. Reagan dispatched the National Guard to quell student unrest.

In 1970, he was re-elected governor of the richest and most industrialized state in the United States. As noted by Ronald Reagan in a brief biography, then his main political and economic priorities finally took shape.

Trip to Washington

The first attempt to run as a candidate for the presidency of the United States from the Republican Party was unsuccessful. In the internal party elections, he received only 2 votes, losing to future President Richard Nixon and the runner-up. Then he was governor for only two years and has not yet become a politician of national scale.

In 1976, he was already an established politician who was supported by many Republican conservatives, but he still lost the right to become the Republican candidate to President Gerald Ford, who replaced Nixon, who was forced to resign due to the Watergate scandal. There are such periods of relative stagnation in many biographies of famous people, for Reagan Ronald this is a period of doubt and reflection. He is already 65 years old, and he confessed to his son that most of all he regrets that he will not be able to say "no" to the Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev. As a politician, the personality of Ronald Reagan historically finally took shape by this time. He already had national recognition, successful experience in managing a prosperous state, which was his great merit.

At the Capitol

The biography of President Ronald Reagan began in 1980, he convincingly won both internal party and national elections. He inherited a country in deep crisis, and, above all, it was necessary to urgently take measures to restore the economy. And Reagan succeeded brilliantly. During his two terms in office, GDP grew by 26%. As a supporter of a free market economy, he, above all, believed that the state should reduce its interference in all spheres of activity. Reagan consistently cut the income tax on everyone, rich and poor, by 10% over three years.

Tax incentives were introduced for investors, especially in high-tech industries. At the same time, budget expenditures and social programs were sharply cut. All these measures were called "Reaganomics", while Reagan himself called them "supply-driven economics." In foreign policy, he actively fought against communism and the Soviet Union, which he called the "Evil Empire". The second term marked the beginning of a policy of détente.

Reagan died in 2004 at the age of 94. For most Americans, Ronald Reagan is the man of the century, the most popular and wisest US president.