In search of ronald reagan
Ronald Reagan is widely regarded one of the most influential presidents of the twentieth century. During his two terms in the White House (1981-1989), he strove to reduce the influence of the federal government, cut taxes, and restore American power around the globe by increasing spending on the military. Reagan enjoyed great popularity with most Americans. He was greatly disliked by others, who opposed his conservative philosophy and distrusted his impatience with the details of government. His supporters credit him with inspiring in many Americans a newfound patriotism after the disillusionment caused by the Vietnam War, Watergate, and the Carter years. They also praise him for restoring prosperity and winning the Cold War against the Soviet Union. His critics accuse him of wasting billions of dollars on unnecessary military expenditures, widening the gap between rich and poor, and neglecting the interests of racial and ethnic minority groups.
Reagan had a long career in a number of fields before entering politics. Born in Illinois in 1911, he worked as a radio sports broadcaster in Iowa. In the 1930s, he landed a role in a Hollywood movie, and began a reasonably successful career as an actor. Between the 1930s and 1950s, Reagan's political views became increasingly conservative. In the 1930s, he supported President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal. By the late 1940s, however, Reagan became convinced that communism posed a grave threat to the United States, and he became a staunchly conservative anti-Communist. As the head of the Screen Actors Guild, a union of actors and actresses, Reagan aided the House Un-American Activities Committee's (HUAC) efforts to identify Communists working within the movie industry. His second wife, Nancy Davis Reagan, whom he married in 1952, was a lifelong conservative, who encouraged and reinforced Reagan's changing political views. In the 1950s and 1960s, he became a spokesman for the General Electric Corp., and championed the interests of American business.
In the 1960s, Reagan became one of the most influential speakers in the conservative wing of the Republican party. He campaigned for Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater, a conservative, in the 1964 presidential election. After Goldwater was soundly defeated by President Lyndon B. Johnson, Reagan became the leader of the conservative wing of the Republican party.