Who is the youngest president in history?

Reagan's reform exploration enabled the United States to escape stagflation and find a new path to economic recovery and development

On January 20, 1981, Washington, Reagan was elected President of the United States, setting the stage for changes in the world structure. Lay the groundwork.

Public opinion generally believes that it was the tough policies of the Reagan administration that put pressure on the Soviet Union in terms of military spending, which ultimately crushed the Soviet economy and achieved the Soviet collapse and collapse that the United States expected. The collapse of the communist camp made the United States the world's only superpower

President Bush said, "He left us a country that he restored and a world that he helped save. During Reagan's term as president During this period, the United States emerged from an era of division and self-doubt, and thanks to his leadership, the world emerged from an era of fear and tyranny."

The "Reagan Revolution" brought about America's longest lasting prosperity.

Reagan is a political representative of conservatism. His election relied on the power of the "silent majority" of American conservatism. During his leadership of the United States, conservative thought has been developing for a long time since Roosevelt's "New Deal". After remaining on the fringes of American politics, he suddenly became the mainstream of American politics.

Conservatives emphasize order, public opinion, morality, and religion in the social aspect, and advocate personal freedom, enterprise freedom, trade freedom, and private ownership in the economic aspect. They advocate that the government reduce its intervention in economic and social life, reduce public expenditure and welfare expenditure, and give enterprises and individuals greater economic freedom.

The supply-side economic policy implemented during the Reagan administration ran counter to Keynesianism, which had previously occupied a mainstream position in the economic policies of Western countries, and was inconsistent with the monetary policy adopted by British Prime Minister Thatcher during the same period. socialist economic policies.

As an actor, Reagan's acting skills were only second- or third-rate. As a politician, even the heads of his allies thought he had a low IQ and limited knowledge. After meeting him in England in 1986, Margaret Thatcher commented that "there was nothing between his ears" (meaning he had no brain).

But Reagan's political skills were first-rate. He is one of the few presidents in postwar American history who can maintain good relations with both the media and the U.S. Congress. This created favorable conditions for his popularity among the people.

Because he was able to deal with Congress with ease, Reagan was able to pass a series of legislation in Congress to stimulate economic development, curb inflation and strengthen national defense. Under the guidance of conservative economic policies, the Reagan administration began to cut taxes and government spending and significantly increased defense spending. The implementation of these policies is regarded as a "Reagan Revolution" in economic policy. In 1986, Reagan overhauled the income tax laws, eliminating some taxes and creating exemptions for many low-income earners. Toward the end of his administration, the United States enjoyed its longest period of peacetime prosperity.

The "Reagan Doctrine" contributed to the end of the Cold War

In terms of diplomacy, until the Reagan administration, the United States still did not get rid of the shadow of the Vietnam War.

The "American myth" has been shattered, and the optimistic view of the American democratic system has been questioned. Especially compared with the Soviet Union, the United States no longer has any advantage in strategic weapons.

From the perspective of Americans, the communist bloc headed by the Soviet Union is expanding around the world, especially in the Third World. Following Vietnam’s invasion of Cambodia, the Soviet Union invaded Cambodia in December 1979. occupied Afghanistan. Due to the Iranian revolution led by Khomeini in 1979, the United States lost its most loyal ally in the Middle East, which has important oil strategic interests. At the same time, its backyard Central America also faced the left-wing regime of Nicaragua and other countries supported by the Soviet Union and Cuba. The threat of armed struggle against the right-wing government.

In order to restore the military power of the United States and re-establish the confidence of the American public, the "Reagan Doctrine" replaced the policy of containment and was used to deal with the Brezhnev Doctrine and prevent the Sovietization of the Third World.

In 1981, Reagan's first Secretary of State, Alexander Haig, stated that the Soviet Union must understand that its days of unopposed adventures in Third World countries were over.

In 1982, in his speech to the British Parliament, Reagan advocated "consolidating the foundation of democracy" and called for a "jihad for freedom" against Soviet totalitarianism. Reagan's speech was praised by British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher as part of the ideological struggle against communism.

In his State of the Union address in February 1985, Reagan made a clear statement of the "Reagan Doctrine": "We must not undermine those who are risking their lives...to resist Soviet aggression and ensure our survival." The essence of this policy is that the United States provides economic, military assistance, and political support to anti-communist uprisings in Central America, Asia, and Africa. .

As a result, during the first Reagan administration, the United States’ support for the racist regimes in South Korea, the Philippines, and South Africa and the right-wing military dictatorships in Central America reached its peak. It also provided support to the right-wing right-wing military dictatorship in Nicaragua through the CIA. Rebel groups provide financial and logistical assistance and train them.

But the support of the Reagan administration ultimately failed to prevent these countries from eventually moving towards democratization, nor did it use military subversion to overthrow the regime of the Sandinista National Front in Nicaragua.

Reagan pursued a policy of "pursuing peace through strength" towards the Soviet Union. The Reagan administration was committed from the beginning to rebuilding America's military power. During Reagan's two terms, he increased defense spending by 35%. During his first term from 1981 to 1985, the total military expenditure of the United States reached 1.5 trillion US dollars, equivalent to 8% of the United States' GNP, creating the largest military expenditure in peacetime in the United States. And an increasing proportion of military spending is spent on research and development of new weapons systems.

Reagan adopted a tougher policy towards the Soviet Union. He did not believe in containment policies and was unwilling to negotiate treaties with Soviet leaders on the basis of mutual distrust. This led Reagan to propose the famous "space defense" in 1983. plan". Due to huge military spending, the U.S. fiscal deficit continues to grow. However, beginning with the 1985 Geneva Conference between the United States and the Soviet Union, a new détente process began between the United States and the Soviet Union. In 1986, the United States and the Soviet Union reached a series of agreements including the Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range and Short- and Medium-Range Missiles between the Two Countries.

When Reagan left the White House in 1989, the world was approaching the end of the Cold War. Regardless of the facts, American public opinion generally believes that it was the Reagan administration's tough policies that put pressure on the Soviet Union in terms of military spending, which ultimately crushed the Soviet economy and achieved the Soviet Union's self-defeat and the collapse of the Soviet Union that the United States expected. The disintegration of the communist camp made the United States the only superpower in the world, and the risk of nuclear war was greatly reduced. In addition, under Reagan's leadership, Americans regained their national self-confidence. American commentators believe that from a diplomatic perspective, Reagan may have changed the balance of power in the world more than any other president in American history because he contributed to the end of the Cold War. Because of this political legacy left by Reagan, even his domestic political opponents will respect him in awe.

The Reagan Revolution

Reagan entered the political arena precisely when Goldwater began to mobilize these white voters as the "silent majority." In a campaign speech on behalf of Goldwater, he made his first national television appearance, condemning the government's infringement of personal freedoms and asking the government to get away from people's lives. This became the peak of Goldwater's campaign and also made Reagan a conservative. The most inspiring leader of ism.

Although Reagan lived a luxurious life and eventually became the king of the world, he was still a poor white boy at heart. This is also the key to his ability to impress voters. He suffered from Alzheimer's disease in his later years and his memory faded, but the remaining memory of his last moments was not at all the glory at the peak of his power, but his experience as a lifeguard in middle school. At that time, in order to pay for college tuition, he worked seven days a week, earning a weekly salary of $15 as a lifeguard, and saved dozens of drowning people. When he was almost 30 years old, he once stood in a group of students taking a sculpture class wearing only a pair of underwear and acted as a mannequin for others. That's how he got up from the bottom. When I arrived in Hollywood, as a second-rate actor, I made 9 movies a year. I worked hard and was considered successful, but most of my income was taxed by the federal government. Such a living experience shaped his unwavering belief: In the United States, as long as a poor child is willing to work, he will succeed. The omnipresent big government will only take away the fruits of individual struggle and suppress individual creativity. The most valuable thing is that this belief was not learned from the books of Hayek and Friedman, but the crystallization of his own life. Therefore, his ability to convey this kind of conservative philosophy to ordinary people is much more powerful than those celebrities who have won the Nobel Prize.

This kind of civilian conservatism does not necessarily agree with the existing order, but emphasizes that people can change their own destiny and the society in which they grow up. Therefore, the biggest difference between this kind of conservatism and European conservatism is that it ignores hierarchy. Resistance to New England dictatorship and party paternalism has been one of the fundamental driving forces of Southern Sun Belt conservatism. At the same time, this conservatism has a unique spirit of future-oriented optimism. If you read Churchill's "History of the English-speaking Peoples", you will know that this European conservative politician always felt that the present is not as good as it was in the past, that even the Middle Ages were more civilized than modern society, and that the future may be worse than the present. No wonder the authentic definition of conservatism is “resistance to rapid social change.” Reagan fully embraced Tom Paine’s wake-up call: “We have the power within ourselves to start the world over again.” Some critics pointed out that among the presidents in American history, Reagan was the most optimistic and most optimistic about his own personality. Satisfied people. He had none of the gloominess of Nixon and never tried to change himself. Nixon did not go to Harvard to study because he was poor, and he was deeply regretful throughout his life. Bush went to prestigious schools, but he must shape himself into a Reagan. Reagan never tried to change himself. He went from the bottom of society to the top of the world, and his life was a classic American dream. Why should he change? What's his dissatisfaction? Therefore, this optimistic temperament and confidence in his own character enabled him to sublimate his life experience into a political philosophy and convey it to the American public with confidence.

It is also true that he makes no secret of the luxury and extravagance in life. Because he is confident that everything he has is what he deserves and is a reward for his virtue.

He believed that Americans had the same virtues as he did and should receive the same rewards. In his view, homeless people in the United States have chosen that lifestyle themselves, and the country should not be responsible for it. He sarcastically calls single mothers on welfare "welfare queens" who are always dissatisfied. But he believes that as long as people believe in the values ??he agrees with and join the group of hard-working Americans he belongs to, they will succeed. Therefore, he encouraged Americans to boldly assert their own values, enjoy the fruits of their own virtues, and not to care about what others say, let alone always feel that they owe others something. It is this kind of life-long communication with voters that enables him to bring confidence and hope to Americans (especially conservatives) in a gloomy and pessimistic era.

Such qualities made Reagan the highly anticipated leader of post-Goldwater conservatism. Times also shaped Reagan. Goldwater not only pioneered the "Southern Strategy" of the Communist Party and the Party, but also began to accommodate the new class in the West. Goldwater's hometown of Phoenix, Arizona, grew from a town of 30,000 people during his lifetime to a city of 2 million people in the 1980s. California is booming. The development of the military industry stimulated a large number of immigrants to move westward. These people were often the most dissatisfied with the vested interests in New England. In New England, the corporate world was dominated by tangled boardrooms and blue-collar workers were dominated by unions, leaving little room for respite. The West brings freedom to people. What people see is not where you come from, but what you do. Therefore, these new classes in the West are often individual liberals (libertarians), who particularly hate the ubiquitous government and are on the same page as the liberals (liberals) who advocate government intervention in social and economic life.

Reagan relied on the power of these people to be elected governor of California twice after Goldwater was defeated. At this time, he already felt that his time was coming. In 1945, New York banks accounted for half of the nation's banking resources. Patriarchy is a given in New England. But by 1964, California's Bank of America was already competing with Rockefeller's Chase Manhattan, and New York's banks could only occupy 12.5% ??of the country's banking resources. New England is losing its power! And Nixon stepped down because of the Watergate scandal, ending the last chance for *** and the party's moderates. By 1980, Reagan, as the spokesperson of the Communist Party and the grassroots opposition movement within the party, finally entered the White House and promoted the largest tax cut in history, cutting the top income tax rate from 70% to 28%, and even reducing the huge As a strategy, the fiscal deficit is to make the federal government so poor that it can no longer do anything. The radical right began to dominate the United States.