Ronald Wilson Reagan

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Ronald Wilson Reagan : biography

06 February 1911 – 05 June 2004

On the 1st of September Soviet pilots brought down an aircraft of Korean Air Lines Flight 007, there were 296 passengers on it, including Georgia’s congressman Larry Mcdonald. Reagan called this event “a slaughter” and announced, that the Soviet Union turned against peace and moral commandments, which controlled relationship between people. Reagan’s administration answered on this incident with suspension of activity of all Soviet passenger air services in USA and broke several financial agreements, which had been discussed with the Soviet Union, that made a financial damage to USSR. As a result of the incident and errors in the work of Boing navigation system, which was a possible reason of its deviation from the course, on the 16th of September in 1983 Reagan announced, that the global system of positioning would be available for civil use, would be free and would be put in order, in order to prevent such navigation errors in the future.

According to the politics, which was known as Reagan’s doctrine, the president and his administration gave open and secret help to anti-communist movements of resistance to throw off governments in Africa, Asia and Latin America, which was supported by the Soviet Union. Reagan started a division of special activities in Afghanistan. Regan’s program of secret support made a contribution in the end of Soviet military staying in Afghanistan, though USA ammunition later have been a threat for American troops, which have taken part in the war in Afghanistan since 2001.

In March of 1983 Regan started a project of defense, which concerned using based on earth and in space systems for USA defense from attacks of strategic nuclear ballistic missiles. Reagan thought, that the defense shield could make the nuclear war impossible, but disbelief that this technology couldn’t be functional led to the fact that opponents called this project “Star Wars” and made arguments, that the aim of this technology was unachievable. The Soviet Union were considering possible effects of this project, a Soviet leader Andropov announced, that it “threatened the whole world”. David Gerden, a former assistant of Ronald Reagan, thinks that these reasons quickened the end of the Cold War.

Critics noted, that Reagan’s foreign policy was aggressive, imperialistic, they reproached it with “war firing”, though American conservative forces supported this politics, they gave arguments, that it was necessary for defense of USA interests of security.

President campaign – 1984

Reagan was nominated as a candidate from the Republican Party in Dallas, in Texas on the wave of positive feelings of electorate. He announced, that it was “a new morning in America”, in connection with economics increase and dominance of American athletes on the summer Olympic games in 1984 in Los-Angeles. He was the first American president, who opened the games in USA.

Reagan’s opponent on the president elections was a former vice-president Wolter Mondale. On the first presidential debated there were questions about Reagan’s age and his ability to stay on the post of the president for the next term. Reagan’s forgetfulness terrified his followers, who knew the president as a witty person. Later it was said that there were the first symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. Reagan won back on the second debates, answered the questions about his age with such a stinging remark: “I haven’t made age the question of this campaign. I’m not going to use youth and lack of experience of my opponent in political purposes”. It caused laugh and applause.

In November of 1984 Reagan was reelected, winning in 49 of 50 states. Mondale won only in his native Minnesota in the District of Columbia. Reagan made a historic record – he had 525 votes, no candidates in America had got such a number.

The second term: 1985-1989

Reagan made an oath for the second term on the 29th oа January in 1985 on the private ceremony in the White House. As the 20th of January was Sunday, the inauguration wasn’t celebrated in public, it was held on the next day, on the 21st of January in the Capitol. That day was one of the coldest days in district Columbia, and because of the weather the celebration was held in the building.