Ronald Reagan
Official portrait, 1981

40th President of the United States
In office January 20, 1981 – January 20, 1989
Vice President	George H. W. Bush
Preceded by	Jimmy Carter
Succeeded by	George H. W. Bush
33rd Governor of California
In office January 2, 1967 – January 6, 1975^[1]
Lieutenant	Robert Finch (1967–1969)^[2] Edwin Reinecke (1969–1974)^[3] John L. Harmer (1974–1975)^[4]
Preceded by	Pat Brown
Succeeded by	Jerry Brown
President of the Screen Actors Guild
In office November 16, 1959 – June 7, 1960
Preceded by	Howard Keel
Succeeded by	George Chandler
In office March 10, 1947 – November 10, 1952
Preceded by	Robert Montgomery
Succeeded by	Walter Pidgeon

Personal details
Born	Ronald Wilson Reagan (1911-02-06)February 6, 1911 Tampico, Illinois, U.S.
Died	June 5, 2004(2004-06-05) (aged 93) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
Political party	Republican (from 1962)
Other political affiliations	Democratic (until 1962)
Spouses	Jane Wyman (m. 1940; div. 1949) Nancy Davis (m. 1952)
Children	5, including Maureen, Michael, Patti, and Ron
Parents	Jack Reagan Nelle Wilson
Relatives	Neil Reagan (brother)
Education	Eureka College (BA)
Occupation	Politician actor sports broadcaster union leader
Awards	Full list
Signature
Military service
Service	United States Army Reserve Air Forces
Years of service	1937–1942 (reserve) 1942–1945 (regular)
Rank	Captain
Unit	322nd Cavalry Regiment 323rd Cavalry Regiment 18th AAF Base Unit
Wars	World War II
Ronald Reagan's voice Reagan on civil rights Recorded June 15, 1985
Other offices 1968^[5]–1969:^[6] Chair of the Republican Governors Association

Ronald Wilson Reagan^[a] (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party and became an important figure in the American conservative movement. His presidency is known as the Reagan era.

Born in Illinois, Reagan graduated from Eureka College in 1932 and was hired the next year as a sports broadcaster in Iowa. In 1937, he moved to California where he became a well-known film actor. During his acting career, Reagan was president of the Screen Actors Guild twice from 1947 to 1952 and from 1959 to 1960. In the 1950s, he hosted General Electric Theater and worked as a motivational speaker for General Electric. During the 1964 presidential election, Reagan's "A Time for Choosing" speech launched his rise as a leading conservative figure. After being elected governor of California in 1966, he raised state taxes, turned the state budget deficit into a surplus and implemented harsh crackdowns on university protests. Following his loss to Gerald Ford in the 1976 Republican Party presidential primaries, Reagan won the Republican Party's nomination and then a landslide victory over President Jimmy Carter in the 1980 presidential election.

In his first term as president, Reagan began implementing "Reaganomics", a policy involving economic deregulation and cuts in both taxes and government spending during a period of stagflation. On the world stage, he escalated the arms race, increased military spending, transitioned Cold War policy away from the policies of détente with the Soviet Union, and ordered the 1983 invasion of Grenada. Reagan also survived an assassination attempt, fought public-sector labor unions, expanded the war on drugs, and was slow to respond to the AIDS epidemic. In the 1984 presidential election, he defeated former vice president Walter Mondale in another landslide victory. Foreign affairs dominated Reagan's second term, including the 1986 bombing of Libya, the secret and illegal sale of arms to Iran to fund the Contras, and engaging in negotiations with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, which culminated in the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.

Reagan left the presidency in 1989 with the American economy having seen a significant reduction of inflation, a fall in the unemployment rate, and the longest peacetime economic expansion in U.S. history at that time. Conversely, despite cuts to domestic discretionary spending, the national debt had nearly tripled since 1981 as a result of his tax cuts and increased military spending. Reagan's foreign policies also contributed to the end of the Cold War. Though he planned an active post-presidency, it was hindered after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 1994, and his physical and mental capacities gradually deteriorated, leading to his death in 2004. His tenure constituted a realignment toward conservative policies in the United States, and he is often considered an icon of American conservatism. Historical rankings of U.S. presidents have typically placed Reagan in the middle to upper tier, and his post-presidential approval ratings by the general public are usually high.^[8]

Early life

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Ronald Wilson Reagan was born on February 6, 1911, in an apartment in Tampico, Illinois, as the younger son of Nelle Clyde Wilson and Jack Reagan.^[9] Nelle was committed to the Disciples of Christ,^[10] which believed in the Social Gospel.^[11] She led prayer meetings and ran mid-week prayers at her church when the pastor was out of town.^[10] Reagan credited her spiritual influence^[12] and he became a Christian.^[13] According to American political figure Stephen Vaughn, Reagan's values came from his pastor, and the First Christian Church's religious, economic and social positions "coincided with the words, if not the beliefs of the latter-day Reagan".^[14] Jack focused on making money to take care of the family,^[9] but this was complicated by his alcoholism.^[15] Reagan had an older brother, Neil.^[16] The family lived in Chicago, Galesburg, and Monmouth before returning to Tampico. In 1920, they settled in Dixon, Illinois,^[17] living in a house near the H. C. Pitney Variety Store Building.^[18]

Reagan attended Dixon High School, where he developed interests in drama and football.^[19] His first job was as a lifeguard at the Rock River in Lowell Park.^[20] In 1928, Reagan began attending Eureka College,^[21] which Nelle approved because of its affiliation with the Disciples of Christ.^[22] He was a mediocre student^[23] who participated in sports, drama, and campus politics. He became student body president and joined a student strike that resulted in the college president's resignation.^[24] Reagan was initiated as a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity and served as president of the local chapter.^[25] Reagan played at the guard position for the 1930 and 1931 Eureka Red Devils football teams and recalled a time when two Black teammates were refused service at a segregated hotel; he invited them to his parents' home nearby in Dixon and his parents welcomed them. At the time, his parents' stance on racial questions was unusually progressive in Dixon.^[26] Reagan himself had grown up with very few Black Americans and was oblivious to racial discrimination.^[27]

Entertainment career

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Radio and film

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Dark Victory (1939)

The Bad Man (1941)

After obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in economics and sociology from Eureka College in 1932,^[28]^[29] Reagan took a job in Davenport, Iowa, as a sports broadcaster for four football games in the Big Ten Conference.^[30] He then worked for WHO radio in Des Moines as a broadcaster for the Chicago Cubs. His specialty was creating play-by-play accounts of games using only basic descriptions that the station received by wire as the games were in progress.^[31] Simultaneously, he often expressed his opposition to racism.^[32] In 1936, while traveling with the Cubs to their spring training in California, Reagan took a screen test that led to a seven-year contract with Warner Bros.^[33]

Reagan arrived at Hollywood in 1937, debuting in Love Is on the Air (1937).^[34] Using a simple and direct approach to acting and following his directors' instructions,^[35] Reagan made thirty films, mostly B films, before beginning military service in April 1942.^[36] He broke out of these types of films by portraying George Gipp in Knute Rockne, All American (1940), which would be rejuvenated when reporters called Reagan "the Gipper" while he campaigned for president.^[37] Reagan starred in Kings Row (1942) as a leg amputee;^[38] this performance was considered his best by many critics.^[39] Reagan became a star,^[40] with Gallup polls placing him "in the top 100 stars" from 1941 to 1942.^[39]

World War II interrupted the movie stardom that Reagan would never be able to achieve again^[40] as Warner Bros. became uncertain about his ability to generate ticket sales. Reagan, who had a limited acting range, was dissatisfied with the roles he received. Lew Wasserman renegotiated his contract with his studio, allowing him to also make films with Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures, and RKO Pictures as a freelancer. Reagan appeared in multiple western films, something that had been denied to him while working at Warner Bros.^[41] In 1952, he ended his relationship with Warner Bros.,^[42] but went on to appear in a total of 53 films,^[36] his last being The Killers (1964).^[43]

Military service

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In April 1937, Reagan enlisted in the United States Army Reserve. He was assigned as a private in Des Moines' 322nd Cavalry Regiment and reassigned to second lieutenant in the Officers Reserve Corps.^[44] He later became a part of the 323rd Cavalry Regiment in California.^[45] As relations between the United States and Japan worsened, Reagan was ordered for active duty while he was filming Kings Row. Wasserman and Warner Bros. lawyers successfully sent draft deferments to complete the film in October 1941. However, to avoid accusations of Reagan being a draft dodger, the studio let him go in April 1942.^[46]

Reagan reported for duty with severe near-sightedness. His first assignment was at Fort Mason as a liaison officer, a role that allowed him to transfer to the United States Army Air Forces (AAF). Reagan became an AAF public relations officer and was assigned to the 18th AAF Base Unit in Culver City^[47] where he felt that it was "impossible to remove an incompetent or lazy worker" due to what he felt was "the incompetence, the delays, and inefficiencies" of the federal bureaucracy.^[48] Despite this, Reagan participated in the Provisional Task Force Show Unit in Burbank^[49] and continued to make theatrical films.^[50] He was also ordered to temporary duty in New York City to participate in the sixth War Loan Drive before being reassigned to Fort MacArthur until his discharge on December 9, 1945, as a captain. Throughout his military service, Reagan produced over 400 training films.^[49]

Screen Actors Guild presidency

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When Robert Montgomery resigned as president of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) on March 10, 1947, Reagan was elected to that position in a special election.^[51] Reagan's first tenure saw various labor–management disputes,^[52] the Hollywood blacklist,^[53] and the Taft–Hartley Act's implementation.^[54] Reagan aligned the union with the studios against the Conference of Studio Unions in the aftermath of the Hollywood Black Friday strike. In The Invisible Bridge, Rick Perlstein wrote that Reagan's actions lent legitimacy to the studio's efforts to crush the more radical union by giving liberals in SAG who did not want to strike "a story that turned them into moral innocents instead of scabs".^[55] On April 10, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) interviewed Reagan and he provided the names of actors whom he believed to be communist sympathizers.^[56] During a House Un-American Activities Committee hearing, Reagan testified that some guild members were associated with the Communist Party^[57] and that he was well-informed about a "jurisdictional strike".^[58] When asked if he was aware of communist efforts within the Screen Writers Guild, he called information about the efforts "hearsay".^[59] Reagan resigned as SAG president November 10, 1952, but remained on the board.^[60]

The SAG fought with film producers for the right to receive residual payments,^[61] and on November 16, 1959, the board elected Reagan SAG president for the second time.^[62] Reagan managed to secure payments for actors whose theatrical films had been released between 1948 and 1959 and subsequently televised. The producers were initially required to pay the actors fees, but they ultimately settled instead for providing pensions and paying residuals for films made after 1959. Reagan resigned from the SAG presidency on June 7, 1960, and also left the board.^[63]

Marriages and children

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Reagan and Jane Wyman, 1942

Ronald and Nancy Reagan, 1952

In January 1940, Reagan married Jane Wyman, his co-star in the 1938 film Brother Rat.^[64]^[65] Together, they had two biological daughters: Maureen in 1941,^[66] and Christine in 1947 (born prematurely and died the following day).^[67] They adopted one son, Michael, in 1945.^[48] Wyman filed for divorce in June 1948. She was uninterested in politics, and occasionally recriminated, reconciled and separated with him. Although Reagan was unprepared,^[67] the divorce was finalized in July 1949. Reagan would remain close to his children.^[68] Later that year, Reagan met Nancy Davis after she contacted him in his capacity as the SAG president about her name appearing on a communist blacklist in Hollywood; she had been mistaken for another Nancy Davis.^[69] They married in March 1952,^[70] and had two children, Patti in October 1952, and Ron in May 1958.^[71] Reagan has three grandchildren.^[72]

Television

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Reagan became the host of MCA Inc. television production General Electric Theater^[42] at Wasserman's recommendation. It featured multiple guest stars,^[73] and Ronald and Nancy Reagan, continuing to use her stage name Nancy Davis, acted together in three episodes.^[74] When asked how Reagan was able to recruit such stars to appear on the show during television's infancy, he replied, "Good stories, top direction, production quality".^[75] However, the viewership declined in the 1960s and the show was canceled in 1962.^[76] In 1965, Reagan became the host^[77] of another MCA production, Death Valley Days.^[78]

Early political activities

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Reagan began his political career as a Democrat, viewing Franklin D. Roosevelt as "a true hero".^[79] He joined the American Veterans Committee and Hollywood Independent Citizens Committee of the Arts, Sciences and Professions (HICCASP), worked with the AFL–CIO to fight right-to-work laws,^[80] and continued to speak out against racism when he was in Hollywood.^[81] In 1945, Reagan planned to lead an HICCASP anti-nuclear rally, but Warner Bros. prevented him from going.^[82] In 1946, he appeared in a radio program called Operation Terror to speak out against rising Ku Klux Klan activity, calling it a "capably organized systematic campaign of fascist violence and intimidation and horror".^[83] Reagan supported Harry S. Truman in the 1948 presidential election,^[84] and Helen Gahagan Douglas for the U.S. Senate in 1950. It was Reagan's belief that communism was a powerful backstage influence in Hollywood that led him to rally his friends against them.^[80]

Reagan began shifting to the right when he supported the presidential campaigns of Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952 and Richard Nixon in 1960.^[85] When Reagan was contracted by General Electric (GE), he gave speeches to their employees. His speeches had a positive take on free markets.^[86] In 1961, Reagan adapted his speeches into another speech to criticize Medicare.^[87] In his view, its legislation would have meant "the end of individual freedom in the United States".^[88] In 1962, Reagan was dropped by GE,^[89] and he formally registered as a Republican.^[85]

In the 1964 U.S. presidential election, Reagan gave a speech for presidential contender Barry Goldwater^[90] that was eventually referred to as "A Time for Choosing".^[91] Reagan argued that the Founding Fathers "knew that governments don't control things. And they knew when a government sets out to do that, it must use force and coercion to achieve its purpose"^[92] and that "We've been told increasingly that we must choose between left or right".^[93] Even though the speech was not enough to turn around the faltering Goldwater campaign, it increased Reagan's profile among conservatives. David S. Broder and Stephen H. Hess called it "the most successful national political debut since William Jennings Bryan electrified the 1896 Democratic convention with his famous 'Cross of Gold' address".^[90]

1966 California gubernatorial election

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In January 1966, Reagan announced his candidacy for the California governorship,^[94] repeating his stances on individual freedom and big government.^[95] When he met with black Republicans in March,^[96] he was criticized for opposing the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Reagan responded that bigotry was not in his nature^[97] and later argued that certain provisions of the act infringed upon the rights of property owners.^[98] After the Supreme Court of California ruled that the initiative that repealed the Rumford Act was unconstitutional in May, he voiced his support for the act's repeal,^[99] but later preferred amending it.^[100] In the Republican primary, Reagan defeated George Christopher,^[101] a moderate Republican^[102] who William F. Buckley Jr. thought had painted Reagan as extreme.^[95]

Reagan's general election opponent, incumbent governor Pat Brown, attempted to label Reagan as an extremist.^[103] Reagan portrayed himself as a political outsider,^[104] and charged Brown as responsible for the Watts riots and lenient on crime.^[103] In numerous speeches, Reagan "hit the Brown administration about high taxes, uncontrolled spending, the radicals at the University of California, Berkeley, and the need for accountability in government".^[105] Meanwhile, many in the press perceived Reagan as "monumentally ignorant of state issues", though Lou Cannon said that Reagan benefited from an appearance he and Brown made on Meet the Press in September.^[106] Reagan won the governorship with 57 percent of the vote compared to Brown's 42 percent.^[107]

California governorship (1967–1975)

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Brown had spent much of California's funds on new programs, prompting them to use accrual accounting to avoid raising taxes. Consequently, it generated a larger deficit,^[108] and Reagan called for reduced government spending and tax hikes to balance the budget.^[109] He worked with Jesse M. Unruh on securing tax increases and promising future property tax cuts. This caused some conservatives to accuse Reagan of betraying his principles.^[110] As a result, taxes on sales, banks, corporate profits, inheritances, liquor, and cigarettes jumped. Kevin Starr states Reagan "gave Californians the biggest tax hike in their history—and got away with it".^[111] In the 1970 gubernatorial election, Unruh used Reagan's tax policy against him, saying it disproportionally favored the wealthy. Reagan countered that he was still committed to reducing property taxes.^[112] By 1973, the budget had a surplus, which Reagan preferred "to give back to the people".^[113]

In 1967, Reagan reacted to the Black Panther Party's strategy of copwatching by signing the Mulford Act^[114] to prohibit the public carrying of firearms. The act was California's most restrictive piece of gun control legislation, with critics saying that it was "overreacting to the political activism of organizations such as the Black Panthers".^[115] The act marked the beginning of both modern legislation and public attitude studies on gun control.^[114] Reagan also signed the 1967 Therapeutic Abortion Act that allowed abortions in the cases of rape and incest when a doctor determined the birth would impair the physical or mental health of the mother. He later expressed regret over signing it, saying that he was unaware of the mental health provision. He believed that doctors were interpreting the provision loosely, resulting in more abortions.^[116]

After Reagan won the 1966 election, he and his advisors planned a run in the 1968 Republican presidential primaries.^[117] He ran as an unofficial candidate to cut into Nixon's southern support and be a compromise candidate if there were to be a brokered convention. He won California's delegates,^[118] but Nixon secured enough delegates for the nomination.^[119]

Reagan had previously been critical of former governor Brown and university administrators for tolerating student demonstrations in the city of Berkeley, making it a major theme in his campaigning.^[120] On February 5, 1969, Reagan declared a state of emergency in response to ongoing protests and violence at the University of California, Berkeley, and sent in the California Highway Patrol. In May 1969, these officers, along with local officers from Berkeley and Alameda county, clashed with protestors over a site known as the People's Park.^[121]^[122] One student was shot and killed while many police officers and two reporters were injured. Reagan then commanded the state National Guard troops to occupy Berkeley for seventeen days to subdue the protesters, allowing other students to attend class safely. In February 1970, violent protests broke out near the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he once again deployed the National Guard. On April 7, Reagan defended his policies regarding campus protests, saying, "If it takes a bloodbath, let's get it over with. No more appeasement".^[123]

During his victorious reelection campaign in 1970, Reagan, remaining critical of government, promised to prioritize welfare reform.^[124] He was concerned that the programs were disincentivizing work and that the growing welfare rolls would lead to both an unbalanced budget and another big tax hike in 1972.^[125] At the same time, the Federal Reserve increased interest rates to combat inflation, putting the American economy in a mild recession. Reagan worked with Bob Moretti to tighten up the eligibility requirements so that the financially needy could continue receiving payments. This was only accomplished after Reagan softened his criticism of Nixon's Family Assistance Plan. Nixon then lifted regulations to shepherd California's experiment.^[126] In 1976, the Employment Development Department published a report suggesting that the experiment that ran from 1971 to 1974 was unsuccessful.^[127]

Reagan declined to run for the governorship in 1974 and it was won by Pat Brown's son, Jerry.^[128] Reagan's governorship, as professor Gary K. Clabaugh writes, saw public schools deteriorate due to his opposition to additional basic education funding.^[129] As for higher education, journalist William Trombley believed that the budget cuts Reagan enacted damaged Berkeley's student-faculty ratio and research.^[130] The homicide rate doubled and armed robbery rates rose by even more during Reagan's eight years, even with the many laws Reagan signed to try toughening criminal sentencing and reforming the criminal justice system.^[131] Reagan strongly supported capital punishment, but his efforts to enforce it were thwarted by People v. Anderson in 1972.^[132] According to his son, Michael, Reagan said that he regretted signing the Family Law Act that granted no-fault divorces.^[133]

Seeking the presidency (1975–1981)

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1976 Republican primaries

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Insufficiently conservative to Reagan^[134] and many other Republicans,^[135] President Gerald Ford suffered from multiple political and economic woes. Ford, running for president, was disappointed to hear him also run.^[136] Reagan was strongly critical of détente and Ford's policy of détente with the Soviet Union.^[137] He repeated "A Time for Choosing" around the country^[138] before announcing his campaign on November 20, 1975, when he discussed economic and social problems, and to a lesser extent, foreign affairs.^[139] Both candidates were determined to knock each other out early in the primaries,^[140] but Reagan would devastatingly lose the first five primaries beginning with New Hampshire,^[141] where he popularized the welfare queen narrative about Linda Taylor, exaggerating her misuse of welfare benefits and igniting voter resentment for welfare reform,^[142] but never overtly mentioning her name or race.^[143]

In Florida, Reagan referred to a "strapping young buck",^[144] which became an example of dog whistle politics,^[145] and attacked Ford for handing the Panama Canal to Panama's government, while Ford implied that Reagan would end Social Security.^[141] Then, in Illinois, Reagan again criticized Ford's policy and his secretary of state, Henry Kissinger.^[146] Losing the first five primaries prompted Reagan to desperately win North Carolina's by running a grassroots campaign and uniting with the Jesse Helms political machine that viciously attacked Ford. Reagan won an upset victory, convincing party delegates that Ford's nomination was no longer guaranteed.^[147] Reagan won subsequent victories in Texas, Alabama, Georgia, and Indiana with his attacks on social programs, opposition to forced busing, increased support from inclined voters of a declining George Wallace campaign for the Democratic nomination,^[148] and repeated criticisms of Ford and Kissinger's policies, including détente.^[149]

The result was a seesaw battle for the 1,130 delegates required for their party's nomination that neither would reach before the Kansas City convention^[150] in August^[151] and Ford replacing mentions of détente with Reagan's preferred phrase, "peace through strength".^[152] Reagan took John Sears' advice of choosing liberal Richard Schweiker as his running mate, hoping to pry loose of delegates from Pennsylvania and other states, and distract Ford. Instead, conservatives were left alienated, and Ford picked up the remaining uncommitted delegates, earning 1,187 to Reagan's 1,070.^[153]

"Reagan's impromptu concession speech has been called a "defining moment of the Reagan Revolution."

After giving his acceptance speech, Ford invited Reagan to address the convention. Reagan gave an eloquent and stirring speech that overshadowed Ford's own acceptance address, despite being little more than five minutes long. Some delegates later stated that they left the convention wondering if they had voted for the wrong candidate.^[154] A contemporary media account stated that if a motion to reconsider the nomination had been in order, it might have passed.^[155]

In 1977, Ford told Cannon that Reagan's primary challenge contributed to his own narrow loss to Democrat Jimmy Carter in the 1976 presidential election.^[156]

1980 election

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Results for the 1980 United States presidential election — 1980 presidential election Electoral College results, Reagan won 489–49

Reagan emerged as a vocal critic of President Carter in 1977. The Panama Canal Treaty's signing, the 1979 oil crisis, and rise in the interest, inflation and unemployment rates helped set up his 1980 presidential campaign,^[157] which he announced on November 13, 1979^[158] with an indictment of the federal government.^[159] His announcement stressed his fundamental principles of tax cuts to stimulate the economy and having both a small government and a strong national defense,^[160] since he believed the United States was behind the Soviet Union militarily.^[161] Heading into 1980, his age became an issue among the press, and the United States was in a severe recession.^[162]

In the primaries, Reagan unexpectedly lost the Iowa caucus to George H. W. Bush. Three days before the New Hampshire primary, the Reagan and Bush campaigns agreed to a one-on-one debate sponsored by The Telegraph at Nashua, New Hampshire, but hours before the debate, the Reagan campaign invited other candidates including Bob Dole, John B. Anderson, Howard Baker and Phil Crane.^[163] Debate moderator Jon Breen denied seats to the other candidates, asserting that The Telegraph would violate federal campaign contribution laws if it sponsored the debate and changed the ground rules hours before the debate.^[164] As a result, the Reagan campaign agreed to pay for the debate. Reagan said that as he was funding the debate, he could decide who would debate.^[165] During the debate, when Breen was laying out the ground rules and attempting to ask the first question, Reagan interrupted in protest to make an introductory statement and wanted other candidates to be included before the debate began.^[166] The moderator asked Bob Malloy, the volume operator, to mute Reagan's microphone. After Breen repeated his demand to Malloy, Reagan furiously replied, "I am paying for this microphone, Mr. Green! [sic]".^[b]^[168] This turned out to be the turning point of the debate and the primary race.^[169] Ultimately, the four additional candidates left, and the debate continued between Reagan and Bush. Reagan's polling numbers improved, and he won the New Hampshire primary by more than 39,000 votes.^[170] Soon thereafter, Reagan's opponents began dropping out of the primaries, including Anderson, who left the party to become an independent candidate. Reagan easily captured the presidential nomination and chose Bush as his running mate at the Detroit convention in July.^[171]

The general election pitted Reagan against Carter amid the multitude of domestic concerns and ongoing Iran hostage crisis that began on November 4, 1979.^[172] Reagan's campaign worried that Carter would be able to secure the release of the American hostages in Iran as part of the October surprise,^[173] Carter "suggested that Reagan would wreck Social Security" and portrayed him as a warmonger,^[174] and Anderson carried support from liberal Republicans dissatisfied with Reagan's conservatism.^[173]^[c] One of Reagan's key strengths was his appeal to the rising conservative movement. Though most conservative leaders espoused cutting taxes and budget deficits, many conservatives focused more closely on social issues like abortion and gay rights.^[176] Evangelical Protestants became an increasingly important voting bloc, and they generally supported Reagan.^[177] Reagan also won the backing of Reagan Democrats.^[178] Though he advocated socially conservative viewpoints, Reagan focused much of his campaign on attacks against Carter's foreign policy.^[179]

In August, Reagan gave a speech at the Neshoba County Fair, stating his belief in states' rights. Joseph Crespino argues that the visit was designed to reach out to Wallace-inclined voters,^[180] and some^[who?] also saw these actions as an extension of the Southern strategy to garner white support for Republican candidates.^[181] Reagan's supporters have said that this was his typical anti-big government rhetoric, without racial context or intent.^[182]^[183]^[184] In the October 28 debate, Carter chided Reagan for being against national health insurance. Reagan replied, "There you go again", though the audience laughed and viewers found him more appealing.^[185] Reagan later asked the audience if they were better off than they were four years ago, slightly paraphrasing Roosevelt's words in 1934.^[186] In 1983, Reagan's campaign managers were revealed to having obtained Carter's debate briefing book before the debates.^[187] On November 4, 1980, Reagan won in a decisive victory in the Electoral College over Carter, carrying 44 states and receiving 489 electoral votes to Carter's 49 in six states and the District of Columbia. He won the popular vote by a narrower margin, receiving nearly 51 percent to Carter's 41 percent and Anderson's 7 percent. Republicans won a majority of seats in the Senate for the first time since 1952^[188] while Democrats retained the House of Representatives.^[189]

Presidency (1981–1989)

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First inauguration

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Reagan delivers his inaugural address from the U.S. Capitol (audio only)

Reagan was inaugurated as the 40th president of the United States on January 20, 1981.^[190] Chief Justice Warren E. Burger administered the presidential oath of office.^[191] In his inaugural address, Reagan commented on the country's economic malaise, arguing, "In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem".^[192] As a final insult to President Carter, Iran waited until Reagan had been sworn in before announcing the release of their American hostages.^[193]^[194]

"Reaganomics" and the economy

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Reagan advocated a laissez-faire philosophy,^[195] and promoted a set of neoliberal reforms dubbed "Reaganomics", which included monetarism and supply-side economics.^[196]

Taxation

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This section is missing information about analysis. Please expand the section by making an edit requestto include this information . Further details may exist on the talk page. (November 2023)

Reagan worked with the boll weevil Democrats to pass tax and budget legislation in a Congress led by Tip O'Neill, a liberal who strongly criticized Reaganomics.^[197]^[d] He lifted federal oil and gasoline price controls on January 28, 1981,^[199] and in August, he signed the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981^[200] to dramatically lower federal income tax rates and require exemptions and brackets to be indexed for inflation starting in 1985.^[201] Amid growing concerns about the mounting federal debt, Reagan signed the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982,^[202] one of the eleven times Reagan raised taxes.^[203] The bill doubled the federal cigarette tax, rescinded a portion of the corporate tax cuts from the 1981 tax bill,^[204] and according to Paul Krugman, "a third of the 1981 cut" overall.^[205] Many of his supporters condemned the bill, but Reagan defended his preservation of cuts on individual income tax rates.^[206] By 1983, the amount of federal tax had fallen for all or most taxpayers, with taxes for higher-income people decreasing the most.^[207]

The Tax Reform Act of 1986 reduced the number of tax brackets and top tax rate, and almost doubled personal exemptions.^[208]

To Reagan, the tax cuts would not have increased the deficit as long as there was enough economic growth and spending cuts. His policies proposed that economic growth would occur when the tax cuts spurred investments. This theoretical relationship has been illustrated by some with the controversial Laffer curve.^[209] Critics labeled this "trickle-down economics", the belief that tax policies that benefit the wealthy will spread to the poor.^[210] Milton Friedman and Robert Mundell argued that these policies invigorated America's economy and contributed to the economic boom of the 1990s.^[211]

Inflation and unemployment

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Reagan took office in the midst of stagflation.^[212] The economy briefly experienced growth before plunging into a recession in July 1981.^[213] As Federal Reserve chairman, Paul Volcker fought inflation by pursuing a tight money policy of high interest rates,^[214] which restricted lending and investment, raised unemployment, and temporarily reduced economic growth.^[215] In December 1982, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) measured the unemployment rate at 10.8 percent.^[216] Around the same time, economic activity began to rise until its end in 1990, setting the record for the (then) longest peacetime expansion.^[217]^[218]^[219] In 1983, the recession ended^[220] and Reagan nominated Volcker to a second term in fear of damaging confidence in the economic recovery.^[221]

Reagan appointed Alan Greenspan to succeed Volcker in 1987. Greenspan raised interest rates in another attempt to curb inflation, setting off the Black Monday stock market crash, although the markets eventually recovered.^[222] By 1989, the BLS measured unemployment at 5.3 percent.^[223] The inflation rate dropped from 12 percent during the 1980 election to under 5 percent in 1989. Likewise, the interest rate dropped from 15 percent to under 10 percent.^[224] Yet, not all shared equally in the economic recovery, and both economic inequality^[225] and the number of homeless individuals increased during the 1980s.^[226] Critics have contended that a majority of the jobs created during this decade paid the minimum wage.^[227]

Government spending

[edit]

In 1981, in an effort to keep it solvent, Reagan approved a plan for cuts to Social Security. He later backed off due to public backlash.^[228] He then created the Greenspan Commission to keep Social Security financially secure, and in 1983 he signed amendments to raise both the program's payroll taxes and retirement age for benefits.^[229] He had signed the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981 to cut funding for federal assistance such as food stamps, unemployment benefits, subsidized housing and the Aid to Families with Dependent Children,^[230] and would discontinue the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act.^[231] On the other side, defense spending doubled between 1981 and 1985.^[161] During Reagan's presidency, Project Socrates operated within the Defense Intelligence Agency to discover why the United States was unable to maintain its economic competitiveness. According to program director Michael Sekora, their findings helped the country surpass the Soviets in terms of missile defense technology.^[232]^[233]

Deregulation

[edit]

Reagan sought to loosen federal regulation of economic activities, and he appointed key officials who shared this agenda. William Leuchtenburg writes that by 1986, the Reagan administration eliminated almost half of the federal regulations that had existed in 1981.^[234] The 1982 Garn–St. Germain Depository Institutions Act deregulated savings and loan associations by letting them make a variety of loans and investments outside of real estate.^[235] After the bill's passage, savings and loans associations engaged in riskier activities, and the leaders of some institutions embezzled funds. The administration's inattentiveness toward the industry contributed to the savings and loan crisis and costly bailouts.^[236]

Deficits

[edit]

The deficits were exacerbated by the early 1980s recession, which cut into federal revenue.^[237] The national debt tripled between the fiscal years of 1980 and 1989, and the national debt as a percentage of the gross domestic product rose from 33 percent in 1981 to 53 percent by 1989. During his time in office, Reagan never fulfilled his 1980 campaign promise of submitting a balanced budget. The United States borrowed heavily to cover newly spawned federal budget deficits.^[238] Reagan described the tripled debt the "greatest disappointment of his presidency".^[239] Jeffrey Frankel opined that the deficits were a major reason why Reagan's successor, Bush, reneged on his campaign promise by raising taxes through the Budget Enforcement Act of 1990.^[240]

Assassination attempt

[edit]

On March 30, 1981, Reagan was shot by John Hinckley Jr. outside the Washington Hilton. Although "right on the margin of death" upon arrival at George Washington University Hospital, Reagan underwent surgery and recovered quickly from a broken rib, punctured lung, and internal bleeding. Professor J. David Woodard says that the assassination attempt "created a bond between him and the American people that was never really broken".^[241] Later, Reagan came to believe that God had spared his life "for a chosen mission".^[242]

Supreme Court appointments

[edit]

Reagan appointed three Associate Justices to the Supreme Court of the United States: Sandra Day O'Connor in 1981, which fulfilled a campaign promise to name the first female justice to the Court, Antonin Scalia in 1986, and Anthony Kennedy in 1988. He also elevated William Rehnquist from Associate Justice to Chief Justice in 1986.^[243] The direction of the Supreme Court's reshaping has been described as conservative.^[244]^[245]

Public sector labor union fights

[edit]

Early in August 1981, the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO) went on strike, violating a federal law prohibiting government unions from striking.^[246] On August 3, Reagan said that he would fire air traffic controllers if they did not return to work within 48 hours; according to him, 38 percent did not return. On August 13, Reagan fired roughly 12,000 striking air traffic controllers who ignored his order.^[247] He used military controllers^[248] and supervisors to handle the nation's commercial air traffic until new controllers could be hired and trained.^[249] The breaking of the PATCO strike demoralized organized labor, and the number of strikes fell greatly in the 1980s.^[248] With the assent of Reagan's sympathetic National Labor Relations Board appointees, many companies also won wage and benefit cutbacks from unions, especially in the manufacturing sector.^[250] During Reagan's presidency, the share of employees who were part of a labor union dropped from approximately one-fourth of the total workforce to approximately one-sixth of the total workforce.^[251]

Civil rights

[edit]

Despite Reagan having opposed the Voting Rights Act of 1965,^[32] the bill was extended for 25 years in 1982.^[252] He initially opposed the establishment of Martin Luther King Jr. Day,^[253] and alluded to claims that King was associated with communists during his career, but signed a bill to create the holiday in 1983 after it passed both houses of Congress with veto-proof margins.^[254] In 1984, he signed legislation intended to impose fines for fair housing discrimination offenses.^[255] In March 1988, Reagan vetoed the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987, but Congress overrode his veto. He had argued that the bill unreasonably increased the federal government's power and undermined the rights of churches and business owners.^[256] Later in September, legislation was passed to correct loopholes in the Fair Housing Act of 1968.^[257]^[258]

Early in his presidency, Reagan appointed Clarence M. Pendleton Jr., known for his opposition to affirmative action and equal pay for men and women, as chair of the United States Commission on Civil Rights. Pendleton and Reagan's subsequent appointees greatly eroded the enforcement of civil rights law, arousing the ire of civil rights advocates.^[259] In 1987, Reagan unsuccessfully nominated Robert Bork to the Supreme Court as a way to achieve his civil rights policy that could not be fulfilled during his presidency; his administration had opposed affirmative action, particularly in education, federal assistance programs, housing and employment,^[260] but Reagan reluctantly continued these policies.^[261] In housing, Reagan's administration saw considerably fewer fair housing cases filed than the three previous administrations.^[262]

War on drugs

[edit]

In response to concerns about the increasing crack epidemic, Reagan intensified the war on drugs in 1982.^[263] While the American public did not see drugs as an important issue then, the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and the United States Department of Defense all increased their anti-drug funding immensely.^[264] Reagan's administration publicized the campaign to gain support after crack became widespread in 1985.^[265] Reagan signed the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 and 1988 to specify penalties for drug offenses.^[266] Both bills have been criticized in the years since for promoting racial disparities.^[267] Nancy Reagan founded the "Just Say No" campaign to discourage others from engaging in recreational drug use and raise awareness about the dangers of drugs.^[268] A 1988 study showed 39 percent of high school seniors using illegal drugs compared to 53 percent in 1980,^[269] but Scott Lilienfeld and Hal Arkowitz say that the success of these types of campaigns has not been affirmatively proven.^[270]

Escalation of the Cold War

[edit]

Reagan ordered a massive defense buildup;^[271] he revived the B-1 Lancer program that had been rejected by the Carter administration,^[272] and deployed the MX missile.^[273] In response to Soviet deployment of the SS-20, he oversaw NATO's deployment of the Pershing missile in Western Europe.^[274] In 1982, Reagan tried to cut off the Soviet Union's access to hard currency by impeding its proposed gas line to Western Europe. This hurt the Soviet economy, but also caused ill will among American allies in Europe who counted on the resulting revenue; he later retreated on this issue.^[275] In March 1983, Reagan introduced the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) to protect the United States from space intercontinental ballistic missiles. He believed that this defense shield could protect the country from nuclear destruction in a hypothetical nuclear war with the Soviet Union.^[276] There was much disbelief among the scientific community surrounding the program's scientific feasibility, leading opponents to dub the SDI "Star Wars",^[277] although Soviet leader Yuri Andropov said it would lead to "an extremely dangerous path".^[278]

In a 1982 address to the British Parliament, Reagan said, "the march of freedom and democracy... will leave Marxism–Leninism on the ash heap of history". Dismissed by the American press as "wishful thinking", Margaret Thatcher called the address a "triumph".^[279] David Cannadine says of Thatcher that "Reagan had been grateful for her interest in him at a time when the British establishment refused to take him seriously", with the two agreeing on "building up stronger defenses against Soviet Russia" and both believing in outfacing "what Reagan would later call 'the evil empire'",^[280] in reference to the Soviet Union, during a speech to the National Association of Evangelicals in March 1983.^[235] After Soviet fighters downed Korean Air Lines Flight 007 in September, which included Congressman Larry McDonald and 61 other Americans, Reagan expressed outrage towards the Soviet Union.^[281] The next day, reports suggested that the Soviets had fired on the plane by mistake.^[282] In spite of the harsh, discordant rhetoric,^[283] Reagan's administration continued discussions with the Soviet Union on START I.^[284]

Although the Reagan administration agreed with the communist government in China to reduce the sale of arms to Taiwan in 1982,^[285] Reagan himself was the first president to reject containment and détente, and to put into practice the concept that the Soviet Union could be defeated rather than simply negotiated with.^[286] His covert aid to Afghan mujahideen forces through Pakistan against the Soviets has been given credit for assisting in ending the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.^[287] However, the United States was subjected to blowback in the form of the Taliban that opposed them in the war in Afghanistan.^[288] In his 1985 State of the Union Address, Reagan proclaimed, "Support for freedom fighters is self-defense."^[289] Through the Reagan Doctrine, his administration supported anti-communist movements that fought against groups backed by the Soviet Union in an effort to rollback Soviet-backed communist governments and reduce Soviet influence across the world.^[290] The Reagan administration ignored human rights violations in the countries they backed and held a narrow definition of human rights.^[291] Other human rights concerns include the genocide in Guatemala,^[292] as well as mass killings in Chad.^[293]

Invasion of Grenada

[edit]

On October 19, 1983, Maurice Bishop was overthrown and murdered by one of his colleagues. Several days later, Reagan ordered American forces to invade Grenada. Reagan cited a regional threat posed by a Soviet-Cuban military build-up and concern for the safety of hundreds of American medical students at St. George's University. Two days of fighting commenced, resulting in an American victory.^[294] While the invasion enjoyed public support in the United States, it was criticized internationally, with the United Nations General Assembly voting to censure the American government.^[295] Cannon later noted that throughout Reagan's 1984 presidential campaign, the invasion overshadowed the 1983 Beirut barracks bombings,^[296] which killed 241 Americans taking part in an international peacekeeping operation during the Lebanese Civil War.^[297]

1984 election

[edit]

Results for the 1984 United States presidential election — 1984 presidential election Electoral College results, Reagan won 525–13

Reagan announced his reelection campaign on January 29, 1984, declaring, "America is back and standing tall".^[230] In February, his administration reversed the unpopular decision to send the United States Marine Corps to Lebanon, thus eliminating a political liability for him. Reagan faced minimal opposition in the Republican primaries,^[298] and he and Bush accepted the nomination at the Dallas convention in August.^[299] In the general election, his campaign ran the commercial, "Morning in America".^[300] At a time when the American economy was already recovering,^[220] former vice president Walter Mondale^[301] was attacked by Reagan's campaign as a "tax-and-spend Democrat", while Mondale criticized the deficit, the SDI, and Reagan's civil rights policy. However, Reagan's age induced his campaign managers to minimize his public appearances. Mondale's campaign believed that Reagan's age and mental health were issues before the October presidential debates.^[302]

Following Reagan's performance in the first debate where he struggled to recall statistics, his age was brought up by the media in negative fashion. Reagan's campaign changed his tactics for the second debate where he quipped, "I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience". This remark generated applause and laughter,^[303] even from Mondale. At that point, Broder suggested that age was no longer a liability for Reagan,^[304] and Mondale's campaign felt that "the election was over".^[305] In November, Reagan won a landslide reelection victory with 59 percent of the popular vote and 525 electoral votes from 49 states. Mondale won 41 percent of the popular vote and 13 electoral votes from the District of Columbia and his home state of Minnesota.^[306]

Response to the AIDS epidemic

[edit]

The AIDS epidemic began to unfold in 1981,^[307] and AIDS was initially difficult to understand for physicians and the public.^[308] As the epidemic advanced, according to White House physician and later physician to the president, brigadier general John Hutton, Reagan thought of AIDS as though "it was the measles and would go away". The October 1985 death of the President's friend Rock Hudson affected Reagan's view; Reagan approached Hutton for more information on the disease. Still, between September 18, 1985, and February 4, 1986, Reagan did not mention AIDS in public.^[309]

In 1986, Reagan asked C. Everett Koop to develop a report on AIDS. Koop angered many evangelical conservatives, both in and out of the Reagan administration, by stressing the importance of sex education including condom usage in schools.^[310] A year later, Reagan, who reportedly had not read the report,^[311] gave his first speech on the epidemic when 36,058 Americans had been diagnosed with AIDS, and 20,849 had died of it.^[312] Reagan called for increased testing (including routine testing for marriage applicants) and mandatory testing of select groups (including federal prisoners).^[313] Even after this speech, however, Reagan remained reluctant to publicly address AIDS.^[314]

Scholars and AIDS activists have argued that the Reagan administration largely ignored the AIDS crisis.^[315]^[316]^[317] Randy Shilts and Michael Bronski said that AIDS research was chronically underfunded during Reagan's administration, and Bronski added that requests for more funding by doctors at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were routinely denied.^[318]^[319] In a September 1985 press conference (soon after Hollywood celebrity Rock Hudson had announced his AIDS diagnosis) Reagan called a government AIDS research program a "top priority", but also cited budgetary constraints.^[320] Between the fiscal years of 1984 and 1989, federal spending on AIDS totaled $5.6 billion. The Reagan administration proposed $2.8 billion during this time period, but pressure from congressional Democrats resulted in the larger amount.^[321]

Addressing apartheid

[edit]

Popular opposition to apartheid increased during Reagan's first term in office and the disinvestment from South Africa movement achieved critical mass after decades of growing momentum. Criticism of apartheid was particularly strong on college campuses and among mainline Protestant denominations.^[324]^[325] President Reagan was opposed to divestiture because he personally thought, as he wrote in a letter to Sammy Davis Jr., it "would hurt the very people we are trying to help and would leave us no contact within South Africa to try and bring influence to bear on the government". He also noted the fact that the "American-owned industries there employ more than 80,000 blacks" and that their employment practices were "very different from the normal South African customs".^[326]

The Reagan administration developed constructive engagement^[327] with the South African government as a means of encouraging it to gradually move away from apartheid and to give up its nuclear weapons program.^[328] It was part of a larger initiative designed to foster peaceful economic development and political change throughout southern Africa.^[329] This policy, however, engendered much public criticism, and renewed calls for the imposition of stringent sanctions.^[330] In response, Reagan announced the imposition of new sanctions on the South African government, including an arms embargo in late 1985.^[331] These sanctions were seen as weak by anti-apartheid activists and as insufficient by the president's opponents in Congress.^[330] In 1986, Congress approved the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act, which included tougher sanctions; Reagan's veto was overridden by Congress. Afterward, he remained opposed to apartheid and unsure of "how best to oppose it". Several European countries, as well as Japan, also imposed their sanctions on South Africa soon after.^[332]

Libya bombing

[edit]

Contentious relations between Libya and the United States under President Reagan were revived in the West Berlin discotheque bombing that killed an American soldier and injured dozens of others on April 5, 1986. Stating that there was irrefutable evidence that Libya had a direct role in the bombing, Reagan authorized the use of force against the country. On April 14, the United States launched a series of airstrikes on ground targets in Libya.^[333] Thatcher allowed the United States Air Force to use Britain's air bases to launch the attack, on the justification that the United Kingdom was supporting America's right to self-defense under Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations.^[334] The attack was, according to Reagan, designed to halt Muammar Gaddafi's "ability to export terrorism", offering him "incentives and reasons to alter his criminal behavior".^[335] The attack was condemned by many countries; by an overwhelming vote, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution to condemn the attack and deem it a violation of the Charter and international law.^[336]

Iran–Contra affair

[edit]

Reagan authorized William J. Casey to arm the Contras, fearing that Communists would take over Nicaragua if it remained under the leadership of the Sandinistas. Congress passed the 1982 Boland Amendment, prohibiting the CIA and Department of Defense from using their budgets to provide aid to the Contras. Still, the Reagan administration raised funds for the Contras from private donors and foreign governments.^[337] When Congress learned that the CIA had secretly placed naval mines in Nicaraguan harbors, Congress passed a second Boland Amendment that barred granting any assistance to the Contras.^[338] By mid-1985, Hezbollah began to take American hostages in Lebanon, holding seven of them in reaction to the United States' support of Israel.^[339]

Reagan procured the release of seven American hostages held by Hezbollah by selling American arms to Iran, then engaged in the Iran–Iraq War, in hopes that Iran would pressure Hezbollah to release the hostages.^[340] The Reagan administration sold over 2,000 missiles to Iran without informing Congress; Hezbollah released four hostages but captured an additional six Americans. On Oliver North's initiative, the administration redirected the proceeds from the missile sales to the Contras.^[340] The transactions were exposed by Ash-Shiraa in early November 1986. Reagan initially denied any wrongdoing, but on November 25, he announced that John Poindexter and North had left the administration and that he would form the Tower Commission to investigate the transactions. A few weeks later, Reagan asked a panel of federal judges to appoint a special prosecutor who would conduct a separate investigation.^[341]

The Tower Commission released a report in February 1987 confirming that the administration had traded arms for hostages and sent the proceeds of the weapons sales to the Contras. The report laid most of the blame on North, Poindexter, and Robert McFarlane, but it was also critical of Donald Regan and other White House staffers.^[342] Investigators did not find conclusive proof that Reagan had known about the aid provided to the Contras, but the report noted that Reagan had "created the conditions which made possible the crimes committed by others" and had "knowingly participated or acquiesced in covering up the scandal".^[343] The affair damaged the administration and raised questions about Reagan's competency and the wisdom of conservative policies.^[344] The administration's credibility was also badly damaged on the international stage as it had violated its own arms embargo on Iran.^[345]

The USS Stark incident

[edit]

In the context of the Tanker War on May 17, 1987, an Iraqi fighter jet hit the USS Stark with two Exocet missiles, killing 37 sailors.^[346]^[347] Three days later, President Reagan declared a "policy of self-defense" would now be ordered, as he accepted Iraq's official apology:^[348] "Our ships are deployed in the Persian Gulf in order to protect U.S. interests and maintain free access and maintain freedom of navigation and access to the area's oil supplies. It is a vital mission, but our ships need to protect themselves and they will. [From now on] if aircraft approach any of our ships in a way that appears hostile, there is one order of battle. Defend yourselves. Defend American lives.. We're going to do what has to be done to keep the Persian Gulf open. It's international waters. No country there has a right to try and close it off and take it for itself. And the villain in the piece really is Iran. And so they're delighted with what has just happened."^[349]

Soviet decline and thaw in relations

[edit]

Although the Soviets did not accelerate military spending in response to Reagan's military buildup,^[350] their enormous military expenses, in combination with collectivized agriculture and inefficient planned manufacturing, were a heavy burden for the Soviet economy. At the same time, the prices of oil, the primary source of Soviet export revenues, fell to one third of the previous level in 1985. These factors contributed to a stagnant economy during the tenure of Mikhail Gorbachev as Soviet leader.^[351]

Reagan's foreign policy towards the Soviets wavered between brinkmanship and cooperation.^[352] Reagan appreciated Gorbachev's revolutionary change in the direction of the Soviet policy and shifted to diplomacy, intending to encourage him to pursue substantial arms agreements.^[286] They held four summit conferences between 1985 and 1988.^[353] Reagan believed that if he could persuade the Soviets to allow for more democracy and free speech, this would lead to reform and the end of communism.^[354] The critical summit was in Reykjavík in 1986, where they agreed to abolish all nuclear weapons. However, Gorbachev added the condition that SDI research must be confined to laboratories during the ten-year period when disarmament would take place. Reagan refused, stating that it was defensive only and that he would share the secrets with the Soviets, thus failing to reach a deal.^[355]

In June 1987, Reagan addressed Gorbachev during a speech at the Berlin Wall, demanding that he "tear down this wall". The remark was ignored at the time, but after the wall fell in November 1989, it was retroactively recast as a soaring achievement.^[356]^[357]^[358] In December, Reagan and Gorbachev met again at the Washington Summit^[359] to sign the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, committing to the total abolition of their respective short-range and medium-range missile stockpiles.^[360] The treaty established an inspections regime designed to ensure that both parties honored the agreement.^[361] In May 1988, the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly voted in favor of ratifying the treaty,^[362] providing a major boost to Reagan's popularity in the aftermath of the Iran–Contra affair. A new era of trade and openness between the two powers commenced, and the United States and Soviet Union cooperated on international issues such as the Iran–Iraq War.^[363]

Post-presidency (1989–2004)

[edit]

Reagan and Gorbachev at Rancho del Cielo, 1992

Nancy and Ronald Reagan with a model of USS Ronald Reagan, 1996

Upon leaving the presidency on January 20, 1989, at the age of 77, Reagan became the oldest president at the end of his tenure. This distinction eventually passed to president Joe Biden who left office at 82 years old.^[364]^[365]

In retirement, Ronald and Nancy Reagan lived at 668 St. Cloud Road in Bel Air, in addition to Rancho del Cielo in Santa Barbara.^[366] He received multiple awards and honors^[367] in addition to generous payments for speaking engagements. In 1989 he supported repealing the Twenty-second Amendment's presidential term limits. In 1991, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library opened. Reagan also addressed the 1992 Republican National Convention "to inspire allegiance to the party regulars",^[368] and favored a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget.

Support for Brady Bill

[edit]

Reagan publicly favored the Brady Bill, drawing criticism from gun control opponents.^[369] In 1989, in his first public appearance after leaving office and shortly after the Stockton schoolyard shooting, he stated: "I do not believe in taking away the right of the citizen to own guns for sporting, for hunting, and so forth, or for home defense. But I do believe that an AK-47, a machine gun, is not a sporting weapon or needed for the defense of the home".^[370]^[371]

In March 1991, Reagan wrote an op-ed in the New York Times, titled "Why I'm for the Brady Bill".^[372]^[373] In May 1994, Reagan, Gerald Ford, and Jimmy Carter sent a letter to House members, urging them to support the controversial Federal Assault Weapons Ban.^[374]

Alzheimer's disease

[edit]

Reagan's final public speech occurred on February 3, 1994, during a tribute to him in Washington, D.C.; his last major public appearance was at the funeral of Richard Nixon on April 27, 1994.^[368] In August 1994, Reagan was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, which he announced through a handwritten letter in November.^[375] There was speculation over how long he had demonstrated symptoms of mental degeneration,^[376] but lay observations that he suffered from Alzheimer's while still in office have been disputed by medical experts;^[377]^[378]^[379] his doctors said that he first began exhibiting overt symptoms of the illness in late 1992^[380] or 1993.^[379] Over time, the disease destroyed Reagan's mental capacity. By 1997, he was reported to recognize few people other than his wife, though he continued to walk through parks and on beaches, play golf, and visit his office in nearby Century City.^[379] Eventually, his family decided that he would live in quiet semi-isolation with his wife.^[381] By the end of 2003, Reagan had lost his ability to speak and was mostly confined to his bed, no longer able to recognize family members.^[382]

Death and funeral

[edit]

Reagan died of pneumonia, complicated by Alzheimer's,^[383] at his home in Los Angeles, on June 5, 2004.^[384] President George W. Bush called Reagan's death "a sad hour in the life of America".^[383] His public funeral was held in the Washington National Cathedral,^[385] where eulogies were given by Margaret Thatcher, Brian Mulroney, George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush.^[386] Other world leaders attended including Mikhail Gorbachev and Lech Wałęsa.^[387] Reagan was interred at his presidential library.^[386]

Legacy

[edit]

Approval ratings

[edit]

Similar to previous presidents, Reagan began his presidency with approval ratings greater than 50 percent,^[388]^[389] peaking above 70 percent shortly after his attempted assassination,^[390]^[391] before declining by the end of his first year.^[392] Afterwards, his ratings fluctuated in the mid-30s and mid-40s in his second and third years,^[392]^[393] which has been attributed to the 1981–1982 recession.^[392] His approval ratings rebounded after the invasion of Grenada^[394]^[395]^[396] and by mid-1984 his approval rating neared 60 percent.^[397] In the first two years of his second term, his approval ratings were consistently above 60 percent^[398] but declined during the Iran–Contra scandal,^[399] before beginning to recover in mid-1987.^[400] In the Gallup poll, Reagan finished his presidency with an approval rating of 63 percent, the third highest for a departing president in history, behind only Franklin D. Roosevelt and Bill Clinton, both of whom finished at 66 percent.^[401]^[402]

In 1990, a year after he left office, a Gallup survey found that 54 percent of Americans said they approved of the overall job Reagan did as president.^[403] The number of Americans who approved of the Reagan administration declined to 48 percent in 1992^[404] but rebounded two years later to 52 percent.^[405] In recent years, favorability of Reagan's presidency reached its highest ever: 71 percent approval in 2006;^[406] 74 percent in 2010;^[407] 72 percent in 2018;^[408] and 69 percent in 2023.^[409] He is often found to be second-most popular president since World War II, with only John F. Kennedy having higher ratings.^[406]^[409]

Historical reputation

[edit]

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v t e

In 2008, British historian M. J. Heale summarized that scholars had reached a broad consensus in which "Reagan rehabilitated conservatism, turned the country to the right, practiced a 'pragmatic conservatism' that balanced ideology with the constraints of government, revived faith in the presidency and American self-respect, and contributed to critically ending the Cold War",^[410] which ended with the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.^[411]^[412] Many conservative and liberal scholars have agreed that Reagan has been the most influential president since Roosevelt, leaving his imprint on American politics, diplomacy, culture, and economics through his effective communication of his conservative agenda and pragmatic compromising.^[413] During the initial years of Reagan's post-presidency, historical rankings placed his presidency in the twenties.^[414] Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, his presidency was often placed in the top ten.^[415]^[416]

Many proponents, including his Cold War contemporaries,^[417]^[418] believe that his defense policies, economic policies, military policies, and hard-line rhetoric against the Soviet Union and communism, together with his summits with Gorbachev, played a significant part in ending the Cold War.^[419]^[286] Professor Jeffrey Knopf argues that while Reagan's practice of referring to the Soviet Union as "evil" probably made no difference to the Soviet leaders, it possibly gave encouragement to Eastern European citizens who opposed their communist regimes.^[286] President Truman's policy of containment is also regarded as a force behind the fall of the Soviet Union, and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan undermined the Soviet system itself.^[420] Nevertheless, Melvyn P. Leffler called Reagan "Gorbachev's minor, yet indispensable partner, setting the framework for the dramatic changes that neither anticipated happening anytime soon".^[421]

Critics, for example Paul Krugman, note Reagan's tenure as having begun a period of increased income inequality, sometimes called the "Great Divergence". Krugman also views Reagan as having initiated the ideology of the current-day Republican Party, which he feels is led by "radicals" who seek to "undo the twentieth century" gains in income equality and unionization.^[422] Others, such as Nixon's Secretary of Commerce Peter G. Peterson, also criticize what they feel was not just Reagan's fiscal irresponsibility, but also the ushering in of an era where tax cutting "became the GOP's core platform", with resulting deficits and GOP leaders (speciously in Peterson's opinion) arguing supply-side gains would enable the country to "grow" its way out of deficits.^[423]

Reagan was known for storytelling and humor,^[424] which involved puns^[425] and self-deprecation.^[426] Reagan also often emphasized family values, despite being the first president to have been divorced.^[427] He showed the ability to comfort Americans during the aftermath of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.^[428] Reagan's ability to talk about substantive issues with understandable terms and to focus on mainstream American concerns earned him the laudatory moniker the "Great Communicator".^[429]^[424] He also earned the nickname "Teflon President" in that public perceptions of him were not substantially tarnished by the controversies that arose during his administration.^[430]^[431]

Political influence

[edit]

Reagan led a new conservative movement, altering the political dynamic of the United States.^[432] Conservatism became the dominant ideology for Republicans, displacing the party's faction of liberals and moderates.^[433] Men began voting more Republican, and women began voting more Democrat – a gender distinction that has persisted.^[432] He was supported by young voters, an allegiance that shifted many of them to the party.^[434] He attempted to appeal to Black voters in 1980,^[435] but would receive the lowest Black vote for a Republican presidential candidate at the time.^[436] Throughout Reagan's presidency, Republicans were unable to gain complete control of Congress.^[437]

The period of American history most dominated by Reagan and his policies (particularly on taxes, welfare, defense, the federal judiciary, and the Cold War) is known as the Reagan era, which suggests that the "Reagan Revolution" had a lasting impact on the United States in domestic and foreign policy. The George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton administrations are often treated as an extension of the era, as is the George W. Bush administration.^[438] Since 1988, Republican presidential candidates have invoked Reagan's policies and beliefs.^[439]

Notes

[edit]

^ Pronounced /ˈreɪɡən/ ^ⓘ RAY-gən^[7]
^ Reagan misstated Breen's last name as "Mr. Green"^[167]
^ John B. Anderson questioned how realistic Reagan's budget proposals were, saying: "The only way Reagan is going to cut taxes, increase defense spending, and balance the budget at the same time is to use blue smoke and mirrors."^[175]
^ Despite their various disagreements, Reagan and O'Neill developed a friendship across party lines. O'Neill told Reagan that Republican opponents were friends "after six o'clock". Reagan would sometimes call O'Neill at any time and ask if it was after six o'clock to which O'Neill would invariably respond, "Absolutely, Mr. President".^[198]

References

[edit]

Citations

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^ Piszkiewicz, Dennis (2003), Terrorism's War with America: A History, Praeger Security International, Greenwood Publishing Group, p. 66, ISBN 978-0-275-97952-2
^ "A/RES/41/38 November 20, 1986". United Nations. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
^ Weisberg, pp. 128–129
^ Patterson, pp. 208–209
^ Brands 2015, pp. 488–491.
^ ^a ^b Weisberg, pp. 129–134
^ Patterson, pp. 210–211
^ Brands, pp. 646–649
^ Patterson, pp. 211–212
^ Rossinow, pp. 202–204
^ Brands, pp. 653, 674
^ LaGrone, Sam (May 17, 2017). "The Attack on USS Stark at 30". USNI News.
^ "Stark (FFG-31)". Naval History and Heritage Command. March 16, 2017.
^ "Reagan Accepts Iraq Apology". May 20, 1987.
^ "Reagan Declares Policy of Self-Defense | News | The Harvard Crimson". www.thecrimson.com.
^ Fischer 2019, p. 8.
^ Gaidar, Yegor (2007). Collapse of an Empire: Lessons for Modern Russia. Brookings Institution Press. pp. 190–205.
^ Miles, Simon (2021), Bartel, Fritz; Monteiro, Nuno P. (eds.), "Peace Through Strength and Quiet Diplomacy", Before and After the Fall: World Politics and the End of the Cold War, Cambridge University Press, pp. 62–77, doi:10.1017/9781108910194.005, ISBN 978-1-108-90677-7, S2CID 244861159
^ Lawrence, Mark Atwood (2008). "The Era of Epic Summitry". Reviews in American History. 36 (4): 616–623. doi:10.1353/rah.0.0047. ISSN 1080-6628. S2CID 144382902.
^ "Modern History Sourcebook: Ronald Reagan: Evil Empire Speech, June 8, 1982". Fordham University. May 1998. Retrieved November 15, 2007.
^ John Lewis Gaddis (2006). The Cold War: A New History. Penguin. p. 31. ISBN 9781440684500.
^ Fisher, Marc (June 2017). "'Tear down this wall': How Reagan's forgotten line became a defining moment". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
^ Andreas Daum, Kennedy in Berlin (2008), pp. 207‒13.
^ "Untangling 5 myths about the Berlin Wall". Chicago Tribune. October 31, 2014. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
^ Rossinow, pp. 234–235
^ Patterson, p. 215
^ Rossinow, p. 236
^ Patterson, p. 216
^ Herring, pp. 897–898
^ Diaz, Johnny (January 18, 2021) [Updated January 20, 2021]. "Biden Is the Oldest President to Take the Oath". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 28, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
^ Merrill, Dave; Caronello, Sophie (January 19, 2021). "Biden to Become Oldest President Ever at Inauguration". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on January 28, 2021. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
^ Woodard 2012, p. 180.
^ Ward, Myah (September 8, 2022). "Bidens offer condolences after death of Queen Elizabeth, whose reign spanned 14 American presidents". Politico. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2023.; "Remarks on Presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom to President Ronald Reagan". The American Presidency Project. January 23, 2023. Archived from the original on January 23, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
^ ^a ^b Woodard 2012, pp. 181–182.
^ Brands 2015, pp. 717–718.
^ Villoro, Elías (April 23, 2023). "Ronald Reagan on Gun Control circa 1989". Boing Boing. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
^ "Video: Ronald Reagan on the difference between military rifles and self-defense". February 27, 2018.
^ Shapira, Ian (March 2, 2018). "Before Trump's Wild Shifts on the NRA, Ronald Reagan Took on the Gun Lobby." The Washington Post. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
^ Davis, Janel (February 5, 2013). "Did Reagan support an assault-weapons ban?". Retrieved November 13, 2023.
^ Eaton, William J (May 5, 1994). "Ford, Carter, Reagan push for gun ban". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
^ Cannon 2000, p. xiv.
^ "President Ronald Reagan's Alzheimer's Disease". Radio National. June 7, 2004. Retrieved January 7, 2008.
^ "Reagan's doctors deny covering up Alzheimer's His mental status in office never in doubt, they say". The New York Times. October 5, 1997. Retrieved April 20, 2021 – via The Baltimore Sun.
^ Altman, Lawrence K. (February 21, 2011). "When Alzheimer's Waited Outside the Oval Office". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 1, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c Altman, Lawrence K (October 5, 1997). "Reagan's Twilight – A special report; A President Fades Into a World Apart". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 1, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
^ Altman, Lawrence K. (June 15, 2004). "The Doctors World; A Recollection of Early Questions About Reagan's Health". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 1, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
^ "Nancy Reagan Reflects on Ronald". CNN. March 4, 2001. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved April 6, 2007.
^ "The Long Goodbye". People. December 4, 2003. Archived from the original on June 4, 2023. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
^ ^a ^b Neuman, Johanna (June 5, 2004). "Former President Reagan Dies at 93". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 14, 2022. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
^ Von Drehle, David (June 6, 2004). "Ronald Reagan Dies: 40th President Reshaped American Politics". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 21, 2007.
^ Brands 2015, p. 731.
^ ^a ^b Woodard 2012, p. 184.
^ Brands 2015, p. 732.
^ Nyhan, David (February 15, 1981). Reagan's glow may reflect hostage return. Press and Sun-Bulletin. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
^ Voters already losing the faith. Winnipeg Sun. March 20, 1981. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
^ Reagan's popularity rises to 73 per cent. The Washington Post. The Miami Herald. April 3, 1981. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
^ Gallup, George (April 27, 1981). President earns approval. Gallup Organization. The Manhattan Mercury. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c Reagan's rating rises, Gallup says. United Press International. San Angelo Standard-Times. March 18, 1983. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
^ Gallup, George (October 10, 1982). More Disapprove Than Approve Reagan's Performance of Job. Gallup Organization. The Daily Oklahoman. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
^ Gallup, George (November 20, 1983). Foreign Events Bring Reagan More Support. The Daily Oklahoman. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
^ Butters, Brian (November 10, 1983). U.S. public backs Reagan, poll shows. Calgary Herald. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
^ Gallup, George (November 21, 1983). Reagan picks up moderate gains. Gallup Organization. The Daily Item. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
^ Friedman, Saul (June 10, 1984). Reagan landslide possible. The Oregonian. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
^ Reagan's 61 percent approval rating continues to exceed predecessors. Minnesota Star Tribune. September 4, 1986. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
^ Campbell, Don (December 14, 1986). Living and dying by public opinion. Pacific Daily News. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
^ Gallup, George Jr. (June 25, 1987). Reagan's job performance rating improves slightly. The Daily Item. Retireved November 25, 2024.
^ Gallup, George; Gallup, Alec (January 12, 1989). Reagan gets highest final approval rating since FDR. The Daily Item. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
^ Brandus, Paul (January 18, 2017). The truth about Obama's approval rating. USA Today. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
^ JFK Tops Presidents' List. The Post-Standard. December 5, 1990. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
^ Hugick, Larry (August 18, 1992). Bush's Approval Rating Up. The Post-Standard. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
^ Mercer, Marsha (May 1, 1994). Even in death, Richard Nixon continued to surprise us. Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
^ ^a ^b Retrospective approval ratings of past presidents, June 2006 poll. Gallup Organization. The Plain Dealer. December 30, 2006. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
^ Saad, Lydia (December 6, 2010). Kennedy Still Highest-Rated Modern President, Nixon Lowest. Gallup Organization. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
^ Jones, Jeffrey M. (February 15, 2018). "Obama's First Retrospective Job Approval Rating Is 63%". Gallup Inc. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
^ ^a ^b Jones, Jeffrey M. (July 17, 2023). Retrospective Approval of JFK Rises to 90%; Trump at 46%. Gallup Organization. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
^ Henry 2009, pp. 933–934.
^ Cannon 2000, p. 759; Brands 2015, p. 720.
^ "Ronald Reagan". Encyclopædia Britannica. June 9, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
^ "American President". Archived from the original on October 11, 2014. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
^ Patterson 2003, p. 360; Nichols 2012, p. 282.
^ Nichols 2012, p. 284; Johns 2015, pp. 1–2.
^ Lima, Cristiano (February 17, 2017). "Survey: Historians rank Obama 12th best president". Politico. Archived from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
^ Heintz, Jim (June 7, 2004). "Gorbachev reflects warmly on 'sincere' man". The Standard-Times. Associated Press. Archived from the original on December 14, 2022. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
^ Kupelian 2010, p. 70; Fallon 2017, p. 182; Hampson 2018, p. 230.
^ Meacham, John; Murr, Andrew; Clift, Eleanor; Lipper, Tamara; Breslau, Karen; Ordonez, Jennifer (June 14, 2004). "American Dreamer". Newsweek. Retrieved June 3, 2008.
^ Chapman, Roger (June 14, 2004). "Reagan's Role in Ending the Cold War Is Being Exaggerated". George Mason University. Retrieved January 6, 2008.
^ Leffler 2021, p. 37.
^ Krugman, Paul (2007). The Conscience of a Liberal. W.W. Norton & Co. pp. 7–8, 160–163, 264. ISBN 978-0-393-33313-8.
^ Peterson, Peter G. (2004). Running on Empty. Picador. pp. 6–7, 130–146. ISBN 0-312-42462-0.
^ ^a ^b Brands 2015, p. 734.
^ Cannon 2000, p. 97.
^ Pemberton 1998, p. 204.
^ Hendrix, Anastasia (June 6, 2004). "Trouble at home for family values advocate". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved March 4, 2008.
^ Woodard 2012, p. 166.
^ Cannon 2000, p. 751.
^ Pemberton 1998, p. 112.
^ Cannon 2000, p. 182.
^ ^a ^b Loughlin, Sean (July 6, 2004). "Reagan cast a wide shadow in politics". CNN. Retrieved June 19, 2008.
^ Smith, Robert C. (March 1, 2021). "Ronald Reagan, Donald Trump, and the Future of the Republican Party and Conservatism in America". American Political Thought. 10 (2): 283–289. doi:10.1086/713662. ISSN 2161-1580. S2CID 233401184.
^ Dionne, E.J. (October 31, 1988). "Political Memo; G.O.P. Makes Reagan Lure Of Young a Long-Term Asset". The New York Times. Retrieved July 2, 2008.
^ "Reagan talks to 'lukewarm' Urban League in New York". The Michigan Daily. August 6, 1980. Archived from the original on May 25, 2021. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
^ Shull 1993, p. 40.
^ Heclo 2008, p. 570.
^ Jack Godwin, Clintonomics: How Bill Clinton Reengineered the Reagan Revolution (2009).
^ Cannon, Lou (June 6, 2004). "Actor, Governor, President, Icon". The Washington Post. p. A01. Retrieved January 26, 2008.

Bennett, W. Lance; Livingston, Steven (2021). "Defending Democracy in the Disinformation Age". In Bennett, W. Lance; Livingston, Steven (eds.). The Disinformation Age: Politics, Technology, and Disruptive Communication in the United States. Cambridge University Press. pp. 261–294. ISBN 978-1-108-91462-8.
Mayer, Jeremy D. (2015). "Reagan and Race: Prophet of Color Blindness, Baiter of the Backlash". In Longley, Kyle; Mayer, Jeremy; Schaller, Michael; Sloan, John (eds.). Deconstructing Reagan: Conservative Mythology And America's Fortieth President. Routledge. pp. 70–89. ISBN 978-0-7656-1590-9.
Johns, Andrew L. (2015). "Ronald Reagan in Historical Perspective". In Johns, Andrew L. (ed.). A Companion to Ronald Reagan. Wiley-Blackwell. pp. 1–6. ISBN 978-0-470-65504-7.
Lawrence, Mark Atwood (2021). "Rhetoric and Restraint: Ronald Reagan and the Vietnam Syndrome". In Hunt, Jonathan R.; Miles, Simon (eds.). The Reagan Moment: America and the World in the 1980s. Cornell University Press. pp. 165–187. ISBN 978-1-5017-6071-6.
Leffler, Melvyn P. (2021). "Ronald Reagan and the Cold War". In Hunt, Jonathan R.; Miles, Simon (eds.). The Reagan Moment: America and the World in the 1980s. Cornell University Press. pp. 25–42. ISBN 978-1-5017-6071-6.
Mullen, Lawrence J. (1999). "Ronald Reagan". In Murray, Michael D. (ed.). Encyclopedia of Television News. Oryx Press. ISBN 978-1-57356-108-2.
Patterson, James T. (2003). "Afterword: Legacies of the Reagan Years". In Brownlee, W. Elliot; Graham, Hugh (eds.). The Reagan Presidency: Pragmatic Conservatism and Its Legacies. University Press of Kansas. pp. 355–375. ISBN 978-0-7006-1268-0.
Roy, Ravi K. (2012). "Capitalism". In Anheier, Helmut; Juergensmeyer, Mark (eds.). Encyclopedia of Global Studies. SAGE Publications. pp. 153–158. ISBN 978-1-4129-9422-4.
Schuparra, Kurt (2015). "Reagan's Gubernatorial Years". In Johns, Andrew L. (ed.). A Companion to Ronald Reagan. Wiley-Blackwell. pp. 40–53. ISBN 978-0-470-65504-7.

Journal articles

[edit]

Birkner, Michael J. (1987). "The Defining Moment: The 1980 Nashua Debate". Gettysburg College. Archived from the original on May 22, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
Boris, Eileen (2007). "On Cowboys and Welfare Queens: Independence, Dependence, and Interdependence at Home and Abroad". Journal of American Studies. 41 (3): 599–621. doi:10.1017/S002187580700401X. JSTOR 27558050. S2CID 145653386.
Clabaugh, Gary (2004). "The Educational Legacy of Ronald Reagan". Educational Horizons. 82 (4): 256–259. JSTOR 42926508.
DeGrasse, Robert W. Jr. (1983). "Military Spending and Jobs". Challenge. 26 (3): 4–15. doi:10.1080/05775132.1983.11470849. JSTOR 40720151.
Francis, Donald (2012). "Commentary: Deadly AIDS policy failure by the highest levels of the US government: A personal look back 30 years later for lessons to respond better to future epidemics". Journal of Public Health Policy. 33 (3): 290–300. doi:10.1057/jphp.2012.14. ISSN 1745-655X. JSTOR 23253449. PMID 22895498. S2CID 205127920.
Garrow, David (2007). "Review: Picking up the Books: The New Historiography of the Black Panther Party". Reviews in American History. 35 (4): 650–670. doi:10.1353/rah.2007.0068. JSTOR 30031608. S2CID 145069539.
Gellin, Bruce (1992). "The Stalled Response to AIDS". Issues in Science and Technology. 9 (1): 24–28. JSTOR 43311244. PMID 10122433.
Graetz, Michael (2012). "Energy Policy: Past or Prologue?". Daedalus. 141 (2): 31–44. doi:10.1162/DAED_a_00144. JSTOR 23240277. S2CID 57569482.
Hayes, Matthew; Fortunato, David; Hibbing, Matthew (2020). "Race–gender bias in white Americans' preferences for gun availability". Journal of Public Policy. 41 (4): 818–834. doi:10.1017/S0143814X20000288. S2CID 234615039.
Heclo, Hugh (2008). "The Mixed Legacies of Ronald Reagan". Presidential Studies Quarterly. 38 (4): 555–574. doi:10.1111/j.1741-5705.2008.02664.x. JSTOR 41219701.
Henry, David (2009). "Ronald Reagan and the 1980s: Perceptions, Policies, Legacies by Cheryl Hudson, Gareth Davies". The Journal of American History. 96 (3): 933–934. doi:10.1093/jahist/96.3.933. JSTOR 25622627.
Kanet, Roger E. (2006). "The Superpower Quest for Empire: The Cold War and Soviet Support for 'Wars of National Liberation'". Cold War History. 6 (3): 331–352. doi:10.1080/14682740600795469. S2CID 154531753.
Kazanjian, Powel (2014). "The AIDS Pandemic in Historic Perspective". Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences. 69 (3): 351–382. doi:10.1093/jhmas/jrs061. JSTOR 24631705. PMID 23090980.
Kim, Young Soo; Shin, Joongbum (2017). "Variance in Global Response to HIV/AIDS between the United States and Japan: Perception, Media, and Civil Society". Japanese Journal of Political Science. 18 (4): 514–535. doi:10.1017/S1468109917000159. S2CID 158468369.
Li, Jinhua (2013). "Analysis of the High Unemployment Rate in the USA". World Review of Political Economy. 4 (2): 218–229. doi:10.13169/worlrevipoliecon.4.2.0218. JSTOR 10.13169/worlrevipoliecon.4.2.0218.
Lucas, Richert (2009). "Reagan, Regulation, and the FDA: The US Food and Drug Administration's Response to HIV/AIDS, 1980-90". Canadian Journal of History. 44 (3): 467–487. doi:10.3138/cjh.44.3.467. ProQuest 194343072.
Nichols, Curt (2012). "The Presidential Ranking Game: Critical Review and Some New Discoveries". Presidential Studies Quarterly. 42 (2): 275–299. doi:10.1111/j.1741-5705.2012.03966.x. JSTOR 41427390.
Onge, Jeffrey (2017). "Operation Coffeecup: Ronald Reagan, Rugged Individualism, and the Debate over "Socialized Medicine"". Rhetoric and Public Affairs. 20 (2): 223–252. doi:10.14321/rhetpublaffa.20.2.0223. JSTOR 10.14321/rhetpublaffa.20.2.0223. S2CID 149379808.
Pach, Chester (2006). "The Reagan Doctrine: Principle, Pragmatism, and Policy". Presidential Studies Quarterly. 36 (1): 75–88. doi:10.1111/j.1741-5705.2006.00288.x. JSTOR 27552748.
Primuth, Richard (2016). "Ronald Reagan's Use of Race in the 1976 and 1980 Presidential Elections". The Georgia Historical Quarterly. 100 (1): 36–66. JSTOR 43855884.
Putnam, Jackson (2006). "Governor Reagan: A Reappraisal". California History. 83 (4): 24–45. doi:10.2307/25161839. JSTOR 25161839.
Reimler, John (1999). "The Rebirth of Racism in Education: The Real Legacy of the Reagan Revolution". Journal of Thought. 34 (2): 31–40. JSTOR 42589574.
Sinai, Allen (1992). "Financial and Real Business Cycles". Eastern Economic Journal. 18 (1): 1–54. JSTOR 40325363.
Sirin, Cigdem (2011). "From Nixon's War on Drugs to Obama's Drug Policies Today: Presidential Progress in Addressing Racial Injustices and Disparities". Race, Gender & Class. 18 (3/4): 82–99. JSTOR 43496834.
Vaughn, Stephen (1995). "The Moral Inheritance of a President: Reagan and the Dixon Disciples of Christ". Presidential Studies Quarterly. 25 (1): 109–127. JSTOR 27551378.

External links

[edit]

Official sites

[edit]

Ronald Reagan Foundation and Presidential Library
Ronald Reagan on whitehouse.gov
Ronald Reagan in the Governors' Gallery of the California State Library
The Ronald W. Reagan Society of Eureka College

Media

[edit]

Appearances on C-SPAN
- "Life Portrait of Ronald Reagan", from American Presidents: Life Portraits, December 6, 1999
Ronald Reagan Oral Histories at Miller Center
Ronald Reagan's timeline at PBS
Reagan Library's channel on YouTube

News coverage

[edit]

Ronald Reagan collected news and commentary at The New York Times
Ronald Reagan from The Washington Post
Ronald Reagan at CNN
Ronald Reagan collected news and commentary at The Guardian

Other

[edit]

Ronald Reagan at IMDb
Ronald Reagan at the TCM Movie Database
Works by or about Ronald Reagan at the Internet Archive
Ronald Reagan at Miller Center

v t e Ronald Reagan
40th President of the United States (1981–1989) 33rd Governor of California (1967–1975)
Life and politics	Birthplace Pitney Store Boyhood home General Electric Showcase House Rancho del Cielo 668 St. Cloud Road Filmography Political positions Governorship of California Presidential Library and Museum Reagan Era Official White House portraits 1989 trip to Japan Death and state funeral Riderless horse
Presidency	Transition First inauguration Second inauguration Domestic policy Economic policy Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981 Tax Reform Act of 1986 Assassination attempt Strategic Defense Initiative Foreign policy Reagan Doctrine Cold War 1st term 2nd term Soviet Union summits Geneva Reykjavík Washington INF Treaty Moscow Governors Island Constructive engagement Invasion of Grenada Iran–Contra affair Libya bombing Cannabis policy International trips The Grace Commission Cabinet Judicial appointments Supreme Court controversies Administration scandals "We begin bombing in five minutes" Impeachment efforts Executive orders Presidential proclamations Bush transition
Speeches	Ronald Reagan Speaks Out Against Socialized Medicine (1961) "A Time for Choosing" (1964) Neshoba County Fair "states' rights" speech (1980) First inaugural address (1981) Joint session of Congress (1981) "Ash heap of history" (1982) "Evil empire" (1983) Second inaugural address (1985) "Tear down this wall!" (1987) State of the Union 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988
Books	An American Life The Reagan Diaries
Elections	1966 California gubernatorial election 11th commandment 1970 California gubernatorial election Republican presidential primaries (1968 1976 1980 1984) Republican National Convention (1968 1976 1980 1984) 1976 presidential campaign 1980 presidential campaign "There you go again" "Let's make America great again" 1984 presidential campaign "Morning in America" "Bear in the woods" United States presidential election (1976 1980 1984)
Cultural depictions	Bibliography In music Let Them Eat Jellybeans! (1981) U.S. Postage stamps Rap Master Ronnie Ed the Happy Clown (1983 comic series) Spitting Image (TV series) (1984) A Mind Forever Voyaging (1985 game) The Dark Knight Returns (1986) film adaptation Pizza Man (1991 film) The Day Reagan Was Shot (2001 film) Reagan's War (2002 book) The Reagans (2003 film) Reagan (2011 documentary) The Butler (2013 film) Killing Reagan (2015 book) Killing Reagan (2016 film) Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (2020 game) The Reagans (2020 miniseries) Reagan (2024 film) Reykjavik (TBA)
Memorials	U.S. Capitol statue Namesakes and memorials Ronald Reagan Day Reagan Day Dinner USS Ronald Reagan Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Virginia statue Budapest statue Ronald Reagan Monument, Warshaw
Family	Jane Wyman (first wife) Nancy Reagan (second wife) Maureen Reagan (daughter) Michael Reagan (adopted son) Patti Davis (daughter) Ron Reagan (son) Jack Reagan (father) Nelle Wilson Reagan (mother) Neil Reagan (brother) Rex (dog)
Related	"What would Reagan do?"
← Jimmy Carter George H. W. Bush → Category

Offices and distinctions

Non-profit organization positions
Preceded by Robert Montgomery	President of the Screen Actors Guild 1947–1952	Succeeded by Walter Pidgeon
Preceded by Howard Keel	President of the Screen Actors Guild 1959–1960	Succeeded by George Chandler
Party political offices
Preceded by Richard Nixon	Republican nominee for Governor of California 1966, 1970	Succeeded by Houston I. Flournoy
Preceded by John Chafee	Chair of the Republican Governors Association 1968–1970	Succeeded by Louie B. Nunn
Preceded by Gerald Ford	Republican nominee for President of the United States 1980, 1984	Succeeded by George H. W. Bush
Political offices
Preceded by Pat Brown	Governor of California 1967–1975	Succeeded by Jerry Brown
Preceded by Jimmy Carter	President of the United States 1981–1989	Succeeded by George H. W. Bush
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by François Mitterrand	Chair of the Group of Seven 1983	Succeeded by Margaret Thatcher
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Ruhollah Khomeini	Time Person of the Year 1980	Succeeded by Lech Wałęsa
Preceded by The Computer	Time Person of the Year 1983 With: Yuri Andropov	Succeeded by Peter Ueberroth

Articles related to Ronald Reagan

v t e Presidents of the United States
Presidents and presidencies	George Washington (1789–1797) John Adams (1797–1801) Thomas Jefferson (1801–1809) James Madison (1809–1817) James Monroe (1817–1825) John Quincy Adams (1825–1829) Andrew Jackson (1829–1837) Martin Van Buren (1837–1841) William Henry Harrison (1841) John Tyler (1841–1845) James K. Polk (1845–1849) Zachary Taylor (1849–1850) Millard Fillmore (1850–1853) Franklin Pierce (1853–1857) James Buchanan (1857–1861) Abraham Lincoln (1861–1865) Andrew Johnson (1865–1869) Ulysses S. Grant (1869–1877) Rutherford B. Hayes (1877–1881) James A. Garfield (1881) Chester A. Arthur (1881–1885) Grover Cleveland (1885–1889) Benjamin Harrison (1889–1893) Grover Cleveland (1893–1897) William McKinley (1897–1901) Theodore Roosevelt (1901–1909) William Howard Taft (1909–1913) Woodrow Wilson (1913–1921) Warren G. Harding (1921–1923) Calvin Coolidge (1923–1929) Herbert Hoover (1929–1933) Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933–1945) Harry S. Truman (1945–1953) Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953–1961) John F. Kennedy (1961–1963) Lyndon B. Johnson (1963–1969) Richard Nixon (1969–1974) Gerald Ford (1974–1977) Jimmy Carter (1977–1981) Ronald Reagan (1981–1989) George H. W. Bush (1989–1993) Bill Clinton (1993–2001) George W. Bush (2001–2009) Barack Obama (2009–2017) Donald Trump (2017–2021) Joe Biden (2021–2025) Donald Trump (2025–present)
Presidency timelines	Washington J. Adams McKinley T. Roosevelt Taft Wilson Harding Coolidge Hoover F. D. Roosevelt Truman Eisenhower Kennedy L. B. Johnson Nixon Ford Carter Reagan G. H. W. Bush Clinton G. W. Bush Obama Trump Biden
Category List

v t e Nancy Reagan
First Lady of the United States (1981–1989) First Lady of California (1967–1975)
Life	Just Say No Foster Grandparents Program White House china 1989 trip to Japan Ronald and Nancy Reagan Research Institute General Electric Showcase House 668 St. Cloud Road Rancho del Cielo Official White House portrait Reagan Presidential Library, burial site
Books	My Turn (autobiography)
Cultural depictions	The Day Reagan Was Shot (2001 film) The Reagans (2003 film) Reagan (2011 documentary) The Butler (2013 film) Killing Reagan (2016 film) The Reagans (2020 miniseries) Reagan (2024 film) Reykjavik (upcoming film)
Family	Ronald Reagan (husband, presidency) Patricia Ann Davis (daughter) Ronald Prescott Reagan (son) Maureen Reagan Revell (step-daughter) Michael Reagan (step-son) Edith Luckett Davis (mother) Rex (dog)
Related	Nancy Reagan defense

Cabinet of President Ronald Reagan (1981–1989)

Cabinet
Vice President	George H. W. Bush (1981–1989)
Secretary of State	Alexander Haig (1981–1982) George Shultz (1982–1989)
Secretary of the Treasury	Donald Regan (1981–1985) James Baker (1985–1988) Nicholas F. Brady (1988–1989)
Secretary of Defense	Caspar Weinberger (1981–1987) Frank Carlucci (1987–1989)
Attorney General	William French Smith (1981–1985) Edwin Meese (1985–1988) Dick Thornburgh (1988–1989)
Secretary of the Interior	James G. Watt (1981–1983) William P. Clark Jr. (1983–1985) Donald P. Hodel (1985–1989)
Secretary of Agriculture	John R. Block (1981–1986) Richard Lyng (1986–1989)
Secretary of Commerce	Malcolm Baldrige Jr. (1981–1987) William Verity Jr. (1987–1989)
Secretary of Labor	Raymond J. Donovan (1981–1985) Bill Brock (1985–1987) Ann Dore McLaughlin (1987–1989)
Secretary of Health and Human Services	Richard Schweiker (1981–1983) Margaret Heckler (1983–1985) Otis Bowen (1985–1989)
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development	Samuel Pierce (1981–1989)
Secretary of Transportation	Drew Lewis (1981–1983) Elizabeth Dole (1983–1987) James H. Burnley IV (1987–1989)
Secretary of Energy	James B. Edwards (1981–1983) Donald P. Hodel (1983–1985) John S. Herrington (1985–1989)
Secretary of Education	Terrel Bell (1981–1984) William Bennett (1985–1988) Lauro Cavazos (1988–1989)

Cabinet-level
Director of the Office of Management and Budget	David Stockman (1981–1985) James C. Miller III (1985–1988) Joe Wright (1988–1989)
Director of Central Intelligence	William J. Casey (1981–1987) William H. Webster (1987–1989)
Trade Representative	Bill Brock (1981–1985) Clayton Yeutter (1985–1989)
Ambassador to the United Nations	Jeane Kirkpatrick (1981–1985) Vernon A. Walters (1985–1989)
Counselor to the President	Edwin Meese (1981–1985) None (1985–1989)

Republican Party

History

Presidential
tickets,
national
conventions,
and
presidential
primaries

Presidential
administrations

Lincoln (1861–1865)
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Grant (1869–1877)
Hayes (1877–1881)
Garfield (1881)
Arthur (1881–1885)
Harrison (1889–1893)
McKinley (1897–1901)
Roosevelt (1901–1909)
Taft (1909–1913)
Harding (1921–1923)
Coolidge (1923–1929)
Hoover (1929–1933)
Eisenhower (1953–1961)
Nixon (1969–1974)
Ford (1974–1977)
Reagan (1981–1989)
G. H. W. Bush (1989–1993)
G. W. Bush (2001–2009)
Trump (2017–2021; 2025–present)

U.S. Senate
leaders
and
Conference
chairs

J. P. Hale (1859–1862)
Anthony (1862–1884)
Sherman (1884–1885)
Edmunds (1885–1891)
Sherman (1891–1897)
Allison (1897–1908)
E. Hale (1908–1911)
Cullom (1911–1913)
Gallinger (1913–1918)
Lodge (1918–1924)
Curtis (1924–1929)
Watson (1929–1933)
McNary (1933–1940)
Austin (1940–1941)
McNary (1941–1944)
White (1944–1949)
Wherry (1949–1952)
Bridges (1952–1953)
Taft (1953)
Knowland (1953–1959)
Dirksen (1959–1969)
Scott (1969–1977)
Baker (1977–1979)
Stevens (1979–1980)
Baker (1980–1985)
Dole (1985–1996)
Lott (1996–2003)
Frist (2003–2007)
McConnell (2007–2025)
Thune (2025–present)

U.S. House
leaders,
Speakers,
and
Conference
chairs

Pennington (1860–1861)
Grow (1861–1863)
Colfax (1863–1869)
Pomeroy (1869)
Blaine (1869–1875)
McCrary (1875–1877)
Hale (1877–1879)
Frye (1879–1881)
Keifer (1881–1883)
Cannon (1883–1889)
Reed (1889–1891)
T. J. Henderson (1891–1895)
Reed (1895–1899)
D. B. Henderson (1899–1903)
Cannon (1903–1911)
Mann (1911–1919)
Gillett (1919–1925)
Longworth (1925–1931)
Snell (1931–1939)
Martin (1939–1959)
Halleck (1959–1965)
Ford (1965–1973)
Rhodes (1973–1981)
Michel (1981–1995)
Gingrich (1995–1999)
Hastert (1999–2007)
Boehner (2007–2015)
Ryan (2015–2019)
McCarthy (2019–2023)
Johnson (2023–present)

RNC

Chairs

Chair elections

2009
2011
2013
2015
2017
2019
2021
2023
2024

Parties by
state and
territory

State

Territory

Affiliated
organizations

Congress	House Conference Legislative Digest Steering and Policy Committees Senate Conference Policy Committee Factions Freedom Caucus Problem Solvers Caucus Republican Governance Group Republican Study Committee
Fundraising groups	National Republican Congressional Committee National Republican Redistricting Trust National Republican Senatorial Committee Republican Attorneys General Association Republican Governors Association
Sectional groups	College Republicans Chairmen Congressional Hispanic Conference Log Cabin Republicans National Black Republican Association Republican Hindu Coalition Republican Jewish Coalition Republican Muslim Coalition Republican National Hispanic Assembly Republicans Abroad Teen Age Republicans Young Republicans Republicans Overseas High School Republican National Federation
Factional groups	Republican Main Street Partnership Republican Majority for Choice Republican Liberty Caucus Republican National Coalition for Life ConservAmerica Liberty Caucus Ripon Society The Wish List

Related

v t e Governors of California
Under Spain (1769–1822)	Capt. Portolá Col. Fages Capt. Rivera Capt-Gen. de Neve Col. Fages Capt. Roméu Capt. Arrillaga Col. Bórica Lt. Col. Alberní Capt. Arrillaga Capt. J. Argüello Don Solá
Under Mexico (1822–1846)	Capt. L. Argüello Lt. Col. Echeandía Gen. Victoria Don P. Pico Lt. Col. Echeandía Brig. Gen. Figueroa Lt. Col. Castro Lt. Col. Gutiérrez Col. Chico Lt. Col. Gutiérrez Pres. Alvarado · Carrillo (rival) Brig. Gen. Micheltorena Don P. Pico
Under U.S. military (1846–1850)	Cdre. Sloat Cdre. Stockton · Gen. Flores (rival) Gen. Kearny · Maj. Frémont (mutineer) Gen. Mason Gen. Smith Gen. Riley
U.S. state (since 1850)	Burnett McDougal Bigler J. Johnson Weller Latham Downey Stanford Low Haight Booth Pacheco Irwin Perkins Stoneman Bartlett Waterman Markham Budd Gage Pardee Gillett H. Johnson Stephens Richardson Young Rolph Merriam Olson Warren Knight P. Brown Reagan J. Brown Deukmejian Wilson Davis Schwarzenegger J. Brown Newsom
Before 1850 Since 1850 By education Spouses

(← 1964) 1968 United States presidential election (1972 →)

Republican Party

Convention Primaries
Candidates	Nominee: Richard Nixon campaign VP nominee: Spiro Agnew Other candidates: Frank Carlson Clifford P. Case Hiram Fong John Lindsay Ronald Reagan Jim Rhodes Nelson Rockefeller Winthrop Rockefeller George W. Romney campaign Harold Stassen John A. Volpe

Democratic Party

Convention protests Primaries
Candidates	Nominee: Hubert Humphrey campaign VP nominee: Edmund Muskie Other candidates: Roger D. Branigin John G. Crommelin Paul C. Fisher Lyndon B. Johnson withdrawal Robert F. Kennedy campaign Thomas C. Lynch Eugene McCarthy campaign George McGovern Dan K. Moore Channing E. Phillips George Smathers Stephen M. Young

American Independent Party

Candidates	Nominee: George Wallace campaign VP nominee: Curtis LeMay

Other third party and independent candidates
Communist Party	Nominee: Charlene Mitchell VP nominee: Michael Zagarell
Peace and Freedom Party	Nominee: Eldridge Cleaver VP nominee: Douglas Fitzgerald Dowd
Prohibition Party	Nominee: E. Harold Munn
Socialist Labor Party	Nominee: Henning A. Blomen
Socialist Workers Party	Nominee: Fred Halstead VP nominee: Paul Boutelle
Independents and other candidates	Dick Gregory Pat Paulsen Pigasus

Other 1968 elections: House
Senate
Gubernatorial

(← 1972) 1976 United States presidential election (1980 →)

Democratic Party

Candidates

Nominee: Jimmy Carter
- campaign
VP nominee: Walter Mondale

Republican Party

Convention Primaries
Candidates	Incumbent nominee: Gerald Ford campaign VP nominee: Bob Dole Other candidates: James L. Buckley Ronald Reagan campaign positions Harold Stassen

Third-party and independent candidates
American Party	Nominee: Thomas J. Anderson
American Independent Party	Nominee: Lester Maddox
Communist Party	Nominee: Gus Hall VP nominee: Jarvis Tyner
Libertarian Party	Nominee: Roger MacBride VP nominee: David Bergland
People's Party	Nominee: Margaret Wright VP nominee: Benjamin Spock
Prohibition Party	Nominee: Ben Bubar VP nominee: Earl Dodge
Socialist Workers Party	Nominee: Peter Camejo VP nominee: Willie Mae Reid
U.S. Labor Party	Nominee: Lyndon LaRouche

Other 1976 elections: House
Senate
Gubernatorial

(← 1976) 1980 United States presidential election (1984 →)

Republican Party

Convention Primaries results
Candidates	Nominee: Ronald Reagan campaign positions VP nominee: George H. W. Bush Other candidates John B. Anderson Howard Baker George H. W. Bush (campaign) John Connally Phil Crane Bob Dole Ben Fernandez Harold Stassen

Democratic Party

Convention Primaries results
Candidates	Incumbent nominee: Jimmy Carter campaign Incumbent VP nominee: Walter Mondale Other candidates: Jerry Brown Ted Kennedy campaign speech Ron Dellums

Independent

Candidate: John B. Anderson
Running mate: Patrick Lucey

Other independent and third-party candidates
Libertarian Party	Nominee Ed Clark VP nominee David Koch
Citizens Party	Nominee Barry Commoner VP nominee LaDonna Harris
Communist Party	Nominee Gus Hall VP nominee Angela Davis
Peace and Freedom Party	Nominee: Maureen Smith VP Nominee: Elizabeth Cervantes Barron
Prohibition Party	Nominee Ben Bubar VP nominee Earl Dodge
Socialist Party	Nominee David McReynolds VP nominee Diane Drufenbrock
Socialist Workers Party	Nominee Andrew Pulley Alternate nominees Richard Congress Clifton DeBerry
Workers World Party	Nominee Deirdre Griswold VP nominee Gavrielle Holmes
Independents and other candidates	Lyndon LaRouche Warren Spannaus

Other 1980 elections: House; Senate; Gubernatorial

(← 1980) 1984 United States presidential election (1988 →)

Republican Party

Convention Primaries results
Candidates	Incumbent nominee: Ronald Reagan campaign positions Incumbent VP nominee: George H. W. Bush Other candidates: Ben Fernandez Harold Stassen

Democratic Party

Convention Primaries results
Candidates	Nominee: Walter Mondale campaign VP nominee: Geraldine Ferraro Other candidates: Reubin Askew Alan Cranston John Glenn Gary Hart Fritz Hollings Jesse Jackson campaign George McGovern

Third-party and independent candidates
Citizens Party	Nominee Sonia Johnson VP nominee Richard Walton
Communist Party	Nominee Gus Hall VP nominee Angela Davis
Libertarian Party	Nominee David Bergland VP nominee Jim Lewis Other candidates Gene Burns Earl Ravenal Mary Ruwart
Prohibition Party	Nominee Earl Dodge
Socialist Equality Party	Nominee Edward Winn VP nominee Helen Halyard
Socialist Party	Nominee Sonia Johnson VP nominee Richard Walton
Socialist Workers Party	Nominee Melvin T. Mason VP nominee Matilde Zimmermann
Workers World Party	Nominee Larry Holmes Alternate nominee Gavrielle Holmes VP nominee Gloria La Riva
Independents and other candidates	Charles Doty Larry Flynt Larry "Bozo" Harmon Lyndon LaRouche running mate: Billy Davis

Other 1984 elections: House; Senate; Gubernatorial

Cold War

1940s

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

Frozen conflicts

Foreign policy

Ideologies

Capitalism	Liberalism Chicago school Conservatism American conservatism Keynesianism Libertarianism Monetarism Neoclassical economics Reaganomics Supply-side economics Democratic capitalism
Socialism	Communism Marxism–Leninism Castroism Eurocommunism Guevarism Hoxhaism Juche Ho Chi Minh Thought Maoism Trotskyism Stalinism Titoism
Other	Imperialism Anti-imperialism Nationalism Ultranationalism Chauvinism Ethnic nationalism Racism Zionism Anti-Zionism Fascism Neo-Nazism Islamism Totalitarianism Authoritarianism Autocracy Liberal democracy Illiberal democracy Guided democracy Social democracy Third-worldism White supremacy White nationalism White separatism Apartheid Finlandization

Organizations

Propaganda

Pro-communist	Active measures Izvestia Neues Deutschland Pravda Radio Moscow Rudé právo Trybuna Ludu TASS Soviet Life
Pro-Western	Amerika Crusade for Freedom Paix et Liberté Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Red Scare Voice of America

Technological
competition

Historians

Espionage and
intelligence

See also

Revolutions of 1989

Internal
background

International
background

Reforms

Government
leaders

Opposition
methods

Opposition
leaders

Opposition
movements

Events
by location

Central and Eastern Europe	Albania Bulgaria Czechoslovakia East Germany Hungary Poland Romania Soviet Union Yugoslavia
Soviet Union	Armenia Azerbaijan Belarus Chechnya Estonia Georgia Latvia Lithuania Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Moldova Russia Tajikistan Turkmenistan Ukraine Uzbekistan
Elsewhere	Afghanistan Angola Benin Burma Cambodia China Congo-Brazzaville Ethiopia Mongolia Mozambique Somalia South Yemen

Individual
events

Later events

Related

Human rights in the Soviet Union

Conservatism

Schools
by region

International

Asia

China	Chiangism Confucianism Neo New Dai Jitao Thought Neoauthoritarianism
Iran	Khomeinism Monarchist Principlist
Israel	Fundamentalist Jewish Kahanism Zionism Neo Religious Revisionist
Japan	Minzoku Neo Nippon Kaigi Shōwa Statism State Shinto
South Korea	Ilminism New Right
Turkey	Democratic Erdoğanism Neo-Ottomanism
Other	Bangladesh Hong Kong India Malaysia Pakistan Ziaism Singapore Taiwan Chiangism

Europe

France	Action Française Bonapartism Gaullism Integral nationalism Legitimism Maurrassisme Nouvelle Droite Orléanism Révolution nationale Sarkozysm Ultra-royalism
Germany	Agrarian Hegelian Historical School Neue Rechte Ordoliberalism Prussianism Cameralistic Socialist Revolutionary Young Ritter School Romanticism State Socialism Völkisch
Italy	Berlusconism Historical Right Italian school of elitism Neo-Bourbonism Sanfedismo
Poland	Golden Liberty Kaczyzm National Democracy Sarmatism
Russia	Duginism Eurasianism Monarchist Black-hundredism Tsarism Putinism Slavophilia Pochvennichestvo
Spain	Alfonsism Carlism Carloctavismo Carlo-francoism Francoism National Catholicism Integrism Mellismo Maurism Neocatholicism Noucentisme
United Kingdom	Cameronism Civic Compassionate Muscular liberalism Jacobitism Neo-Jacobite Revival Neo One-nationism Powellism Thatcherism Toryism High Red Social
Other	Austria Belgium Rexism Denmark Finland Georgia Monarchist Greece Metaxism Populist Hungary Iceland Luxembourg Netherlands Norway Portugal Miguelist Integralismo Lusitano Romania Monarchist Serbia Monarchist Sweden Switzerland Ukraine

Latin America

Argentina	Federal Peronism Maurrasismo Menemism Nacionalismo Orthodox Peronism
Brazil	Bolsonarism Coronelism Integralism Janismo Monarchist Patrianovism Populism
Chile	Gremialismo Pinochetism
Other	Belize Colombia Rojismo Uribism Cuba Guatemala Mexico Cristero Panama Peru Fujimorism Odriismo Uruguay Herrerism Riverism Ruralismo Venezuela Perezjimenismo

North America

Canada	Populism Trumpism Clerico-nationalism Social Toryism Blue Red Pink
United States	Compassionate Libertarian Fusionism Paleo Tea Party Movement Neo Old Right Paleo Reaganism Social Traditionalist Trumpism

Oceania

Philosophy

Principles

Intellectuals

Politics

Organisations

Politicians

Religion

Historical
background

Related

Ideologies

v t e Time Persons of the Year
1927–1950	Charles Lindbergh (1927) Walter Chrysler (1928) Owen D. Young (1929) Mohandas Gandhi (1930) Pierre Laval (1931) Franklin D. Roosevelt (1932) Hugh S. Johnson (1933) Franklin D. Roosevelt (1934) Haile Selassie (1935) Wallis Simpson (1936) Chiang Kai-shek / Soong Mei-ling (1937) Adolf Hitler (1938) Joseph Stalin (1939) Winston Churchill (1940) Franklin D. Roosevelt (1941) Joseph Stalin (1942) George Marshall (1943) Dwight D. Eisenhower (1944) Harry S. Truman (1945) James F. Byrnes (1946) George Marshall (1947) Harry S. Truman (1948) Winston Churchill (1949) The American Fighting-Man (1950)
1951–1975	Mohammed Mosaddeq (1951) Elizabeth II (1952) Konrad Adenauer (1953) John Foster Dulles (1954) Harlow Curtice (1955) Hungarian Freedom Fighters (1956) Nikita Khrushchev (1957) Charles de Gaulle (1958) Dwight D. Eisenhower (1959) U.S. Scientists: George Beadle / Charles Draper / John Enders / Donald A. Glaser / Joshua Lederberg / Willard Libby / Linus Pauling / Edward Purcell / Isidor Rabi / Emilio Segrè / William Shockley / Edward Teller / Charles Townes / James Van Allen / Robert Woodward (1960) John F. Kennedy (1961) Pope John XXIII (1962) Martin Luther King Jr. (1963) Lyndon B. Johnson (1964) William Westmoreland (1965) The Generation Twenty-Five and Under (1966) Lyndon B. Johnson (1967) The Apollo 8 Astronauts: William Anders / Frank Borman / Jim Lovell (1968) The Middle Americans (1969) Willy Brandt (1970) Richard Nixon (1971) Henry Kissinger / Richard Nixon (1972) John Sirica (1973) King Faisal (1974) American Women: Susan Brownmiller / Kathleen Byerly / Alison Cheek / Jill Conway / Betty Ford / Ella Grasso / Carla Hills / Barbara Jordan / Billie Jean King / Susie Sharp / Carol Sutton / Addie Wyatt (1975)
1976–2000	Jimmy Carter (1976) Anwar Sadat (1977) Deng Xiaoping (1978) Ayatollah Khomeini (1979) Ronald Reagan (1980) Lech Wałęsa (1981) The Computer (1982) Ronald Reagan / Yuri Andropov (1983) Peter Ueberroth (1984) Deng Xiaoping (1985) Corazon Aquino (1986) Mikhail Gorbachev (1987) The Endangered Earth (1988) Mikhail Gorbachev (1989) George H. W. Bush (1990) Ted Turner (1991) Bill Clinton (1992) The Peacemakers: Yasser Arafat / F. W. de Klerk / Nelson Mandela / Yitzhak Rabin (1993) Pope John Paul II (1994) Newt Gingrich (1995) David Ho (1996) Andrew Grove (1997) Bill Clinton / Ken Starr (1998) Jeff Bezos (1999) George W. Bush (2000)
2001–present	Rudolph Giuliani (2001) The Whistleblowers: Cynthia Cooper / Coleen Rowley / Sherron Watkins (2002) The American Soldier (2003) George W. Bush (2004) The Good Samaritans: Bono / Bill Gates / Melinda Gates (2005) You (2006) Vladimir Putin (2007) Barack Obama (2008) Ben Bernanke (2009) Mark Zuckerberg (2010) The Protester (2011) Barack Obama (2012) Pope Francis (2013) Ebola Fighters: Dr. Jerry Brown / Dr. Kent Brantly / Ella Watson-Stryker / Foday Gollah / Salome Karwah (2014) Angela Merkel (2015) Donald Trump (2016) The Silence Breakers (2017) The Guardians: Jamal Khashoggi / Maria Ressa / Wa Lone / Kyaw Soe Oo / Staff of The Capital (2018) Greta Thunberg (2019) Joe Biden / Kamala Harris (2020) Elon Musk (2021) Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Spirit of Ukraine (2022) Taylor Swift (2023) Donald Trump (2024)

Theodore Roosevelt Award winners

1967: Eisenhower
1968: Saltonstall
1969: White
1970: Hovde
1971: Kraft Jr.
1972: Holland
1973: Omar Bradley
1974: Owens
1975: Ford
1976: Hamilton
1977: Tom Bradley
1978: Zornow
1979: Chandler
1980: Cooley
1981: Linkletter
1982: ~~Cosby~~
1983: Palmer
1984: Lawrence
1985: Fleming
1986: Bush
1987: Zable
1988: Not presented
1989: Ebert
1990: Reagan
1991: Gibson
1992: Kemp
1993: Alexander
1994: Johnson
1995: Mathias
1996: Wooden
1997: Payne
1998: Dole
1999: Richardson
2000: Staubach
2001: Cohen
2002: Shriver
2003: de Varona
2004: Page
2005: Ride
2006: Kraft
2007: Tagliabue
2008: Glenn
2009: Albright
2010: Mitchell
2011: Dunwoody
2012: Allen
2013: Dungy
2014: Mills
2015: Jackson
2016: Ueberroth
2017: Brooke-Marciniak
2018: Wilmore
2019: Caslen
2020: Delaney
2021: McLendon
2022: Boudreaux
2023: Shields
2024: Catena

National Football Foundation Gold Medal winners

1958: Dwight D. Eisenhower
1959: Douglas MacArthur
1960: Herbert Hoover & Amos Alonzo Stagg
1961: John F. Kennedy
1962: Byron "Whizzer" White
1963: Roger Blough
1964: Donold B. Lourie
1965: Juan T. Trippe
1966: Earl H. "Red" Blaik
1967: Frederick L. Hovde
1968: Chester J. LaRoche
1969: Richard Nixon
1970: Thomas J. Hamilton
1971: Ronald Reagan
1972: Gerald Ford
1973: John Wayne
1974: Gerald B. Zornow
1975: David Packard
1976: Edgar B. Speer
1977: Louis H. Wilson
1978: Vincent dePaul Draddy
1979: William P. Lawrence
1980: Walter J. Zable
1981: Justin W. Dart
1982: Silver Anniversary Awards (NCAA) - All Honored Jim Brown, Willie Davis, Jack Kemp, Ron Kramer, Jim Swink
1983: Jack Kemp
1984: John F. McGillicuddy
1985: William I. Spencer
1986: William H. Morton
1987: Charles R. Meyer
1988: Clinton E. Frank
1989: Paul Brown
1990: Thomas H. Moorer
1991: George H. W. Bush
1992: Donald R. Keough
1993: Norman Schwarzkopf
1994: Thomas S. Murphy
1995: Harold Alfond
1996: Gene Corrigan
1997: Jackie Robinson
1998: John H. McConnell
1999: Keith Jackson
2000: Fred M. Kirby II
2001: Billy Joe "Red" McCombs
2002: George Steinbrenner
2003: Tommy Franks
2004: William V. Campbell
2005: Jon F. Hanson
2006: Joe Paterno & Bobby Bowden
2007: Pete Dawkins & Roger Staubach
2008: John Glenn
2009: Phil Knight & Bill Bowerman
2010: Bill Cosby
2011: Robert Gates
2012: Roscoe Brown
2013: National Football League & Roger Goodell
2014: Tom Catena & George Weiss
2015: Condoleezza Rice
2016: Archie Manning
2017: None awarded
2018: Aaron Feis & Jason Seaman
2019: Mark Harmon

v t e Presidents of the Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and SAG-AFTRA
SAG presidents	Ralph Morgan (1933) Eddie Cantor (1933–35) Robert Montgomery (1935–38) Ralph Morgan (1938–40) Edward Arnold (1940–42) James Cagney (1942–44) George Murphy (1944–46) Robert Montgomery (1946–47) Ronald Reagan (1947–52) Walter Pidgeon (1952–57) Leon Ames (1957–58) Howard Keel (1958–59) Ronald Reagan (1959–60) George Chandler (1960–63) Dana Andrews (1963–65) Charlton Heston (1965–71) John Gavin (1971–73) Dennis Weaver (1973–75) Kathleen Nolan (1975–79) William Schallert (1979–81) Ed Asner (1981–85) Patty Duke (1985–88) Barry Gordon (1988–95) Richard Masur (1995–99) William Daniels (1999–01) Melissa Gilbert (2001–05) Alan Rosenberg (2005–09) Ken Howard (2009–12)
AFTRA presidents	Eddie Cantor (1937–40) Lawrence Tibbett (1940–46) Ken Carpenter (1946–48) Bud Collyer (1948–50) Knox Manning (1950–52) Alan Bunce (1952–54) Frank Nelson (1954–57) Bud Collyer (1957–59) Virginia Payne (1959–61) Art Gilmore (1961–63) Vicki Vola (1963–65) Tyler McVey (1965–67) Mel Brandt (1967–70) Bill Baldwin (1970–73) Ken Harvey (1973–76) Joe Slattery (1976–79) Bill Hillman (1979–84) Frank Maxwell (1984–89) Reed Farrell (1989–93) Shelby Scott (1993–01) John Connolly (2001–07) Roberta Reardon (2007–12)
SAG-AFTRA presidents	Ken Howard (2012–16) Gabrielle Carteris (2016–21) Fran Drescher (2021–present)

Individuals lain in state, in honor and in repose in the United States

State funerals in the United States

Lain in state

US Capitol rotunda	Clay (1852) Lincoln (1865, funeral) Stevens (1868) Sumner (1874) Wilson (1875) Garfield (1881) Logan (1886) McKinley (1901) L'Enfant (1909) Dewey (1917) Unknown Soldier for World War I (1921) Harding (1923) W. H. Taft (1930) Pershing (1948) R. A. Taft (1953) Unknown Soldiers for World War II and the Korean War (1958) Kennedy (1963, funeral) MacArthur (1964) H. Hoover (1964) Eisenhower (1969) Dirksen (1969) J. E. Hoover (1972) Johnson (1973) Humphrey (1978) Blassie / Unknown Soldier for the Vietnam War (1984) Pepper (1989) Reagan (2004, funeral) Ford (2006–07, funeral) Inouye (2012) McCain (2018) Bush (2018, funeral) Lewis (2020) Dole (2021) Reid (2022) Carter (2024–25, funeral)
National Statuary Hall	Cummings (2019) Ginsburg (2020, funeral) Young (2022)
House Chamber	Hooper (1875)
Herbert C. Hoover Building	Brown (1996)
Old Senate Chamber	Chase (1873)

Lain in honor

US Capitol rotunda	Chestnut and Gibson (1998) Parks (2005) Graham (2018) Sicknick (2021) Evans (2021) Williams (2022)

Lain in repose

East Room	Harrison (1841) Taylor (1850) Lincoln (1865, funeral) McKinley (1901) Harding (1923) Roosevelt (1945) Kennedy (1963, funeral)
Great Hall of the US Supreme Court	Warren (1974) Marshall (1993) Burger (1995) Brennan (1997) Blackmun (1999) Rehnquist (2005) Scalia (2016) Stevens (2019) Ginsburg (2020, funeral) O'Connor (2023)
Senate Chamber	Byrd (2010) Lautenberg (2013)

Bold: Presidents and chief justices

Refusenik movement and 1990s post-Soviet aliyah

(c. 1970 – 2000)

Background

Causes	The Holocaust Antisemitism in the Soviet Union Joseph Stalin Zionism Six-Day War Emigration from the Eastern Bloc Slánský trial Anti-cosmopolitan campaign
Jewish groups	Ashkenazim Mountain Jews Karaim Krymchaks Bukharan Jews Georgian Jews

Events

People

Soviet Union
Commonwealth of Independent States

Pro-government/antisemitic	Leonid Brezhnev Yuri Andropov Mikhail Gorbachev Mikhail Suslov David Dragunsky Yakov Fishman Adolf Shayevich Emomali Rahmon
Jewish	Ida Nudel Natan Sharansky Yuli Edelstein Eduard Kuznetsov Iosif Begun

United States

Israel

Other

Pro-Soviet	Władysław Gomułka
Pro-Jewish	Nicolae Ceaușescu

Organisations

Soviet Union	Communist Party of the Soviet Union Communist Party of the Russian Federation Anti-Zionist Committee of the Soviet Public Moscow Helsinki Group Pamyat
United States	Jewish Defense League American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee Union of Councils for Soviet Jews National Coalition Supporting Soviet Jewry
Israel	Nativ Jewish Agency

Aftermath

v t e Time 100: The Most Important People of the 20th Century
Leaders & revolutionaries	David Ben-Gurion Winston Churchill Mahatma Gandhi Mikhail Gorbachev Adolf Hitler Ho Chi Minh Pope John Paul II Ruhollah Khomeini Martin Luther King Jr. Vladimir Lenin Nelson Mandela Mao Zedong Ronald Reagan Eleanor Roosevelt Franklin D. Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Margaret Sanger Margaret Thatcher Unknown Tiananmen Square rebel Lech Wałęsa
Artists & entertainers	Louis Armstrong Lucille Ball The Beatles Marlon Brando Coco Chanel Charlie Chaplin Le Corbusier Bob Dylan T. S. Eliot Aretha Franklin Martha Graham Jim Henson James Joyce Pablo Picasso Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein Bart Simpson Frank Sinatra Steven Spielberg Igor Stravinsky Oprah Winfrey
Builders & titans	Stephen Bechtel Sr. Leo Burnett Willis Carrier Walt Disney Henry Ford Bill Gates Amadeo Giannini Ray Kroc Estée Lauder William Levitt Lucky Luciano Louis B. Mayer Charles E. Merrill Akio Morita Walter Reuther Pete Rozelle David Sarnoff Juan Trippe Sam Walton Thomas J. Watson Jr.
Scientists & thinkers	Leo Baekeland Tim Berners-Lee Rachel Carson Albert Einstein Philo Farnsworth Enrico Fermi Alexander Fleming Sigmund Freud Robert H. Goddard Kurt Gödel Edwin Hubble John Maynard Keynes Leakey family Jean Piaget Jonas Salk William Shockley Alan Turing Francis Crick & James Watson Ludwig Wittgenstein Wright brothers
Heroes & icons	Muhammad Ali The American G.I. Lady Diana Spencer Anne Frank Billy Graham Che Guevara Edmund Hillary & Tenzing Norgay Helen Keller Kennedy family Bruce Lee Charles Lindbergh Harvey Milk Marilyn Monroe Emmeline Pankhurst Rosa Parks Pelé Jackie Robinson Andrei Sakharov Mother Teresa Bill W.

Authority control databases
International	ISNI VIAF FAST WorldCat
National	Germany United States France BnF data Japan Italy Australia Czech Republic Spain Netherlands Norway Latvia Croatia Chile Greece Argentina Korea Sweden Poland Vatican Israel Catalonia Belgium
Academics	CiNii
Artists	MusicBrainz FID
People	Trove Deutsche Biographie Deutsche Synchronkartei DDB
Other	IdRef NARA SNAC 2 Te Papa (New Zealand)