"Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall." With that epic statement, Ronald Reagan forcefully ordered that the Berlin wall be torn down. The destruction of the wall was symbolic of the elimination of the Soviet Union's strangle hold of Eastern Europe.
Ronald Reagan was a President who dedicated his words and actions of his two- term presidency to the protection of people's freedoms. His role in cementing the victory of the United States over the Soviet Union during the Cold War cannot be overstated. The pressures placed upon the Soviet Union by Ronald Reagan's administration, through economic blockades, a fevered arms race, and through constant pushes towards freedom and democracy, resulted in the implementation of many democratic reforms by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, which eventually caused the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The Soviet Union itself was in a position of great economic strength. The European countries emerged from the war immensely weakened.
English: US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet Gen...
English: President Reagan and General Secretary Go...
Official Portrait of President Ronald ReaganUnable to defend its outposts, Europe lost many of its colonies across the globe. The US built off the strength of its wartime economy and emerged from the war perfectly positioned to develop strong market presence across the globe. President Ronald Reagan used this incredible economic advantage to put pressure upon the Soviet Union, which weakened by many inherent flaws, collapsed under US pressure to democratize and the strength of capitalism.
Ronald Reagan's leadership during this difficult time period resulted in the disintegration of the U.S.S.R. and ensured the spread of American ideals, mainly freedom and democracy. He is still referred to frequently in modern politics and people often say that his presidency was the golden age of democracy and complain that Democrats today have steered to far from the "Reagan Democrat" ideals.
He hastened the end of the Cold War, set many new precedents, and...