198 1 year 65438+1October 20th, Washington, DC, Reagan was elected president of the United States, which laid the foundation for the change of the world pattern.
Public opinion generally believes that it was the Reagan administration's tough policy that brought pressure on the Soviet Union's military expenditure, which eventually crushed the Soviet economy, realized the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the disintegration of the producer camp that the United States expected, and made the United States the only superpower in the world.
President Bush said, "He left us a country he recovered and a world he helped save. During Reagan's presidency, the United States got rid of an era of division and self-doubt. Thanks to his leadership, the world has got rid of an era of fear and tyranny. "
The Reagan Revolution brought the longest-lasting prosperity to the United States.
Reagan was a political representative of conservatism. His election depends on the power of American conservative "silent majority". During his leadership of the United States, the conservative trend of thought jumped to the mainstream of American politics after being on the edge of American politics for a long time since Roosevelt's "New Deal".
Conservatives emphasize order, public opinion, morality and religion in society, and advocate individual freedom, enterprise freedom, trade freedom and private ownership in economy. They advocate that the government should reduce its intervention in economic and social life, reduce public and welfare expenditures, and give enterprises and individuals greater economic freedom.
The supply-side economic policy implemented during the Reagan administration ran counter to Keynesianism, which had occupied the mainstream position in western countries' economic policies before that, and echoed the monetary economic policy adopted by British Prime Minister Thatcher.
As an actor, Reagan's acting is only second-rate and third-rate. As a politician, even the leaders of allies think that his IQ is not high and his knowledge is limited. 1986 After seeing him in England, Mrs. Thatcher commented that "there is nothing between his ears" (meaning that he has no brains).
But Reagan's political skills were first-rate. He is one of the few presidents in the postwar history of the United States who can maintain good relations with the media and the US Congress at the same time. This has created favorable conditions for his popularity among the people.
Being able to deal with Congress easily, Reagan was able to pass a series of legislation in Congress to stimulate economic development, curb inflation and strengthen national defense. Under the guidance of conservative economic policies, the Reagan administration began to cut taxes and government spending, and greatly increased defense spending. The implementation of these policies is regarded as a "Reagan revolution" in economic policy. From 65438 to 0986, Reagan completely revised the income tax law, canceled some taxes and exempted many low-income people from taxes. At the end of his administration, the United States enjoyed the longest prosperity in peacetime.
"Reaganism" promoted the end of the Cold War.
In diplomacy, until the Reagan administration, the United States still did not get rid of the shadow of the Vietnam War.
The "American myth" was shattered, and the optimistic view of American democracy was questioned. Especially compared with the Soviet Union, the United States has no advantage in strategic weapons.
In the eyes of Americans, the producer groups headed by the Soviet Union are expanding all over the world, especially in the third world. After Vietnam invaded Cambodia, the Soviet Union occupied Afghanistan at 1979 and 12. 1979 As a result of the Iranian revolution led by Khomeini, the United States lost its most loyal ally in the Middle East, which has huge strategic interests in oil. At the same time, its backyard, Central America, is also threatened by the armed struggle of Nicaragua's left-wing regime supported by the Soviet Union and Cuba and other countries against the right-wing government.
In order to restore America's military strength and rebuild America's public confidence, "Reagan doctrine" replaced the containment policy and was used to deal with Brezhnevism and guard against the Soviet Union in the third world.
198 1 year, Alexander Haig, Reagan's first secretary of state, declared that the Soviet Union must understand that its irresistible adventure era in the third world countries was over.
1982 In his speech to the British Parliament, Reagan advocated "consolidating the foundation of democracy" and called for launching a "jihad for freedom" against Soviet totalitarianism. Reagan's speech was praised by British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher as part of the ideological struggle against imperialism.
In February 1985, Reagan made a clear statement about "Reaganism": "We must never weaken the confidence of those who risk their lives ... resist the Soviet aggression and ensure our birthright. Supporting a freedom fighter is self-defense. " The essence of this policy is that the United States should provide economic and military assistance and political support for anti-capitalist uprisings in Central America, Asia and Africa.
Thus, during the first Reagan administration, American support for racist regimes in South Korea, the Philippines, South Africa and right-wing military dictatorships in Central America reached its peak. It also provided financial and logistical assistance through the Central Intelligence Agency and trained right-wing anti-government organizations in Nicaragua. However, the Reagan administration's support did not prevent these countries from finally moving towards democratization, nor did it overthrow the Sandinista National Front regime in Nicaragua by military subversion.
Reagan pursued the policy of "seeking peace through strength" towards the Soviet Union. From the beginning, the Reagan administration was committed to rebuilding the military power of the United States. During Reagan's two terms, he increased defense spending by 35%. During its first term 198 1 ~ 1985, the total military expenditure of the United States reached150 billion US dollars, equivalent to 8% of the GNP of the United States, creating the largest military expenditure of the United States in peacetime. In addition, more and more military expenditures are used to develop new weapon systems.
Reagan adopted a tougher policy towards the Soviet Union. He didn't believe in containment policy and didn't want to negotiate treaties with Soviet leaders on the basis of mutual distrust, which led Reagan to put forward the famous "space defense plan" in 1983. Due to the huge military expenditure, the financial deficit of the United States is getting bigger and bigger. However, since the 1985 Geneva meeting between the United States and the Soviet Union, a new process of detente has begun between the United States and the Soviet Union. From 65438 to 0986, the United States and the Soviet Union reached a series of agreements, including the treaty on the elimination of medium-range and short-range missiles.
1989 when Reagan left the white house, the world was close to the end of the cold war. No matter what the facts are, American public opinion generally believes that the Reagan administration's tough policy brought pressure on the Soviet Union's military expenditure, which eventually crushed the Soviet economy and achieved the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the * * * producer camp expected by the United States. As a result, the United States became the only superpower in the world, and the danger of nuclear war was greatly reduced. In addition, under the leadership of Reagan, Americans regained their national self-confidence. According to American comments, diplomatically speaking, Reagan may have changed the balance of power in the world more than any other president in American history, because he promoted the end of the Cold War. Because of Reagan's political legacy, even his domestic political opponents will respect him.
Reagan revolution
Just as goldwater began to mobilize these white voters to become a "silent majority", Reagan stepped onto the political stage. In a campaign speech on behalf of goldwater, he made his first appearance on national television, denouncing the government's violation of individual freedom and demanding that the government break away from ordinary people's lives, which became the pinnacle of goldwater's campaign and made Reagan the most attractive leader of conservatism.
Although Reagan lived a luxurious life and eventually became the king of the world, he was still a poor white boy at heart. This is also the key to his ability to impress voters. In his later years, he suffered from Alzheimer's disease and his memory declined. However, his last memory is not the glory at the peak of power at all, but the experience of being a lifeguard in middle school. At that time, in order to make up for college tuition, he worked seven days a week as a lifeguard with a weekly salary of $ 15 and saved dozens of drowning people. When he was almost 30 years old, he used to stand among a group of students in a sculpture class wearing only a pair of underwear and be a mannequin for others. That's how he got up from the bottom. In Hollywood, as a second-rate actor, I made nine films a year, which was a success, but most of my income was paid by the federal government. This life experience has shaped his unshakable belief: in the United States, a poor child will have a bright future as long as he is willing to work. The omnipresent big government will only take away the fruits of individual struggle and suppress individual creativity. The most commendable thing is that this belief is not learned from Hayek and Friedman's books, but the crystallization of his own life. So he conveyed such a conservative philosophy to ordinary people, much more powerful than those famous people who won the Nobel Prize.
This kind of civilian conservatism does not necessarily agree with the existing order, but emphasizes that people can change their own destiny and the society they grew up in. Therefore, the biggest difference between this conservatism and European conservatism is that it ignores hierarchy. Rebelling against the paternalism of New England and the Party has always been one of the basic driving forces of conservatism in the southern sunshine zone. At the same time, this conservatism has a unique optimism for the future. Reading Churchill's History of English-speaking Nationalities, you will know that this European conservative politician always feels that today is worse than before, and even the Middle Ages are more civilized than modern society, and the future may be worse than now. No wonder the real definition of conservatism is "resisting rapid social change". Reagan fully accepted Tom Paine's famous saying: "We have the ability to make the world start again." Some critics pointed out that Reagan was the most optimistic and satisfied with his personality among the presidents in American history. He is not as gloomy as Nixon and never tries to change himself. Nixon didn't go to Harvard because he was poor. He suffered all his life. Bush studied in a prestigious school, but he must portray himself as a Reagan. Reagan never tried to change himself. He walked from the bottom of society to the top of the world, and his life was a classic American dream. Why has he changed? What is his complaint? Therefore, this optimistic temperament and self-confidence in his own character enabled him to sublimate his life experience into a political philosophy and confidently convey it to the American public.
It is also true that he makes no secret of luxury and luxury in life. Because he is confident that everything he has is what he deserves and is a reward for his virtue. He believes that Americans have the same virtues as him and deserve the same rewards. In his view, the homeless in the United States chose that way of life by themselves, and the state should not be responsible for it. He sarcastically said that the single mother who receives relief is the "welfare queen" and is always dissatisfied. But he believes that as long as people believe in the values he shares and join the hard-working American group to which he belongs, they will succeed. Therefore, he encourages Americans to boldly assert their own values, enjoy the fruits of their virtues, and pay no attention to other people's gossip, let alone always feel that they owe others something. It is this kind of life communication with voters that brings confidence and hope to Americans (especially conservatives) when they are gloomy and pessimistic.
This quality made Reagan a popular leader of post-goldwater conservatism. Times are also shaping Reagan. Goldwater not only developed * * * and the Party's "Southern Strategy", but also began to accommodate the new class in the West. Goldwater's hometown of Phoenix, Arizona changed from a small town of 30,000 people to a city of 2 million people in the 1960s and 1980s. California is booming. The development of military industry stimulated a large number of immigrants to the west. These people are often the people who are most dissatisfied with the vested interests of New England. In New England, the business community is controlled by the intertwined board of directors, and the blue-collar workers are controlled by the trade unions, with no breathing space. The west brings people freedom. People don't see where you come from, but what you do. Therefore, these new classes in the west are often individual liberals, who especially hate the ubiquitous government and are in the same boat as liberals who advocate government intervention in social and economic life.
After goldwater lost the election, Reagan was elected governor of California twice. At this point, he has felt his time is coming. During the period of 1945, banks in new york occupied half of the national banking resources. Parental rule is a matter of course in New England. However, by 1964, the Bank of America in California is on a par with Rockefeller's Chase Manhattan, and the banks in new york can only occupy 12.5% of the national banking resources. New England is losing its power! Nixon stepped down because of Watergate, which ended the last chance of * * * and the moderates in the party. In 1980, Reagan, as the spokesman of the party's * * * and grassroots opposition movements, finally entered the White House, and promoted the largest tax reduction in history, reducing the highest income tax rate from 70% to 28%, and even regarded the huge fiscal deficit as a strategy, that is, making the federal government too poor to start a business. The radical right wing began to rule America.