Ronald Reagan

I

Introduction

Ronald Reagan (1911-2004), 40th President of the United States (1981-1989), who was elected on a conservative Republican platform.

Reagan was born on February 6, 1911, in Tampico, Illinois, above the shop where his Irish-American father sold shoes. In 1932 during the Great Depression, he graduated from nearby Eureka College, a conservative Protestant institution, where he had been active in sports and drama. Hoping for a Hollywood career, he worked in radio as a sports announcer in Des Moines, Iowa, until a screen test won him a contract at Warner Bros. in 1937. During the next decade and a half he appeared in some 50 films (mostly B-movies), including Knute Rockne-All American (1940), King’s Row (1942), and Bedtime for Bonzo (1951). Reagan’s poor eyesight prevented him from serving in World War II, and he spent the years between 1942 and 1945 making military training films.

II

Early Political Career

As his acting career lost momentum in the post-World War II years, Reagan became more and more interested in politics. Originally a Democrat and an admirer of Franklin D. Roosevelt, he served as president of his union, the Screen Actors Guild, for several years. His move towards ardent conservatism during the 1950s and his registration with the Republican Party in 1962 were apparently brought on by disillusionment with government bureaucracy and concern over communist influence in his union (he testified before the House Committee on Un-American Activities in 1947 and provided information to the Federal Bureau of Investigation about alleged communist infiltration in Hollywood). His conservatism was reinforced by his marriage (Reagan’s second; he had been married to the Hollywood actress Jane Wyman between 1940 and 1948) in 1952 to Nancy Davis, a young actress who shared his developing conservative values, and by his employment for eight years as a public relations speaker for the General Electric Company.

III

Governor of California

Reagan’s political career gathered momentum after a television appearance in support of the (unsuccessful) right-wing Republican candidate in the 1964 presidential election, Barry Goldwater, caught the attention of senior figures in the Republican Party. With their support Reagan entered the California gubernatorial race in 1966 and won. Very much a conservative ideologue and political amateur at first, he had difficulty working with the Democratic legislature. As governor he was able to order a hiring freeze on state jobs, but he was not able to obtain legislative support for lower taxes or for reducing the cost of government. After two years, however, he came to terms with the legislature, learning to listen and to compromise. He also learned how to use television to marshal popular support.

IV

Reagan as President

A

The 1980 Presidential Election

Reagan attempted unsuccessfully to attain the Republican nomination for president in 1968 and 1976 before beating George Bush for the nomination in 1980. He campaigned against aspects of the foreign policy of President Jimmy Carter that were particularly disliked by conservatives: the treaties returning the Canal Zone to Panama, the Strategic Arms Limitation treaties with the Soviet Union, and the application of human rights considerations in diplomacy. He emphasized a strong national defence and a hard line against the Soviet Union. Discontent with Carter’s foreign policy was crystallized by the seizure of the US embassy in Tehran, Iran, in November 1979 and the ensuing hostage crisis (see Islamic Revolution in Iran). Reagan’s message of national renewal and disenchantment with the government of the US, which he regarded as over-powerful, assured him a convincing victory: he won 51 per cent of the popular vote.