How Ronald Reagan Broke the " Evil Empire" the USSR
Ronald Reagan was President of America at a critical time in world history. He was a Hollywood actor early in his life, but entered politics and won the presidential election in 1980. He was the 40th President of the USA and held the office of president from 1981-89. Reagan served the permissible 2 terms as President. These were tumultuous years as during his period in power, he formulated a concerted plan that led to the USSR being dismantled. Reagan always referred to the Soviet Union as the Evil Empire and considered it an anachronsm in world history.
Once Reagon became president he reversed the policy of previous US presidents, which was containment of the Soviet Union and detente to one of aggressive and proactive oppostion to the Soviet Union and the areas controlled by them. He had a one point plan, which he confided to his Security Advisor " we win, they lose". In fact in an address to the British parliament in 1983, he grandly announced that he had a plan that will send communism to the dustbin of history. If I remember correctly the term he used was " ash heap of history".
A look at how the earlier presidents reacted to the Soviet Union can be educative. President Truman had his first brush with communism during the Berlin Blockade(1948) and the KoreanWar( 1950-53). He wanted to just fight Communism, but failed as the USA gained nothing in the wars under Truman. The next President Ike Eishenhower decided to ring the Soviet Union with bases and pacts. His sole aim was to contain Communism. John Kennedy badly burnt his fingers during the Cuba crisis in 1962 and his successor Johnson decided the best way to oppose communism was by pacts and proactive war like Vietnam. He failed. It was followed by Jimmy Carter who never realized the true nature of Communism and decided on detente. It was only Reagon who made a one pont plan to destry the USSR and he knew that economic way was the best way as the USSR could not economically compete with USA.
Reagan had conviction and he was convinced the Soviets could not match the arms race with the USA. He was confident that any attempt to match the US arms would seriously affect the Soviet economy. Reagan thus authorised a arms buildup and the Soviets had no choice but to try and match the Americans. This strained the Soviet economy, which could not match the US arms buildup and as Reagan had envisaged cracks began to appear in the Soviet Empire.
Reagan actively began a support of all groups opposed to the Soviet Union. In this he also took the help of General Zia ul Haq who coordinated the US response to the Soviets in Afghanistan. The Soviet economy could not sustain the war in Afghanistan. Reagan also persuaded Saudi Arabia to increase oil production, leading to a oil glut in the market. Prices came down and the Soviets suffered the most as oil exports was the main source of Russian income. With dwindling income the Soviets could not sustain the military expenditure, resulting in the economy cracking.
Reagan also authorized all out support to anti Soviet rebels anywhere in the world. The USA also stepped up support to the East Europeans under Soviet control. It became a difficult time for the Soviets and with Leonid Brezhnev passing away, no comparable Soviet leader was available to lead the Soviet Union.
The Russian economy began to stagnate and when the Russians shot down a Korean jetliner in 1983, the American response unnerved the Soviet Union. Reagan ordered the Able Archar 83 exercise and the Russians feared a nuclear attack by the USA. Reagan also removed the pro-communist regime in Grenada and more important tightened the screws on transfer of technology to the Russians and their Eastern bloc.
Reagon was proved right. He had forecast the destruction of the Evil Empire and by the time he left the presidency, the eastern bloc had broken from the Soviet Union and the Berlin wall had come down. This was Reagans achievement and was a tribute to his one point plan to finish off the Soviet Union. His judicious support of Boris Yeltsin at a critical moment against Gorbochov, was a master stroke.
Communism would have collpased anyway in Russia, but the process was hastened by the policies of Reagan. In this he got the support of Margret Thatcher of the UK. Reagan was never thought of as good presidential material, like Trump is these days, but when in power he surprised all and sundry. He changed the earlier presidents policy from containment of Soviet Russia to confrontation and made the economic plans to break the Soviet economy. Now many Americans feel he was a good president. However he left behind some muck, which incubated after he left and led to the rise of Islamic fundamentalism. Perhaps Reagan should have been a little more caeful in trusting Zia ul Haq and the Afghan Mujahaddin.
Reagan is dead and gone and the Soviet Union is history. The evil empire has been dismantled, but America faces another and greater danger with the rise of an Islamic dream of Caliphate. Whether Trump will win and emulate Reagan is a toss up. However by November we will know where America is headed.
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