Ronald Reagan and His Cold War

Ronald Reagan was the President of the United States of America in the time of the Cold War. He had to answer the questions of changing the world in the very beginning of his presidential term from 1980. When he took over the Presidency, the Soviet Union was in an advanced position. They had just entered Afghanistan and gained massive support from South America and Africa while the European allies of the United States of America were mired down in political battles of their own. Ronald Reagan changed the ever diplomatic policy of “containment” towards the USSR and made a more aggressive policy towards the communists and called its legitimacy under question for the very first time. Reagan once remarked in the house of British the great words of Karl Marx saying that he was right that a crisis was unfolding, but according to him, it was not unfolding in the West but it was unfolding in the communist East. He reversed the policies of Détente towards the Soviets, whom he also called as the “evil empire”. Reagan after careful and secret assessment of the actual rates of the Soviets economic indices, found a loophole and increased the spending on the United States military by about 30% and knew that the Soviets would have to spend the money on military from their domestic budget which would in turn disturb the equilibrium in their economy. This strategic move placed the Democratic West above the Communistic East in the Cold War.

Reagan vouched for the start of the Star Wars or the “SDI”. The SDI stands for Strategic Defence Initiative. It meant that that the United States would build a wall of protection around itself from the nuclear missiles using laser technology. Reagan was sure the Soviets did not have enough money to develop such technology and this would prove a massive shift in the balance of power in the world. It was hence opposed by the Soviets on similar grounds. Reagan unlike his predecessors was not afraid to get into the internal fights of other nations. He believed democracy is for all and the United States will protect any country that supports its national interests and links it with the ideals of USA. While the policy of “Containment” sought to hold and accept communism, the Reagan Doctrine sought to destroy it.

Though many argue that the Cold War was won by Ronald Reagan, many say that it was rather lost by Michael Gorbachev because of the internal domestic struggles in the Soviet. The implosion of the Soviet Economy because they did not have money to fund technological changes past the arms race in any field but the military and the non-diversification of their economy led to their downfall. Gorbachev’s policy of Glasnost and Perestroika were also made in hope to solve internal tensions. The question of whether Reagan won the Cold War for America is still under contention but in my opinion, it was his strategic genius that had ended the spread of communism in the East and other parts of the World and has led to the spread of Democratic leadership around the world.