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The end of a legend
It's a sunny April 2004 in Washington, D.C. On the day of President Reagan's national funeral, as many as 100,000 people spontaneously came to bid farewell to the "greatest American."
The team was so great that it was difficult to disperse for a long time.
In the crowd, a couple in their late teens clasped their hands and moist eyes. The husband whispered, "Let's pay tribute to the president who once made Americans proud one last time."
Beside him, a middle-aged man stroked the national flag badge on his chest with a solemn expression.
Ten years before Reagan's death, he had been plagued by Alzheimer's disease. The former slang-witted, witty and humorous leader began to fade.
Mrs. Nancy guarded him, her eyes full of distress.
Looking back at Reagan's life, it is not difficult to see how this commoner-born figure rose to the top of politics step by step with his outstanding charisma. And his ruling career, like a drama, was full of glory and controversy, and finally engraved him as a "legendary president".
From ordinary people to Hollywood stars
Reagan was born in Urbana, Illinois, in February 1911 into an ordinary Irish-American family. As a child, he was handsome and charming, and his fluent and humorous conversation won the love of those around him.
As a teenager entered adolescence, teenager Reagan began to pursue his dreams. He first served as a lifeguard in the summer, and on one occasion he saved 77 drowning people with his heroic and resolute efforts, earning him a national reputation.
At just 22 years old, the slick Reagan already worked as an announcer at the local newspaper, earning a whopping $90 a week, far more than his peers had accumulated in 10 years. After graduating from Stanford University in 1933, he quickly became a popular radio celebrity with his distinctive voice.
In 1937, the charismatic Reagan successfully embarked on the road to Hollywood. In the next 27 years, he participated in 56 films, becoming a popular movie star and famous in Hollywood.
From his humble beginnings to his later high-profile stardom, Reagan wrote a new chapter in his life with his personal efforts and talent. Behind the scenes, a strong interest in political affairs is gradually nurturing, which is ready for him to open a new stage in the future.
Dramatic life
In January 1981, at the age of 70, Reagan unexpectedly became the new president of the United States, the pinnacle of his political career. But 69 days later, in March, a dramatic accident suddenly happened.
That day, while leaving the Washington Hilton Hotel, Reagan was suddenly shot by a terrorist named John Hinckley. Hinckley went insane, he frantically pulled the trigger, and the bullet entered through Reagan's abdomen, only 2 miles from his heart. 5 cm.
At this moment, the scene was in turmoil. Reagan's guards rushed to escort the president into the car, which was already covered in blood. Everyone was anxious, worried that Reagan would not be able to withstand this fatal blow.
Surprisingly, Ligan himself showed unusual composure. He humorously said to the doctor, "Aren't you from the Democratic Party?" As soon as these words came out, the scene actually laughed.
Experts later assessed that if the bullet had been deflected by a few centimeters, it would have been difficult to survive. Although the attack did not endanger Reagan's life, it caused him great physical and psychological trauma and became an important trigger for his ideological transformation.
From being shot to being escorted to the hospital, those tense and strange images came to Reagan's mind again and again, prompting him to secretly resolve to take tough measures to protect national interests, thus laying the foundation for his later hawkish and conservative stance on foreign policy.
The gloom behind the revitalization and splendour
Reagan quickly demonstrated his unique leadership charisma after taking office. The theory of "Reaganomics" promoted by him instantly caused an uproar in the United States and became the focus of public opinion.
Reagan firmly believed that "robbing the poor and helping the rich" was the way to a rich country. He dramatically reduced the tax burden on the wealthy, while downsizing the federal government, advocating market liberalization, and dramatically increasing defense spending.
However, all of this is built on the overdraft of the future development potential of the United States. Data show that during Reagan's tenure, U.S. public debt rose sharply from $800 billion in 1981 to $2 in 1989. 6 trillion US dollars, an increase of 186% from when he took office, and he has become a debtor country in one fell swoop.
At the same time, in order to reduce production costs, a large number of manufacturing companies have outsourced or relocated their production capacity overseas. The American middle class has had to bear heavy taxes, amounting to 60% of wage income.
The "Rust Belt" has sprung up in several cities.
"Reagannomics" brought a brief prosperity to the modern United States, but it also laid the foundation for the bubble economy and the withering of the middle class in the future.
In response to the severe challenge from the Soviet Union, Reagan spared no expense to implement the controversial "Star Wars" program, which once became the focus of public opinion.
Even though it was just a media show designed to exhaust the Soviet Union from its own strength, the Soviets were convinced. In the end, the Soviet Union spent hundreds of billions of dollars on useless armaments, far beyond what could be afforded financially, and hastened its own decline.
Behind the short-lived prosperity of the Reagan era was an endless overdraft of the United States' development momentum for the next 20 years. He deliberately led the confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union to a fever pitch, which eventually led to the Soviet Union's exhaustion in the arms race and its disintegration.
Reagan's big-budget geopolitical chess game
In order to completely defeat the behemothic Soviet Union, it is not enough to rely on the power of the United States alone. Thus, Reagan orchestrated a complex geopolitical chess game on the global stage.
At the strategic level, Reagan was well aware that China was an indispensable and important pawn in his countermeasures against the Soviet Union. In order to contain and isolate the Soviet Union, the Reagan administration comprehensively wooed China, giving large loans and investments to support China's reform and opening up process.
Trade between the two countries began to climb in 1979 and reached $14.2 billion in 1990. In return, Reagan succeeded in gaining diplomatic support from China, further pushing the Soviet Union into a passive predicament.
In addition to co-opting China, Reagan cast a wide net against the Soviet Union around the world, cultivating proxies everywhere. For example, during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, he fully funded and supported the local Taliban militants against the Soviet army.
In 1986, Reagan made a special trip to meet with Taliban leaders, aiming to accelerate the Soviet Union's exhaustion in the war. In retrospect, who would have thought that it was the Taliban that would later become notorious that it was the U.S. government that received funding and support back then.
On diplomatic occasions, Reagan's style of wielding a "big stick" is impressive.