Ronald Reagan and the End of the Cold War Essay example -- Ending the

The icy war was a post-World fight II struggle amidst the United Statesand its allies and the group of nations led by the Soviet Union. Direct militaryconflict did not occur between the two superpowers, but exquisite stinting anddiplomatic struggles erupted. Different interests led to mutual suspicion andhostility in a rising philosophy. The United States played a major position in theending of the cold war. It has been said that President Ronald Reagan ended thecold war with his strategic defense policies. In the year1949, Germany was divided by the victors of World state of war II andthey occupied different zones. The western regions united to form a Federalrepublic and the Soviet eastern region became communist East Germany. The coldwar had begun. Berlin, the former capital of Germany was divided into EastBerlin and West Berlin but was located deep inside the soviet controlled zone.1 Then, in 1961, the Soviet government construct a mole which separated thetwo halves of the city. It was not until the 1980s that cold war tensions easedthrough the glasnost (openness to public debate) polices of soviet leaderMikhail Gorbachev. Finally, in November 1989, the wall crumbled under the handsof the Germans and the cold war ended.2 The downfall of the cold war started when Ronald Reagan came into officein 1981. Reagan had two main priorities. He precious to cut taxes and emergencedefense spending. He felt that the United States of America should take aconfrontational approach towards Russia.3 Mikhail Gorbachev was the leader of Russia in 1985. He wanted to improvethe Russian economy. He also wanted to improve relations with the United States.He used his glasnost (openness to public debate) policy and perestroika(restructuring) to help the Russian economy.4 Both leaders wanted a margin of safety. Reagan took a tough standagainst Russia and its allies. The soviets could clearly see that when Reagansaid he wanted a margin of safety, he me ant that the United States should besuperior to Russia. Moscow would not let this happen. They wanted equality.5 Reagan also believed that military power and respect for America abroadwere inseparable from economic strength. However, Reagans defense policyresulted in the doubling of the debt of the United States. He used the money fornew strategic ... ...References1 Walter Lippman, The Cold War A get in U.S. Foreign Policy (New York Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1947) 48-52.2 Charles S. Maier, ed., The Cold War in Europe Era of a divided Continent (New York Markus Wiener Publishing, Inc., 1991) 27.3 Ralph B. Levering, The Cold War (Illinois Harlan Davidson, INC.,1988) 169.4 Levering, 1695 Levering, 1696 John Young, Cold War Europe 1945-1989 (New York Edward Allen, 1991) 26.7 Levering, 171-28 Levering 1739 The End of the Cold War http//usa.coldwar.server.gov/index/coldwar/ 2 Feb. 199710 http//usa.coldwar.server.gov/index/coldwar/11 Young, 2812 Young, 2813 Tom Morganthou, Reagan s cold war sting?, Newsweek 32 August 1993 3214 Levering, 18015Ending the Cold War, Foreign Affairs Spring 1988 24-2516 Young, 2817 Young, 2918 Young, 2919 Levering, 187-18820 Ending the Cold War, 2721 Ending the Cold War, 2822 Brinkley, Alan An Uneasy Peace 1988-, Vol. 10 of 20th Century America, 10 vols. (New York Grolier 1995)2223 Brinkley, 3024 George Bush addresses Europe http//www.rjgeib.com/thoughts/burke/ 13 March 1997.