Ronald Reagan (1911–2004)

Before entering politics, Ronald Reagan was a broadcaster and actor. As president of the Screen Actors Guild, he worked to diminish communist influence in Hollywood. A Democrat until 1962, he switched to the Republican Party which better matched his conservative views. In 1964, his A Time for Choosing Speech propelled him into the spotlight as a new conservative spokesman in the USA. He became Governor of California in 1966 and President of the United States in 1980.

As president, he implemented supply-side economic policies, called ‘Reaganomics’, which included tax reduction, economic deregulation, and decreased government spending.

His aim for many years was the defeat of communism and freedom for people of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. He played a large role in achieving this goal through economic and military pressure combined with diplomacy.

In his Inauguration Speech when becoming Governor of California, he said:

‘Freedom is a fragile thing and is never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation, for it comes only once to a people. Those who have known freedom and then lost it have never known it again.’