188-390: [REDACTED] Ronald Reagan was the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. Previously, he was the 33rd governor of California from 1967 to 1975 and acted in Hollywood films from 1937 to 1964, the same year he energized the American conservative movement . Reagan's basic foreign policy was to equal and surpass the Soviet Union in military strength, and put it on
376-546: A Republican . In the 1964 U.S. presidential election , Reagan gave a speech for presidential contender Barry Goldwater that was eventually referred to as " A Time for Choosing ". Reagan argued that the Founding Fathers "knew that governments don't control things. And they knew when a government sets out to do that, it must use force and coercion to achieve its purpose" and that "We've been told increasingly that we must choose between left or right". Even though
564-481: A balanced budget . The United States borrowed heavily to cover newly spawned federal budget deficits. Reagan described the tripled debt the "greatest disappointment of his presidency". Jeffrey Frankel opined that the deficits were a major reason why Reagan's successor, Bush, reneged on his campaign promise by raising taxes through the Budget Enforcement Act of 1990 . On March 30, 1981, Reagan
752-556: A lifeguard at the Rock River in Lowell Park . In 1928, Reagan began attending Eureka College at Nelle's approval on religious grounds. He was a mediocre student who participated in sports, drama, and campus politics. He became student body president and joined a student strike that resulted in the college president's resignation. Reagan was initiated as a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity and served as president of
940-709: A small government and a strong national defense , since he believed the United States was behind the Soviet Union militarily. Heading into 1980, his age became an issue among the press, and the United States was in a severe recession . In the primaries , Reagan unexpectedly lost the Iowa caucus to George H. W. Bush . Three days before the New Hampshire primary , the Reagan and Bush campaigns agreed to
1128-583: A "strapping young buck", which became an example of dog whistle politics , and attacked Ford for handing the Panama Canal to Panama's government while Ford implied that he would end Social Security . Then, in Illinois, he again criticized Ford's policy and his secretary of state, Henry Kissinger . Losing the first five primaries prompted Reagan to desperately win North Carolina's by running
1316-688: A PhD in industrial economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology . From 1948 to 1957, he taught in the MIT Department of Economics and the MIT Sloan School of Management , with a leave of absence in 1955 to serve on President Dwight D. Eisenhower 's Council of Economic Advisers as a Senior Staff Economist. In 1957, Shultz left MIT and joined the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business as
1504-761: A September 2014 talk at MIT and a March 2015 op-ed in The Washington Post . In 2014, Shultz joined the advisory board of the Citizens' Climate Lobby, and in 2017, Shultz cofounded the Climate Leadership Council , along with George H. W. Bush's Secretary of State James Baker and George W. Bush's Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson . In 2017, these Republican elder statesmen, along with Martin S. Feldstein and N. Gregory Mankiw , urged conservatives to embrace
1692-488: A bill to create the holiday in 1983 after it passed both houses of Congress with veto-proof margins. In 1984, he signed legislation intended to impose fines for fair housing discrimination offenses. In March 1988, Reagan vetoed the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987 , but Congress overrode his veto. He had argued that the bill unreasonably increased the federal government's power and undermined
1880-744: A bond between him and the American people that was never really broken". Later, Reagan came to believe that God had spared his life "for a chosen mission". Reagan appointed three Associate Justices to the Supreme Court of the United States : Sandra Day O'Connor in 1981, which fulfilled a campaign promise to name the first female justice to the Court, Antonin Scalia in 1986, and Anthony Kennedy in 1988. He also elevated William Rehnquist from Associate Justice to Chief Justice in 1986. The direction of
2068-540: A carbon fee and dividend program. In 2016, Shultz was one of eight former Treasury secretaries who called on the United Kingdom to remain a member of the European Union ahead of the "Brexit" referendum . From 2011 to 2015, Shultz was a member of the board of directors of Theranos , a health technology company that became known for its false claims to have devised revolutionary blood tests . He
SECTION 10
#17327755247322256-584: A certain number of black members by an enforced deadline—a break with their past policy of largely discriminating against such members. This marked the first use of racial quotas in the federal government. Daniel Patrick Moynihan , Nixon's first choice for Secretary of Labor, was deemed unacceptable by AFL–CIO President George Meany , which pushed to fill the position with Shultz, then Dean of University of Chicago's School of Business , (with prior experience in another GOP administration, on President Eisenhower 's Council of Economic Advisers ). Shultz became
2444-584: A constitutional amendment to allow it. Fighting drugs was a high priority. He also appointed the first woman to the Supreme Court. Reagan became an iconic figure who has been praised by later Republican presidential candidates. "Ronald Reagan was convivial, upbeat, courteous, respectful, self-confident, and humble. But he was also opaque, remote, distant, and inscrutable," says historian Melvyn P. Leffler . According to James P. Pfiffner, University Professor of Public Policy at George Mason University , Reagan
2632-524: A euphemism for capitulation if the shadow of power is not cast across the bargaining table." After leaving public office, Shultz "retained an iconoclastic streak" and publicly opposed some positions taken by fellow Republicans . He called the War on Drugs a failure, and added his signature to an advertisement printed in The New York Times in 1998, headlined "We believe the global war on drugs
2820-546: A gradual increase over 25 years in the retirement age from 65 to 67, to take account of longer life expectancy. (People could retire younger but at a reduced rate of benefits.) Millions of people were added to the system, especially employees of state governments and nonprofit organizations. Reagan wrote that he never tried to undo the New Deal because he admired President Franklin D. Roosevelt and voted for him in each of his four presidential campaigns. In 1986, Reagan stated
3008-545: A grassroots campaign and uniting with the Jesse Helms political machine that viciously attacked Ford. Reagan won an upset victory, convincing party delegates that Ford's nomination was no longer guaranteed. Reagan won subsequent victories in Texas, Alabama, Georgia, and Indiana with his attacks on social programs, opposition to forced busing , increased support from inclined voters of a declining George Wallace campaign for
3196-435: A high-tech weapons race based on computers; it was imperative to block them from gaining western technology. Third, was the moral certainty that Communism was evil and doomed to failure. Reagan was the first major world leader to declare that Communism would soon collapse. On March 3, 1983, he was blunt to a religious group: the Soviet Union is "the focus of evil in the modern world" and could not last: "I believe that communism
3384-479: A history of brain damage . He also stayed the execution of convicted murderer Robert Lee Massie in 1967 because he wanted Massie to attend the trial of his alleged accomplice. Massie would be executed over three decades later for a separate murder in 2001. He approved the construction of three new prisons as President in 1982 as recommended by Attorney General William French Smith . Reagan firmly sought opposition to illegal drugs. He and his wife sought to reduce
3572-401: A large engineering and services company. He was later its president and a director . Under Shultz's leadership, Bechtel received contracts for many large construction projects, including from Saudi Arabia . In the year before he left Bechtel, the company reported a 50% increase in revenue. Shultz is one of only two individuals to have served in four United States Cabinet positions within
3760-480: A leading conservative figure. After being elected governor of California in 1966 , he raised the state taxes, turned the state budget deficit into a surplus and implemented harsh crackdowns on university protests. Following his loss to Gerald Ford in the 1976 Republican Party presidential primaries , Reagan won the Republican Party's nomination and then a landslide victory over President Jimmy Carter in
3948-481: A leave of absence in 1955 to take a position on President Dwight D. Eisenhower 's Council of Economic Advisers . After serving as dean of the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business , he accepted President Richard Nixon 's appointment as United States Secretary of Labor . In that position, he imposed the Philadelphia Plan on construction contractors who refused to accept black members, marking
SECTION 20
#17327755247324136-462: A limited acting range, was dissatisfied with the roles he received. As a result, Lew Wasserman renegotiated his contract with his studio, allowing him to also make films with Universal Pictures , Paramount Pictures , and RKO Pictures as a freelancer. With this, Reagan appeared in multiple western films , something that had been denied to him while working at Warner Bros. In 1952, he ended his relationship with Warner Bros., but went on to appear in
4324-476: A major tax cut and large-scale deregulation of business activities. He took steps to weaken labor unions and found a bipartisan long-term fix to protect the Social Security system. Although Reagan had support from the religious right , he generally avoided or downplayed social issues such as abortion, homosexuality, and racial integration. Reagan spoke out for prayers in public schools, but did not promote
4512-429: A meeting at which George W. Bush discussed his views with policy experts including Michael Boskin , John Taylor , and Condoleezza Rice , who were evaluating possible Republican candidates to run for president in 2000. At the end of the meeting, the group felt they could support Bush's candidacy, and Shultz encouraged him to enter the race. He then served as an informal advisor for Bush's presidential campaign during
4700-615: A member of the Hoover Institution , the Institute for International Economics , the Washington Institute for Near East Policy , and other groups. He was also a prominent and hands-on board member of Theranos , which defrauded more than $ 700 million from its investors before it collapsed. His grandson Tyler Shultz worked at the company before becoming a whistleblower about the fraudulent technology. Shultz
4888-521: A method to avoid getting the AIDS virus. Reagan was a supporter of capital punishment . As California's Governor, Reagan was beseeched to grant executive clemency to Aaron Mitchell , who had been sentenced to death for the murder of a Sacramento police officer, but he refused. Mitchell was executed the following morning. It was the only execution during his eight years as Governor—he had previously granted executive clemency to one man on death row who had
5076-412: A one-on-one debate sponsored by The Telegraph at Nashua, New Hampshire , but hours before the debate, the Reagan campaign invited other candidates including Bob Dole , John B. Anderson , Howard Baker and Phil Crane . Debate moderator Jon Breen denied seats to the other candidates, asserting that The Telegraph would violate federal campaign contribution laws if it sponsored the debate and changed
5264-456: A people has been by way of medicine. It is very easy to describe a medical program as a humanitarian project ... Under the Truman administration , it was proposed that we have a compulsory health insurance program for all people in the United States, and of course, the American people unhesitatingly rejected this ... In the last decade, 127 million of our citizens, in just ten years, have come under
5452-431: A positive take on free markets . Under GE vice president Lemuel Boulware , a staunch anti-communist, employees were encouraged to vote for business-friendly politicians. In 1961, Reagan adapted his speeches into another speech to criticize Medicare . In his view, its legislation would have meant "the end of individual freedom in the United States". In 1962, Reagan was dropped by GE, and he formally registered as
5640-646: A professor of industrial relations, and he served as the Graduate School of Business Dean from 1962 to 1968. During his time in Chicago, he was influenced by Nobel Laureates Milton Friedman and George Stigler , who reinforced Shultz's view of the importance of a free-market economy. He left the University of Chicago to serve under President Richard Nixon in 1969. Shultz was President Richard Nixon 's Secretary of Labor from 1969 to 1970. He soon faced
5828-627: A renewed dollar crisis that broke out in February 1973. Domestically Shultz enacted the next phase of the NEP, lifting price controls begun in 1971. This phase was a failure, resulting in high inflation, and price freezes were reestablished five months later. Meanwhile, Shultz's attention was increasingly diverted from the domestic economy to the international arena. In 1973, he participated in an international monetary conference in Paris that grew out of
Political positions of Ronald Reagan - Misplaced Pages Continue
6016-472: A result, taxes on sales, banks, corporate profits, inheritances, liquor, and cigarettes jumped. Kevin Starr states, Reagan "gave Californians the biggest tax hike in their history—and got away with it". In the 1970 gubernatorial election , Unruh used Reagan's tax policy against him, saying it disproportionally favored the wealthy. Reagan countered that he was still committed to reducing property taxes. By 1973,
6204-636: A series of six national security advisers before settling on people he trusted. Reagan's choice of advisers sometimes backfired, such as when National Security Adviser John Poindexter and his aide Oliver North engaged in a secret deal with Iran called the Iran–Contra affair that seriously damaged Reagan's reputation. Reagan had rarely traveled abroad and relied on an inner circle of advisers who were not foreign policy experts, including his wife Nancy , James Baker , Edwin Meese , and Michael Deaver . After Haig
6392-707: A set of neoliberal reforms dubbed "Reaganomics", which included monetarism and supply-side economics . Reagan worked with the boll weevil Democrats to pass tax and budget legislation in a Congress led by Tip O'Neill , a liberal who strongly criticized Reaganomics. He lifted federal oil and gasoline price controls on January 28, 1981, and in August, he signed the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981 to dramatically lower federal income tax rates and require exemptions and brackets to be indexed for inflation starting in 1985. Amid growing concerns about
6580-626: A special election. Reagan's first tenure saw various labor–management disputes, the Hollywood blacklist , and the Taft–Hartley Act 's implementation. On April 10, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) interviewed Reagan and he provided them with the names of actors whom he believed to be communist sympathizers . During a House Un-American Activities Committee hearing, Reagan testified that some guild members were associated with
6768-629: A thaw between the United States and the Soviet Union. He opposed the U.S. aid to Contras trying to overthrow the Sandinistas by using funds from an illegal sale of weapons to Iran. This aid led to the Iran–Contra affair . Shultz retired from public office in 1989 but remained active in business and politics. He had already been an executive of the Bechtel Group , an engineering and services company, from 1974 to 1982. Shultz served as an informal adviser to George W. Bush and helped formulate
6956-683: A total of 53 films, his last being The Killers (1964). In April 1937, Reagan enlisted in the United States Army Reserve . He was assigned as a private in Des Moines' 322nd Cavalry Regiment and reassigned to second lieutenant in the Officers Reserve Corps. He later became a part of the 323rd Cavalry Regiment in California. As relations between the United States and Japan worsened, Reagan
7144-548: A trillion dollars; supporters said the Soviets would go bankrupt if they tried to match it. The SDI was funded but was never operational. The Reagan administration made dramatic increases in defense spending one of their three main priorities upon taking office. The transition to the new professional all-professional force was finalized, and the draft forgot. A dramatic expansion of salary bases and benefits for both enlisted and officers made career service much more attractive. Under
7332-405: A vocal critic of President Carter in 1977. The Panama Canal Treaty 's signing, the 1979 oil crisis , and rise in the interest, inflation and unemployment rates helped set up his 1980 presidential campaign, which he announced on November 13, 1979 with an indictment of the federal government. His announcement stressed his fundamental principles of tax cuts to stimulate the economy and having both
7520-486: A well-known film actor. During his acting career, Reagan was elected president of the Screen Actors Guild twice, serving from 1947 to 1952 and from 1959 to 1960. In the 1950s, he became the host for General Electric Theater and also worked as a motivational speaker for General Electric . Subsequently, Reagan's " A Time for Choosing " speech during the 1964 U.S. presidential election launched his rise as
7708-540: Is another sad, bizarre chapter in human history whose — last pages even now are being written." His most detailed analysis came on June 8, 1982, to the British Parliament , stunning the Soviets and allies alike. Most experts assumed that the Soviet Union would be around for generations to come, and it was essential to recognize that and work with them. But Reagan labeled the USSR an "evil empire" and argued that it
Political positions of Ronald Reagan - Misplaced Pages Continue
7896-506: Is now causing more harm than drug abuse itself." In 2011, he was part of the Global Commission on Drug Policy , which called for a public health and harm reduction approach towards drug use, alongside Kofi Annan , Paul Volcker , and George Papandreou . Shultz was an early advocate of the presidential candidacy of George W. Bush , whose father, George H. W. Bush , was Reagan's vice president. In April 1998, Shultz hosted
8084-540: The 1948 presidential election , and Helen Gahagan Douglas for the U.S. Senate in 1950 . It was Reagan's belief that communism was a powerful backstage influence in Hollywood that led him to rally his friends against them. Reagan began shifting to the right when he supported the presidential campaigns of Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952 and Richard Nixon in 1960. When Reagan was contracted by General Electric (GE), he gave speeches to their employees. His speeches had
8272-488: The 1980 presidential election . In his first term as U.S. president, Reagan began implementing " Reaganomics ", which involved economic deregulation and cuts in both taxes and government spending during a period of stagflation . On the world stage, he escalated the arms race , transitioned Cold War policy away from the policies of détente with the Soviet Union , and ordered the 1983 invasion of Grenada . Within
8460-522: The 2000 election and a senior member of the " Vulcans ", a group of policy mentors for Bush that also included Rice, Dick Cheney , and Paul Wolfowitz . One of his most senior advisors and confidants was former ambassador Charles Hill . Shultz has been called the father of the " Bush Doctrine " and generally defended the Bush administration 's foreign policy. Shultz supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq , writing in support of U.S. military action months before
8648-561: The AFL–CIO to fight right-to-work laws , and continued to speak out against racism when he was in Hollywood. In 1945, Reagan planned to lead an HICCASP anti-nuclear rally, but Warner Bros. prevented him from going. In 1946, he appeared in a radio program called Operation Terror to speak out against rising Ku Klux Klan activity in the country, citing the attacks as a "capably organized systematic campaign of fascist violence and intimidation and horror". Reagan also supported Harry S. Truman in
8836-516: The Black Monday stock market crash, although the markets eventually recovered. By 1989, the BLS measured the unemployment rate at 5.3 percent. The inflation rate dropped from 12 percent during the 1980 election to under 5 percent in 1989. Likewise, the interest rate dropped from 15 percent to under 10 percent. Yet, not all shared equally in the economic recovery, and both economic inequality and
9024-722: The Brezhnev Doctrine was dead. "If the Soviets left Afghanistan, the Brezhnev Doctrine would be breached, and the principle of 'never letting go' would be violated", Shultz reasoned. The second event, according to Keren Yarhi-Milo of Princeton University, happened during the 19th Communist Party Conference, "at which Gorbachev proposed major domestic reforms such as the establishment of competitive elections with secret ballots; term limits for elected officials; separation of powers with an independent judiciary; and provisions for freedom of speech, assembly, conscience, and
9212-555: The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) measured the unemployment rate at 10.8 percent. Around the same time, economic activity began to rise until its end in 1990 , setting the record for the longest peacetime expansion. In 1983, the recession ended and Reagan nominated Volcker to a second term in fear of damaging confidence in the economic recovery. Reagan appointed Alan Greenspan to succeed Volcker in 1987. Greenspan raised interest rates in another attempt to curb inflation, setting off
9400-543: The Bush Doctrine of preemptive war . He served on the Global Commission on Drug Policy , California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger 's Economic Recovery Council, and on the boards of Bechtel and the Charles Schwab Corporation . Beginning in 2013, Shultz advocated for a revenue-neutral carbon tax as the most economically sound means of mitigating anthropogenic climate change . He was
9588-732: The Committee for the Liberation of Iraq . He served as an advisory board member for the Partnership for a Secure America and Citizens' Climate Lobby. He was honorary chairman of the Israel Democracy Institute . Shultz was a member of the advisory board of Spirit of America , a 501(c)(3) organization . Shultz served on the board of directors of the Bechtel Corporation until 1996. He served on
SECTION 50
#17327755247329776-592: The Communist Party and that he was well-informed about a "jurisdictional strike". When asked if he was aware of communist efforts within the Screen Writers Guild , he called information about the efforts "hearsay". Reagan resigned as SAG president November 10, 1952, but remained on the board; Walter Pidgeon succeeded him as president. The SAG fought with film producers for the right to receive residual payments , and on November 16, 1959,
9964-510: The Defense Intelligence Agency to discover why the United States was unable to maintain its economic competitiveness. According to program director Michael Sekora, their findings helped the country surpass the Soviets in terms of missile defense technology. Reagan sought to loosen federal regulation of economic activities, and he appointed key officials who shared this agenda. William Leuchtenburg writes that by 1986,
10152-742: The Democratic nomination , and repeated criticisms of Ford and Kissinger's policies, including détente . The result was a seesaw battle for the 1,130 delegates required for their party's nomination that neither would reach before the Kansas City convention in August and Ford replacing mentions of détente with Reagan's preferred phrase, " peace through strength ". Reagan took John Sears ' advice of choosing liberal Richard Schweiker as his running mate, hoping to pry loose of delegates from Pennsylvania and other states, and distract Ford. Instead, conservatives were left alienated, and Ford picked up
10340-545: The Employment Development Department published a report suggesting that the experiment that ran from 1971 to 1974 was unsuccessful. Reagan declined to run for the governorship in 1974 and it was won by Pat Brown's son, Jerry . Reagan's governorship, as professor Gary K. Clabaugh writes, saw public schools deteriorate due to his opposition to additional basic education funding. As for higher education, journalist William Trombley believed that
10528-772: The Federal Bureau Investigation added five hundred drug enforcement agents, began record drug crackdowns nationwide and established thirteen regional anti-drug task forces under Reagan. In the address with the first lady, President Reagan reported on the progress of his administration, saying: Thirty-seven Federal agencies are working together in a vigorous national effort, and by next year our spending for drug law enforcement will have more than tripled from its 1981 levels. We have increased seizures of illegal drugs. Shortages of marijuana are now being reported. Last year alone over 10,000 drug criminals were convicted and nearly $ 250 million of their assets were seized by
10716-550: The Iran–Iraq War of 1980 to 1988, the Reagan administration began supporting Iraq because an Iranian victory would not serve the interests of the United States. In 1983, Reagan issued a National Security Decision Directive memo which called for heightened regional military cooperation to defend oil facilities, measures to improve U.S. military capabilities in the Persian Gulf, directed the secretaries of state and defense and
10904-459: The People's Park . One student was shot and killed while many police officers and two reporters were injured. Reagan then commanded the state National Guard troops to occupy Berkeley for seventeen days to subdue the protesters, allowing other students to attend class safely. In February 1970, violent protests broke out near the University of California, Santa Barbara , where he once again deployed
11092-540: The Reagan administration soon seized on this language to brand the administration as caring only about the wealthy. Reagan was a supporter of free trade . When running for President in 1979, Reagan proposed a "North American accord", in which goods could move freely throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico . Largely dismissed then, Reagan was serious in his proposal and once in office he signed an agreement with Canada to that effect. His "North American accord" later became
11280-527: The Southern strategy to garner white support for Republican candidates. Reagan's supporters have said that this was his typical anti-big government rhetoric, without racial context or intent. In the October 28 debate , Carter chided Reagan for being against national health insurance. Reagan replied, " There you go again ", though the audience laughed and viewers found him more appealing. Reagan later asked
11468-767: The United States Army Air Forces (AAF). Reagan became an AAF public relations officer and was subsequently assigned to the 18th AAF Base Unit in Culver City where he felt that it was "impossible to remove an incompetent or lazy worker" due to what he felt was "the incompetence, the delays, and inefficiencies" of the federal bureaucracy . Despite this, Reagan participated in the Provisional Task Force Show Unit in Burbank and continued to make theatrical films. He
SECTION 60
#173277552473211656-470: The United States government , the other having been Elliot Richardson . On July 16, 1982, Shultz was appointed by President Ronald Reagan as the 60th U.S. Secretary of State , replacing Alexander Haig , who had resigned. Shultz served for six and a half years, the longest tenure since Dean Rusk 's. The possibility of a conflict of interest in his position as secretary of state after being in
11844-417: The economic boom of the 1990s . Reagan took office in the midst of stagflation . The economy briefly experienced growth before plunging into a recession in July 1981. As Federal Reserve chairman, Paul Volcker fought inflation by pursuing a tight money policy of high interest rates , which restricted lending and investment, raised unemployment, and temporarily reduced economic growth. In December 1982,
12032-432: The presidential oath of office . In his inaugural address , Reagan commented on the country's economic malaise, arguing, "In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem". As a final insult to President Carter, Iran waited until Reagan had been sworn in before announcing the release of their American hostages. Reagan advocated a laissez-faire philosophy, and promoted
12220-429: The secret and illegal sale of arms to Iran to fund the Contras , and a more conciliatory approach in talks with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev culminating in the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty . Reagan left the presidency in 1989 with the American economy having seen a significant reduction of inflation, the unemployment rate having fallen, and the U.S. having entered its then-longest peacetime expansion. At
12408-529: The 1971 decision to abolish the gold standard , a decision Shultz and Paul Volcker had supported (see Nixon Shock ). The conference formally abolished the Bretton Woods system , causing all currencies to float . During this period Shultz co-founded the "Library Group", which became the G7 . Shultz resigned shortly before Nixon to return to private life. Shultz was instrumental in handling relations with Soviet Jewry . In 1974, he left government service to become executive vice president of Bechtel Group ,
12596-470: The Black Panthers". The act marked the beginning of both modern legislation and public attitude studies on gun control. Reagan also signed the 1967 Therapeutic Abortion Act that allowed abortions in the cases of rape and incest when a doctor determined the birth would impair the physical or mental health of the mother. He later expressed regret over signing it, saying that he was unaware of the mental health provision. He believed that doctors were interpreting
12784-408: The Brown administration about high taxes, uncontrolled spending, the radicals at the University of California, Berkeley , and the need for accountability in government". Meanwhile, many in the press perceived Reagan as "monumentally ignorant of state issues", though Lou Cannon said that Reagan benefited from an appearance he and Brown made on Meet the Press in September. Ultimately, Reagan won
12972-483: The DEA, the Drug Enforcement Administration. And in the most important area, individual use, we see progress. In 4 years the number of high school seniors using marijuana daily has dropped from 1 in 14 to 1 in 20. The U.S. military has cut the use of illegal drugs among its personnel by 67 percent since 1980. These are a measure of our commitment and emerging signs that we can defeat this enemy. Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004)
13160-469: The District of Columbia. He won the popular vote by a narrower margin, receiving nearly 51 percent to Carter's 41 percent and Anderson's 7 percent. In the United States Congress , Republicans won a majority of seats in the Senate for the first time since 1952 while Democrats retained the House of Representatives . Reagan was inaugurated as the 40th president of the United States on Tuesday, January 20, 1981. Chief Justice Warren E. Burger administered
13348-406: The Family Law Act that granted no-fault divorces . Insufficiently conservative to Reagan and many other Republicans, President Gerald Ford suffered from multiple political and economic woes. Ford, running for president, was disappointed to hear him also run. Reagan was strongly critical of détente and Ford's policy of détente with the Soviet Union. He repeated "A Time for Choosing" around
13536-544: The National Guard. On April 7, Reagan defended his policies regarding campus protests, saying, "If it takes a bloodbath, let's get it over with. No more appeasement". During his victorious reelection campaign in 1970, Reagan, remaining critical of government, promised to prioritize welfare reform . He was concerned that the programs were disincentivizing work and that the growing welfare rolls would lead to both an unbalanced budget and another big tax hike in 1972. At
13724-714: The New Hampshire primary by more than 39,000 votes. Soon thereafter, Reagan's opponents began dropping out of the primaries, including Anderson, who left the party to become an independent candidate. Reagan easily captured the presidential nomination and chose Bush as his running mate at the Detroit convention in July. The general election pitted Reagan against Carter amid the multitude of domestic concerns and ongoing Iran hostage crisis that began on November 4, 1979. Reagan's campaign worried that Carter would be able to secure
13912-550: The Reagan administration eliminated almost half of the federal regulations that had existed in 1981. The 1982 Garn–St. Germain Depository Institutions Act deregulated savings and loan associations by letting them make a variety of loans and investments outside of real estate. After the bill's passage, savings and loans associations engaged in riskier activities, and the leaders of some institutions embezzled funds. The administration's inattentiveness toward
14100-574: The Republican primary, Reagan defeated George Christopher , a moderate Republican who William F. Buckley Jr. thought had painted Reagan as extreme. Reagan's general election opponent, incumbent governor Pat Brown , attempted to label Reagan as an extremist and tout his own accomplishments. Reagan portrayed himself as a political outsider, and charged Brown as responsible for the Watts riots and lenient on crime. In numerous speeches, Reagan "hit
14288-534: The SAG presidency on June 7, 1960, and also left the board; George Chandler succeeded him as SAG president. In January 1940, Reagan married Jane Wyman , his co-star in the 1938 film Brother Rat . Together, they had two biological daughters: Maureen in 1941, and Christine in 1947 (born prematurely and died the following day). They adopted one son, Michael , in 1945. Wyman filed to divorce Reagan in June 1948. She
14476-596: The Soviet Union, marking a sharp departure from the détente observed by his predecessors Richard Nixon , Gerald Ford , and Jimmy Carter . Under the assumption that the Soviet Union was financially unable to match the United States in a renewed arms race , he accelerated increases in defense spending begun during the Carter Administration and strove to make the Cold War economically and rhetorically hot. Reagan had three motivations. First, he agreed with
14664-516: The Soviet Union. European leaders vigorously protested sanctions that damaged their interests but not U.S. interests in grain sales to the Soviet Union. Shultz resolved this "poisonous problem" in December 1982, when the United States agreed to abandon sanctions against the pipeline and the Europeans agreed to adopt stricter controls on strategic trade with the Soviets. A more controversial issue
14852-429: The Soviets feared a pre-emptive American attack. Following the missile deployment and the exercises, both Shultz and Reagan resolved to seek further dialogue with the Soviets. When General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev of the Soviet Union came to power in 1985, Shultz advocated that Reagan pursue a personal dialogue with him. Reagan gradually changed his perception of Gorbachev's strategic intentions in 1987, when
15040-669: The Supreme Court's reshaping has been described as conservative. Early in August 1981, the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO) went on strike , violating a federal law prohibiting government unions from striking. On August 3, Reagan said that he would fire air traffic controllers if they did not return to work within 48 hours; according to him, 38 percent did not return. On August 13, Reagan fired roughly 12,000 striking air traffic controllers who ignored his order. He used military controllers and supervisors to handle
15228-670: The Tennessee Valley Authority", examined the Tennessee Valley Authority 's effect on local agriculture , for which he conducted on-site research. He graduated with honors in 1942. From 1942 to 1945, Shultz was on active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps . He was an artillery officer, attaining the rank of captain . He was attached to the U.S. Army 81st Infantry Division during the Battle of Angaur ( Battle of Peleliu ). In 1949, Shultz earned
15416-604: The Therapeutic Abortion Act in May 1967 to reduce the number of "back-room abortions" performed in California. It was one of the most liberal abortion laws in the country and allowed for pregnancy terminations if the mother was in physical or mental distress as a result, or if the pregnancy was a product of rape or incest. As a result, approximately one million abortions would be performed and Reagan blamed this on doctors, arguing that they had deliberately misinterpreted
15604-474: The US political discourse since, and are still used today alongside Reagan's name. George H. W. Bush infamously levied the charge that Reagan's tax plan was "voodoo" while running against him in the 1980 republican primary . Reagan's former budget director, championed Reagan's tax cuts at first, but only a few years later sided with liberal critics that "supply-side economics" is "trickle-down" Political opponents of
15792-539: The United States agreed to limit arms sales to Taiwan and China agreed to seek a "peaceful solution". By the summer of 1982, relations were strained not only between Washington and Moscow but also between Washington and key capitals in Western Europe. In response to the imposition of martial law in Poland the previous December, the Reagan administration had imposed sanctions on a pipeline between West Germany and
15980-599: The United States promised to supply it with an additional F-15 squadron, a $ 600 million loan, and permission to export Israeli-made Kfir fighting aircraft to Latin American armies. In its first term administration looked at arms control measures with deep suspicion. However, after the massive buildup, and the second term it looked at them with favor and achieve major arms reductions with Mikhail Gorbachev . According to several scholars and Reagan biographers, including, John Lewis Gaddis , Richard Reeves , Lou Cannon and Reagan himself in his autobiography, Reagan earnestly desired
16168-523: The United States. Afterward, Reagan starred in Kings Row (1942) as a leg amputee, asking, "Where's the rest of me?" His performance was considered his best by many critics. Reagan became a star, with Gallup polls placing him "in the top 100 stars" from 1941 to 1942. World War II interrupted the movie stardom that Reagan would never be able to achieve again as Warner Bros. became uncertain about his ability to generate ticket sales. Reagan, who had
16356-761: The United States. In spite of Western protests and Soviet propaganda, the allies began deployment of the missiles as scheduled in November 1983. U.S.–Soviet tensions were raised by the announcement in March 1983 of the Strategic Defense Initiative , and exacerbated by the Soviet shoot-down of Korean Air Lines Flight 007 near Moneron Island on September 1. Tensions reached a height with the Able Archer 83 exercises in November 1983, during which
16544-571: The Warner Brothers studio. Reagan believed the mutually assured destruction policy formulated in the 1950s to be morally wrong. In his autobiography, Reagan wrote: Reagan and Gorbachev signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 1987 (and ratified in 1988), which was the first in Cold War history to mandate the destruction of an entire class of nuclear weapons. Originally neutral in
16732-440: The abolition of all nuclear weapons. He proposed to Mikhail Gorbachev that if a missile shield could be built, all nuclear weapons are eliminated and the missile shield technology shared, the world would be much better off. Paul Lettow has argued that Reagan's opposition to nuclear weapons started at the dawn of the nuclear age and in December 1945 he was only prevented from leading an anti-nuclear rally in Hollywood by pressure from
16920-577: The aggressive leadership of Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger , the development of the B-1 bomber was reinstated, and there was funding for a new B-2 bomber, as well as cruise missiles , the MX missile , and a 600 ship Navy. The new weaponry was designed with Soviet targets in mind. In terms of real dollars after taxation, defense spending jumped 34 percent between 1981 in 1985. In Reagan's two terms, defense spending totaled about 2 trillion dollars, but even so, it
17108-419: The amount of federal tax had fallen for all or most taxpayers, but most strongly affected the wealthy. The Tax Reform Act of 1986 reduced the number of tax brackets and top tax rate, and almost doubled personal exemptions . To Reagan, the tax cuts would not have increased the deficit as long as there was enough economic growth and spending cuts. His policies proposed that economic growth would occur when
17296-486: The audience if they were better off than they were four years ago, slightly paraphrasing Roosevelt's words in 1934. In 1983, Reagan's campaign managers were revealed to having obtained Carter's debate briefing book before the debates. On November 4, 1980, Reagan won in a decisive victory in the Electoral College over Carter, carrying 44 states and receiving 489 electoral votes to Carter's 49 in six states and
17484-495: The backing of Reagan Democrats . Though he advocated socially conservative view points, Reagan focused much of his campaign on attacks against Carter's foreign policy . In August, Reagan gave a speech at the Neshoba County Fair , stating his belief in states' rights . Joseph Crespino argues that the visit was designed to reach out to Wallace-inclined voters, and some also saw these actions as an extension of
17672-457: The board elected Reagan SAG president for the second time; he replaced Howard Keel , who had resigned. During this second stint, Reagan managed to secure payments for actors whose theatrical films had been released between 1948 and 1959 and subsequently televised. The producers were initially required to pay the actors fees, but they ultimately settled instead for providing pensions and paying residuals for films made after 1959. Reagan resigned from
17860-515: The board of Gilead Sciences from 1996 to 2005. Shultz sat on the board of directors of Xyleco and Accretive Health . Together again with former secretary of defense William Perry , Shultz was serving on the board of Acuitus at the time of his death. And he has been member of the advisory board of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation . While on a rest and recreation break in Hawaii from serving in
18048-512: The budget cuts Reagan enacted damaged Berkeley's student-faculty ratio and research. Additionally, the homicide rate doubled and armed robbery rates rose by even more during Reagan's eight years, even with the many laws Reagan signed to try toughening criminal sentencing and reforming the criminal justice system. Reagan strongly supported capital punishment, but his efforts to enforce it were thwarted by People v. Anderson in 1972. According to his son, Michael, Reagan said that he regretted signing
18236-541: The budget had a surplus, which Reagan preferred "to give back to the people". In 1967, Reagan reacted to the Black Panther Party 's strategy of copwatching by signing the Mulford Act to prohibit the public carrying of firearms. The act was California's most restrictive piece of gun control legislation , with critics saying that it was "overreacting to the political activism of organizations such as
18424-601: The campaign of California gubernatorial candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger . In later life, Shultz continued to be a strong advocate for nuclear arms control . In a 2008 interview, Shultz said: "Now that we know so much about these weapons and their power, they're almost weapons that we wouldn't use, so I think we would be better off without them." In January 2008, Shultz co-authored (with William Perry , Henry Kissinger , and Sam Nunn ) an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal that called on governments to embrace
18612-721: The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to take appropriate measures to respond to tensions in the area. Reagan believed in policies based on supply-side economics and advocated a laissez-faire philosophy, seeking to stimulate the economy with large, across-the-board tax cuts . Reagan pointed to improvements in certain key economic indicators as evidence of success. The policies proposed that economic growth would occur when marginal tax rates were low enough to spur investment, which would then lead to increased economic growth, higher employment, and wages. Reagan did not believe in raising income taxes . During his presidential tenure,
18800-483: The city of Berkeley , making it a major theme in his campaigning. On February 5, 1969, Reagan declared a state of emergency in response to ongoing protests and acts of violence at the University of California, Berkeley, and sent in the California Highway Patrol . In May 1969, these officers, along with local officers from Berkeley and Alameda county, clashed with protestors over a site known as
18988-577: The country before announcing his campaign on November 20, 1975, when he discussed economic and social problems, and to a lesser extent, foreign affairs. Both candidates were determined to knock each other out early in the primaries, but Reagan would devastatingly lose the first five primaries beginning with New Hampshire, where he popularized the welfare queen narrative about Linda Taylor , exaggerating her misuse of welfare benefits and igniting voter resentment for welfare reform, but never overtly mentioning her name or race. In Florida, Reagan referred to
19176-480: The crisis of the Longshoremen's Union strike. The Lyndon B. Johnson Administration had delayed the walkout with a Taft–Hartley injunction that expired, and the press pressed him to describe his approach. He applied the theory he had developed in academia: he let the parties work it out, which they did quickly. He also imposed the Philadelphia Plan , which required Pennsylvania construction unions to admit
19364-462: The debate began. The moderator asked Bob Malloy, the volume operator, to mute Reagan's microphone. After Breen repeated his demand to Malloy, Reagan furiously replied, "I am paying for this microphone, Mr. Green! [ sic ]". This turned out to be the turning point of the debate and the primary race. Ultimately, the four additional candidates left, and the debate continued between Reagan and Bush. Reagan's polling numbers improved, and he won
19552-404: The elderly were dependent on those programs. Mounting concerns that rising Social Security benefits were causing a long-term deficit and were growing too fast resulted in a bipartisan compromise in 1983. Brokered by conservative Alan Greenspan and liberal Congressman Claude Pepper , the agreement lowered benefits over the next 75 years and brought the system into balance. Key provisions included
19740-527: The end of the Bretton Woods system . Shultz left the Nixon administration in 1974 to become an executive at Bechtel . After becoming president and director of that company, he accepted President Ronald Reagan 's offer to serve as United States secretary of state . He held that office from 1982 to 1989. Shultz pushed for Reagan to establish relations with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev , which led to
19928-525: The enforcement of civil rights law, arousing the ire of civil rights advocates. In 1987, Reagan unsuccessfully nominated Robert Bork to the Supreme Court as a way to achieve his civil rights policy that could not be fulfilled during his presidency; his administration had opposed affirmative action , particularly in education, federal assistance programs, housing and employment, but Reagan reluctantly continued these policies. In housing, Reagan's administration saw considerably fewer fair housing cases filed than
20116-638: The first director of the Office of Management and Budget , the renamed and reorganized Bureau of the Budget, on July 1, 1970. He was the agency's 19th director. Shultz was United States Secretary of the Treasury from June 1972 to May 1974. During his tenure, he was concerned with two major issues, namely the continuing domestic administration of Nixon's " New Economic Policy ", begun under Secretary John Connally (Shultz privately opposed its three elements), and
20304-450: The first use of racial quotas by the federal government. In 1970, he became the first director of the Office of Management and Budget , and he served in that position until his appointment as United States Secretary of the Treasury in 1972. In that role, Shultz supported the Nixon shock , which sought to revive the ailing economy in part by abolishing the gold standard , and presided over
20492-456: The foreign policy leadership. Reagan served as President during the last part of the Cold War , an era of escalating ideological disagreements and preparations for war between the United States and the Soviet Union. Reagan in 1982 denounced the enemy as an " evil empire " that would be consigned to the "ash heap of history" and he later predicted that communism would collapse. Reagan reversed
20680-564: The funds, in fighting Theranos' accusations of violating the NDA and divulging trade secrets. When media reports exposed controversial practices there in 2015, the company moved their non-technical directors like Shultz to a "Board of Counselors" and replaced them with a technical board. In 2016 Theranos' "Board of Counselors" was "retired". Theranos was shut down on September 4, 2018. In a 2019 media statement, Shultz praised his grandson for not having shrunk "from what he saw as his responsibility to
20868-525: The governorship with 57 percent of the vote compared to Brown's 42 percent. Brown had spent much of California's funds on new programs, prompting them to use accrual accounting to avoid raising taxes. Consequently, it generated a larger deficit, and Reagan would call for reduced government spending and tax hikes to balance the budget . He worked with Jesse M. Unruh on securing tax increases and promising future property tax cuts. This caused some conservatives to accuse Reagan of betraying his principles. As
21056-405: The ground rules hours before the debate. As a result, the Reagan campaign agreed to pay for the debate. Reagan said that as he was funding the debate, he could decide who would debate. During the debate, when Breen was laying out the ground rules and attempting to ask the first question, Reagan interrupted in protest to make an introductory statement and wanted other candidates to be included before
21244-427: The host of MCA Inc. television production General Electric Theater at Wasserman's recommendation. It featured multiple guest stars, and Ronald and Nancy Reagan, continuing to use her stage name Nancy Davis, acted together in three episodes. When asked how Reagan was able to recruit such stars to appear on the show during television's infancy, he replied, "Good stories, top direction, production quality". However,
21432-654: The ideas of Edward Teller (who invented the hydrogen bomb in 1950) called for a defensive missile umbrella over the U.S. that would intercept and destroy in space any hostile missiles. It was an unexpected, new idea, and supporters cheered, as SDI seemed to promise protection from nuclear war . To opponents, SDI meant a new arms race and the end of the Mutual Assured Destruction ("MAD") strategy that they believed had so far prevented nuclear war. The Soviets lacked basic computers, and were unable to say whether it would work or not. Critics said it would cost
21620-575: The income that the Soviet Union could earn from its oil exports. In 1980, Reagan lamented regulations on air pollution. In 1981, Reagan pledged to abolish the United States Department of Energy . Reagan dismissed acid rain and proposals to halt it as burdensome to industry. In the early 1980s, pollution had become an issue in Canada, and Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau objected to the pollution originating in U.S. factory smokestacks in
21808-453: The industry contributed to the savings and loan crisis and costly bailouts. The deficits were exacerbated by the early 1980s recession, which cut into federal revenue. The national debt tripled between the fiscal years of 1980 and 1989, and the national debt as a percentage of the gross domestic product rose from 33 percent in 1981 to 53 percent by 1989. During his time in office, Reagan never fulfilled his 1980 campaign promise of submitting
21996-682: The institution. Shultz was chairman of JPMorgan Chase 's international advisory council. He was co-chairman of the conservative Committee on the Present Danger . He was an honorary director of the Institute for International Economics . He was a member of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP) board of advisors, the New Atlantic Initiative, the Mandalay Camp at the Bohemian Grove , and
22184-473: The law. Just when the law was signed, Reagan stated that had he been more experienced as Governor, he would not have signed it. Reagan then declared himself to be opposed to abortion rights. As president, he continued to state his stance against abortion, such as in 1983, when he endorsed a bill in Congress that was introduced by Henry Hyde that would prohibit federal funds for abortion. In 1985, he took
22372-514: The local chapter. Reagan played at the guard position for the 1930 and 1931 Eureka Red Devils football teams and recalled a time when two black football teammates were refused service at a segregated hotel; he invited them to his parents' home nearby in Dixon and his parents welcomed them. At the time, his parents' stance on racial questions was unusually progressive in Dixon. Reagan himself had grown up with very few black Americans there and
22560-592: The local public school, he transferred to the Englewood School for Boys (now Dwight-Englewood School ), through his second year of high school. In 1938, Shultz graduated from the private preparatory boarding high school Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor, Connecticut . He earned a bachelor's degree , cum laude , at Princeton University , New Jersey, in economics with a minor in public and international affairs. His senior thesis, "The Agricultural Program of
22748-584: The major policy decisions and often overruled his top advisers in cases such as the Reykjavík Summit in 1986, and his 1987 speech calling for tearing down the Berlin Wall . He was concerned with very broad issues, as well as anecdotal evidence to support his beliefs. He paid very little attention to details and elaborate briefings. When senior officials did not work out, such as Secretary of State Alexander Haig , they were fired. Reagan went through
22936-444: The midwest. The Environmental Protection Agency implored Reagan to make a major budget commitment to reduce acid rain, but Reagan rejected the proposal and deemed it as wasteful government spending. He questioned scientific evidence on the causes of acid rain. In 1982, Reagan proposed selling federal land as a way to reduce the deficit. Reagan was opposed to abortion , except in cases of rape, incest, or threats to mother's life. He
23124-550: The moment, the key issue is we do not want socialized medicine ... If you don't, this program I promise you will pass just as surely as the sun will come up tomorrow. And behind it will come other federal programs that will invade every area of freedom as well as have known it in this country, until one day, as Norman Thomas said, we will awake to find that we have socialism. If you don't do this and if I don't do it, one of these days you and I are going to spend our sunset years telling our children, and our children's children, what it once
23312-518: The mounting federal debt , Reagan signed the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982 , one of the eleven times Reagan raised taxes. The bill doubled the federal cigarette tax , rescinded a portion of the corporate tax cuts from the 1981 tax bill, and according to Paul Krugman , "a third of the 1981 cut" overall. Many of his supporters condemned the bill, but Reagan defended his preservation of cuts on individual income tax rates. By 1983,
23500-471: The nation's commercial air traffic until new controllers could be hired and trained. The breaking of the PATCO strike demoralized organized labor, and the number of strikes fell greatly in the 1980s. With the assent of Reagan's sympathetic National Labor Relations Board appointees, many companies also won wage and benefit cutbacks from unions, especially in the manufacturing sector. During Reagan's presidency,
23688-420: The neoconservatives who argued that the Soviets had pulled ahead in military power and the U.S. had to race to catch up. Stansfield Turner , CIA director under Carter, warned in 1981 that, "in the last several years all of the best studies have shown that the balance of strategic nuclear capabilities has been tipping in favor of the Soviet Union." Second, Reagan believed the decrepit Soviet economy could not handle
23876-489: The net funds received are rebated to taxpayers) as the most economically efficient means of mitigating climate change. In April 2013, he co-wrote, with economist Gary Becker , an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal that concluded that this plan would "benefit all Americans by eliminating the need for costly energy subsidies while promoting a level playing field for energy producers ." He repeated this call in
24064-528: The number of homeless individuals increased during the 1980s. Critics have contended that a majority of the jobs created during this decade paid the minimum wage. In 1981, in an effort to keep it solvent, Reagan approved a plan for cuts to Social Security. He later backed off of these plans due to public backlash. He then created the Greenspan Commission to keep Social Security financially secure, and in 1983 he signed amendments to raise both
24252-507: The official North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), signed by President George H. W. Bush and ratified by President Bill Clinton . Reagan understood free trade as including the use of tariffs to protect American jobs and industry against foreign competition. He imposed a temporary 100% tariff on Japanese electronics as well as other tariffs on a variety of industrial products, which resulted in some free market advocates criticizing his policies as protectionist in practice. Reagan
24440-690: The other being Elliot Richardson . Shultz played a major role in shaping the foreign policy of the Ronald Reagan administration , and conservative foreign policy thought thereafter. Born in New York City, he graduated from Princeton University before serving in the United States Marine Corps during World War II . After the war, Shultz earned a PhD in industrial economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He taught at MIT from 1948 to 1957, taking
24628-484: The pastor was out of town. Reagan credited her spiritual influence and he became a Christian . According to American political figure Stephen Vaughn , Reagan's values came from his pastor, and the First Christian Church's religious, economic and social positions "coincided with the words, if not the beliefs of the latter-day Reagan". Jack focused on making money to take care of the family, but this
24816-556: The people who are best informed about the classified material Pollard passed to Israel, former CIA Director James Woolsey and former Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee Dennis DeConcini , favor his release". Shultz was a prominent advocate of efforts to fight anthropogenic climate change . Shultz favored a revenue-neutral carbon tax (i.e., a carbon fee and dividend program, in which carbon dioxide emissions are taxed and
25004-469: The policy of détente and massively built up the United States military . Reagan proposed the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), a defense project that planned to use ground and space-based missile defense systems to protect the United States from attack. Reagan believed that this defense shield could make nuclear war impossible. Reagan was convinced that the Soviet Union could be defeated rather than simply negotiated with. Reagan forcefully confronted
25192-962: The press." The proposals indicated that Gorbachev was making revolutionary and irreversible changes. In response to the escalating violence of the Lebanese civil war , Reagan sent a Marine contingent to protect the Palestinian refugee camps and support the Lebanese Government. The October 1983 bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut killed 241 U.S. servicemen, after which the deployment came to an ignominious end. Shultz subsequently negotiated an agreement between Israel and Lebanon and convinced Israel to begin partial withdrawal of its troops in January 1985 despite Lebanon's contravention of
25380-697: The program's payroll taxes and retirement age for benefits. He had signed the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981 to cut funding for federal assistance such as food stamps, unemployment benefits , subsidized housing and the Aid to Families with Dependent Children , and would discontinue the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act . On the other side, defense spending doubled between 1981 and 1985. During Reagan's presidency, Project Socrates operated within
25568-403: The protection of some privately-owned medical or hospital insurance. The advocates of [socialized healthcare], when you try to oppose it, challenge you on an emotional basis ... What can we do about this? Well, you and I can do a great deal. We can write to our [ Congressmen, to our Senators. We can say right now that we want no further encroachment on these individual liberties and freedoms. And at
25756-549: The provision loosely and more abortions were resulting. After Reagan won the 1966 election, he and his advisors planned a run in the 1968 Republican presidential primaries . He ran as an unofficial candidate to cut into Nixon's southern support and be a compromise candidate if there were to be a brokered convention . He won California's delegates, but Nixon secured enough delegates for the nomination . Reagan had previously been critical of former governor Brown and university administrators for tolerating student demonstrations in
25944-700: The release of the American hostages in Iran as part of the October surprise , Carter "suggested that Reagan would wreck Social Security " and portrayed him as a warmonger, and Anderson carried support from liberal Republicans dissatisfied with Reagan's conservatism. One of Reagan's key strengths was his appeal to the rising conservative movement. Though most conservative leaders espoused cutting taxes and budget deficits, many conservatives focused more closely on social issues like abortion and gay rights . Evangelical Protestants became an increasingly important voting bloc, and they generally supported Reagan. Reagan also won
26132-433: The remaining uncommitted delegates and prevailed, earning 1,187 to Reagan's 1,070. Before giving his acceptance speech, Ford invited Reagan to address the convention; Reagan emphasized individual freedom and the dangers of nuclear weapons. In 1977, Ford told Cannon that Reagan's primary challenge contributed to his own narrow loss to Democrat Jimmy Carter in the 1976 United States presidential election . Reagan emerged as
26320-692: The rights of churches and business owners. Later in September, legislation was passed to correct loopholes in the Fair Housing Act of 1968 . Early in his presidency, Reagan appointed Clarence M. Pendleton Jr. , known for his opposition to affirmative action and equal pay for men and women, as chair of the United States Commission on Civil Rights despite Pendleton's hostility toward long-established civil rights views. Pendleton and Reagan's subsequent appointees greatly eroded
26508-563: The road to what he called "the ash heap of history ". By 1985, he began to cooperate closely with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev , with whom he became friends and negotiated large-scale disarmament projects. The Cold War was fading away and suddenly ended as the Soviets lost control of Eastern Europe almost overnight in October 1989, nine months after Reagan was replaced in the White House by his vice president, George H. W. Bush , who
26696-403: The same period, Reagan also survived an assassination attempt , fought public-sector labor unions, expanded the war on drugs , and was slow to respond to the growing AIDS epidemic . In the 1984 presidential election , he defeated Carter's former vice president, Walter Mondale , in another landslide victory. Foreign affairs dominated Reagan's second term, including the 1986 bombing of Libya ,
26884-516: The same time, the Federal Reserve increased interest rates to combat inflation, putting the American economy in a mild recession . Reagan worked with Bob Moretti to tighten up the eligibility requirements so that the financially needy could continue receiving payments. This was only accomplished after Reagan softened his criticism of Nixon's Family Assistance Plan . Nixon then lifted regulations to shepherd California's experiment. In 1976,
27072-509: The same time, the national debt had nearly tripled since 1981 as a result of his cuts in taxes and increased military spending, despite cuts to domestic discretionary spending. Reagan's policies also contributed to the end of the Cold War and the end of Soviet communism . Alzheimer's disease hindered Reagan post-presidency, and his physical and mental capacities gradually deteriorated, ultimately leading to his death in 2004. Historical rankings of U.S. presidents have typically placed Reagan in
27260-628: The scandal in The Wall Street Journal ), but as summarized by ABC Nightline , "it wasn't long before Theranos got wind of it and attempted to use George Shultz to silence his grandson." Tyler went to his grandfather's house to discuss the allegations, but was surprised to encounter Theranos attorneys there, who pressured him to sign a document. Tyler did not sign any agreements, even though George pressured him to: "My grandfather would say, like, things like 'Your career would be ruined if [Carreyrou's] article comes out.'" Tyler and his parents spent nearly $ 500,000 on legal fees, selling their house to raise
27448-691: The settlement. During the First Intifada (see Arab–Israeli conflict ), Shultz "proposed ... an international convention in April 1988 ... on an interim autonomy agreement for the West Bank and Gaza Strip , to be implemented as of October for a three-year period". By December 1988, after six months of shuttle diplomacy , Shultz had established a diplomatic dialogue with the Palestine Liberation Organization , which
27636-576: The share of employees who were part of a labor union dropped from approximately one-fourth of the total workforce to approximately one-sixth of the total workforce. Despite Reagan having opposed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 , the bill was extended for 25 years in 1982. He initially opposed the establishment of Martin Luther King Jr. Day , and alluded to claims that King was associated with communists during his career, but signed
27824-478: The side of pro-lifers over the conclusion of a legal case regarding aborted fetuses in California. In one way, he played a role in protecting legalized abortion after he left office. His first judicial appointee for the Supreme Court, Sandra Day O’Connor , led the effort to uphold Roe v. Wade in a 1992 case over restrictive abortion laws in Pennsylvania. In 1987, Reagan stated that abstinence should be
28012-604: The speech was not enough to turn around the faltering Goldwater campaign , it increased Reagan's profile among conservatives. David S. Broder and Stephen H. Hess called it "the most successful national political debut since William Jennings Bryan electrified the 1896 Democratic convention with his famous 'Cross of Gold' address ". In January 1966, Reagan announced his candidacy for the California governorship , repeating his stances on individual freedom and big government . When he met with black Republicans in March, he
28200-1030: The station received by wire as the games were in progress. Simultaneously, he often expressed his opposition to racism. In 1936, while traveling with the Cubs to their spring training in California, Reagan took a screen test that led to a seven-year contract with Warner Bros. Reagan arrived at Hollywood in 1937, debuting in Love Is on the Air (1937). Using a simple and direct approach to acting and following his directors' instructions, Reagan made thirty films, mostly B films , before beginning military service in April 1942. He broke out of these types of films by portraying George Gipp in Knute Rockne, All American (1940), which would be rejuvenated when reporters called Reagan "the Gipper" while he campaigned for president of
28388-440: The strong relationship he forged with Reagan, who trusted him completely. Diplomatic historian Walter LaFeber states that his 1993 memoir, Turmoil and Triumph: My Years as Secretary of State, "is the most detailed, vivid, outspoken, and reliable record we probably shall have of the 1980s until the documents are opened". Shultz inherited negotiations with the People's Republic of China over Taiwan from his predecessor. Under
28576-404: The summer of 1985, Shultz had personally selected most of the senior officials in the Department, emphasizing professional over political credentials in the process [...] The Foreign Service responded in kind by giving Shultz its 'complete support,' making him one of the most popular Secretaries since Dean Acheson ." Shultz's success came from not only the respect he earned from the bureaucracy but
28764-445: The tax cuts spur investments, which would result in more spending, consumption, and ergo tax revenue. This theoretical relationship has been illustrated by some with the controversial Laffer curve . Critics labeled this " trickle-down economics ", the belief that tax policies that benefit the wealthy will spread to the poor. Milton Friedman and Robert Mundell argued that these policies invigorated America's economy and contributed to
28952-429: The terms of the Taiwan Relations Act , the United States was obligated to assist in Taiwan's defense, which included the sale of arms. The Administration debate on Taiwan, especially over the sale of military aircraft, resulted in a crisis in relations with China, which was alleviated only in August 1982, when, after months of arduous negotiations, the United States and the PRC issued a joint communiqué on Taiwan in which
29140-405: The three previous administrations. George P. Shultz George Pratt Shultz ( / ʃ ʊ l t s / SHUULTS ; December 13, 1920 – February 6, 2021) was an American economist, businessman, diplomat and statesman. He served in various positions under two different Republican presidents and is one of the only two persons to have held four different Cabinet -level posts,
29328-400: The top federal income tax rates were lowered from 70% to 28%. However, it has also been acknowledged that Reagan did raise taxes on eleven occasions during his presidency to both preserve his defense agenda and combat the growing national debt and budget deficit. It was reported in 1982 that Reagan was proposing a tax on benefits to discourage unemployed citizens from seeking them, but the idea
29516-515: The truth and patient safety, even when he felt personally threatened and believed that I had placed allegiance to the company over allegiance to higher values and our family. ... Tyler navigated a very complex situation in ways that made me proud." Shultz had a long affiliation at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University , where he was a distinguished fellow and, beginning in 2011, the Thomas W. and Susan B. Ford Distinguished Fellow; from 2018 until his death, Shultz hosted events on governance at
29704-451: The two leaders signed the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty . The treaty, which eliminated an entire class of missiles in Europe, was a milestone in the history of the Cold War . Although Gorbachev took the initiative, Reagan was well prepared by the State Department to negotiate. Two more events in 1988 persuaded Shultz that Soviet intentions were changing. First, the Soviet Union's initial withdrawal from Afghanistan indicated that
29892-406: The upper management of the Bechtel Group was raised by several senators during his confirmation hearings. Shultz briefly lost his temper in response to some questions on the subject but was nevertheless unanimously confirmed by the Senate. Shultz relied primarily on the Foreign Service to formulate and implement Reagan's foreign policy. As reported in the State Department's official history, "by
30080-444: The upper tier, and his post-presidential approval ratings by the general public are usually high. Ronald Wilson Reagan was born on February 6, 1911, in an apartment and commercial building in Tampico, Illinois , as the younger son of Nelle Clyde Wilson and Jack Reagan . Nelle was committed to the Disciples of Christ , which believed in the Social Gospel . She led prayer meetings and ran mid-week prayers at her church when
30268-540: The use of illegal drugs through the Just Say No Drug Awareness campaign, an organization Nancy Reagan founded as first lady . In a 1986 address to the nation by Ronald and Nancy Reagan, the President said: "[W]hile drug and alcohol abuse cuts across all generations, it's especially damaging to the young people on whom our future depends ... Drugs are menacing our society. They're threatening our values and undercutting our institutions. They're killing our children." Reagan also reacted to illegal drugs outside Just Say No as
30456-412: The viewership declined in the 1960s and the show was canceled in 1962. In 1965, Reagan became the host of another MCA production, Death Valley Days . Reagan began his political career as a Democrat , viewing Franklin D. Roosevelt as "a true hero". He joined the American Veterans Committee and Hollywood Independent Citizens Committee of the Arts, Sciences and Professions (HICCASP), worked with
30644-470: The vision of a world free of nuclear weapons. The four created the Nuclear Threat Initiative to advance this agenda, focused on both preventing nuclear terrorist attacks and a nuclear war between world powers. In 2010, the four were featured in the documentary film Nuclear Tipping Point , which discussed their agenda. In January 2011, Shultz wrote a letter to President Barack Obama urging him to pardon Jonathan Pollard . He stated, "I am impressed that
30832-403: The war began. In a 2008 interview with Charlie Rose , Shultz spoke out against the U.S. embargo against Cuba , saying that U.S. sanctions against the island country were "ridiculous" in the post-Soviet world and that U.S. engagement with Cuba was a better strategy. In 2003, Shultz served as co-chair (along with Warren Buffett ) of California's Economic Recovery Council, an advisory group to
31020-412: The welfare system in America was "misguided" with his reasoning being that it has made the issue of poverty worse. As President, Reagan removed controls on oil prices, resulting in lower prices and an oil glut . He did not reduce U.S. dependency on oil by imposing an oil-importing fee because of his opposition to taxation. He trusted the free marketplace. Lower global oil prices had the effect of reducing
31208-431: Was a Ponzi scheme . He was intrigued by the idea of a voluntary plan that would have allowed workers to make their investments. This idea would have undermined the system by depriving Social Security of the contributions of millions of the nation's highest-paid workers". Although Reagan was for a limited government and against the idea of a welfare state , he continued to fully fund Social Security and Medicare because
31396-704: Was a larger-than-life character, a formidable politician, and an important president. His complexity produced a "presidency of paradoxes," in which dramatic successes mingled with unfortunate failures. His strengths included broad vision and clear direction. Voters appreciated his optimism, geniality, and gracious nature, which made his ideals seem all that more attractive. He believed that all national problems were simple problems and had faith in simple solutions. That strengthened his resolve, but also led to failures when there were deep complications. Paradoxically, his victories depended on his willingness to make pragmatic compromises without forsaking his ideals. Reagan himself made
31584-408: Was a lower percentage of the federal budget, or GDP, than before 1976. There were arms sales to build up allies as well. The most notable came in 1981, an $ 8.5 billion sale to Saudi Arabia involving aircraft, tanks, and Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS). Israel protested since the AWACS would undermine its strategic attack capabilities. To mollify Israel and its powerful lobby in Washington,
31772-430: Was a prominent figure in the ensuing scandal. After joining the company's board in November 2011, he recruited other political figures, including former secretary of state Henry Kissinger , former secretary of defense William Perry , and former U.S. senator Sam Nunn . Shultz also promoted Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes at major forums, including Stanford University's Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR), and
31960-467: Was abandoned. To cover the growing federal budget deficits and the decreased revenue that resulted from the cuts, the U.S. borrowed heavily both domestically and abroad, raising the national debt from $ 1.1 trillion to $ 2.7 trillion. Reagan described the new debt as the "greatest disappointment" of his presidency. Reagan's economic tax plans had early been labeled "voodoo economics" and " trickle down economics ", both terms of which have propelled far into
32148-416: Was also ordered to temporary duty in New York City to participate in the sixth War Loan Drive before being reassigned to Fort MacArthur until his discharge on December 9, 1945, as a captain . Throughout his military service, Reagan produced over 400 training films . When Robert Montgomery resigned as president of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) on March 10, 1947, Reagan was elected to that position in
32336-456: Was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. A member of the Republican Party , he became an important figure in the American conservative movement , and his presidency is known as the Reagan era . Born and raised in Illinois, Reagan graduated from Eureka College in 1932 and was hired the next year as a sports broadcaster in Iowa. In 1937, he moved to California where he became
32524-437: Was born December 13, 1920, in New York City, the only child of Margaret Lennox (née Pratt) and Birl Earl Shultz. He grew up in Englewood, New Jersey . His great-grandfather was an immigrant from Germany who arrived in the United States in the middle of the 19th century. Contrary to common assumption, Shultz was not a member of the Pratt family associated with John D. Rockefeller and the Standard Oil Trust. After attending
32712-401: Was complicated by his alcoholism. Reagan had an older brother, Neil . The family lived in Chicago, Galesburg , and Monmouth before returning to Tampico. In 1920, they settled in Dixon, Illinois , living in a house near the H. C. Pitney Variety Store Building . Reagan attended Dixon High School , where he developed interests in drama and football . His first job involved working as
32900-420: Was criticized for opposing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 . Reagan responded that bigotry was not in his nature and later argued that certain provisions of the act infringed upon the rights of property owners. After the Supreme Court of California ruled that the initiative that repealed the Rumford Act was unconstitutional in May, he voiced his support for the act's repeal, but later preferred amending it. In
33088-434: Was dismissed, he was replaced by George P. Shultz , who proved much more collaborative and has been generally admired by historians. Other key players included William J. Casey , director of the CIA, William P. Clark , national security advisor, and Jeane Kirkpatrick , Ambassador to the United Nations. Casper W. Weinberger , Secretary of Defense, successfully rebuilt and expanded the military but did not coordinate well with
33276-500: Was following Reagan's policies. The dissolution of the Soviet Union took place in December 1991. In terms of the Reagan Doctrine , he promoted military, financial, and diplomatic support for anti-communist insurgencies in Afghanistan, Nicaragua, and numerous other countries. For the most part, local communist power collapsed when the Soviet Union collapsed. In domestic affairs, at a time of stagflation with high unemployment and high inflation, Reagan took dramatic steps. They included
33464-426: Was like in America when men were free. In 1983, Reagan stated the minimum wage , which was $ 3.35-an-hour at the time, should not apply to young people, with his reasoning being that the unemployment rate goes higher when the hourly rate is raised. Reagan was in favor of making Social Security benefits voluntary. According to Reagan biographer Lou Cannon : "I do not doubt that he shared the view that Social Security
33652-443: Was oblivious to racial discrimination. After obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and sociology from Eureka College in 1932, Reagan took a job in Davenport, Iowa , as a sports broadcaster for four football games in the Big Ten Conference . He then worked for WHO radio in Des Moines as a broadcaster for the Chicago Cubs . His specialty was creating play-by-play accounts of games using only basic descriptions that
33840-620: Was on record supporting her in major media publications. This helped Holmes in her efforts to raise money from investors. Shultz's grandson, Tyler Shultz, joined Theranos in September 2013 after graduating from Stanford University with a degree in biology . Tyler was forced to leave the company in 2014 after raising concerns about its testing practices with Holmes and his grandfather. George Shultz initially did not believe Tyler's warnings and pressured him to keep quiet. Shultz continued to advocate for Holmes and Theranos. Tyler eventually contacted reporter John Carreyrou (who went on to expose
34028-401: Was opposed to socialized healthcare , universal health care , or publicly funded health care . In 1961, while still a member of the Democratic Party , Reagan voiced his opposition to single-payer healthcare in an 11-minute recording. The idea was beginning to be advocated by the Democratic Party. In it, Reagan stated: One of the traditional methods of imposing statism or socialism on
34216-436: Was ordered for active duty while he was filming Kings Row . Wasserman and Warner Bros. lawyers successfully sent draft deferments to complete the film in October 1941. However, to avoid accusations of Reagan being a draft dodger , the studio let him go in April 1942. Reagan reported for duty with severe near-sightedness . His first assignment was at Fort Mason as a liaison officer , a role that allowed him to transfer to
34404-420: Was picked up by the next Administration. Shultz was known for outspoken opposition to the "arms for hostages" scandal that would eventually become known as the Iran-Contra Affair . In 1983 testimony before Congress, he said that the Sandinista government in Nicaragua was "a very undesirable cancer in the area". He was also opposed to any negotiation with the government of Daniel Ortega : "Negotiations are
34592-449: Was quoted as saying: "If there is a question as to whether there is life or death, the doubt should be resolved in favor of life". In 1982, he stated: "Simple morality dictates that unless and until someone can prove the unborn human is not alive, we must give it the benefit of the doubt and assume it is (alive). And, thus, it should be entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". As Governor of California, Reagan signed into law
34780-413: Was shot by John Hinckley Jr. outside the Washington Hilton . Also struck were: James Brady , Thomas Delahanty , and Tim McCarthy . Although "right on the margin of death" upon arrival at George Washington University Hospital , Reagan underwent surgery and recovered quickly from a broken rib, a punctured lung, and internal bleeding. Professor J. David Woodard says that the assassination attempt "created
34968-403: Was suffering a deep economic crisis, which he intended to make worse by cutting off western technology. He stated the Soviet Union "runs against the tide of history by denying human freedom and human dignity to its citizens." A year later in 1983, Reagan introduced the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), labeled "Star Wars" by the media, after the 1977 film of the same name . Reagan, following
35156-475: Was the NATO Ministers' 1979 "dual track" decision: if the Soviets refused to remove their SS-20 medium range ballistic missiles within four years, then the Allies would deploy a countervailing force of cruise and Pershing II missiles in Western Europe. When negotiations on these intermediate nuclear forces (INF) stalled, 1983 became a year of protest. Shultz and other Western leaders worked hard to maintain allied unity amidst anti-nuclear demonstrations in Europe and
35344-587: Was uninterested in politics, and occasionally recriminated, reconciled and separated with him. Although Reagan was unprepared, the divorce was finalized in July 1949. Reagan would also remain close to his children. Later that year, Reagan met Nancy Davis after she contacted him in his capacity as the SAG president about her name appearing on a communist blacklist in Hollywood ; she had been mistaken for another Nancy Davis. They married in March 1952, and had two children, Patti in October 1952, and Ron in May 1958. Reagan has three grandchildren. Reagan became
#731268