Ronald Reagan’s Policy of Peace through Strength Ended the Cold War Essay Example
Ronald Reagan’s Policy of Peace through Strength Ended the Cold War During the presidential election of 1980 candidate Ronald Reagan clearly expressed his views on military strength to win the Cold War. His opponent, Jimmy Carter, was wary of this policy and said, “Reagan would re-ignite the 'arms race', and would increase the risk of war.”
Reagan replied, "We’re already in an arms race, but only the Soviets are racing …there’s… every reason to believe the Soviet Union cannot increase its production of arms…. They’ve diverted so much to the military that they can’t provide for the consumer needs…. (Norquist 55) This quote beautifully shows how our 40th president viewed the Soviet Union. He had a clear vision of how to solve our nation’s problems at home and abroad. The foreign policy of Ronald Reagan aided the downfall of the Soviet Union by promoting “peace through strength”. This forced the Soviet Union to try to match America’s military, but with a weaker economy it overextended itself in an arms race. Ronald Reagan never wanted to start a war with the Soviet Union. He built up the United States military to deter a war. “The real members of the peace movement”, Reagan said, “are people who understand peace must be built on strength” (Reagan 2). Unlike the previous president he had peace as his goal not his policy. Reagan built up the military with many modernized projects, including MX Peacekeeper missiles and the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). He believed that “Modernization goes hand in hand with deterrence” (Reagan 2). As Reagan implemented SDI and other modernized forces, the Soviet Union was increasing the quantity of their forces. In 1980 the Soviets had three times as many tanks as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries. The Strategic Defense Initiative was started on March 23, 1983. Reagan was widely criticized for the ideas it contained. It called for a missile defense system from space that
Reagan replied, "We’re already in an arms race, but only the Soviets are racing …there’s… every reason to believe the Soviet Union cannot increase its production of arms…. They’ve diverted so much to the military that they can’t provide for the consumer needs…. (Norquist 55) This quote beautifully shows how our 40th president viewed the Soviet Union. He had a clear vision of how to solve our nation’s problems at home and abroad. The foreign policy of Ronald Reagan aided the downfall of the Soviet Union by promoting “peace through strength”. This forced the Soviet Union to try to match America’s military, but with a weaker economy it overextended itself in an arms race. Ronald Reagan never wanted to start a war with the Soviet Union. He built up the United States military to deter a war. “The real members of the peace movement”, Reagan said, “are people who understand peace must be built on strength” (Reagan 2). Unlike the previous president he had peace as his goal not his policy. Reagan built up the military with many modernized projects, including MX Peacekeeper missiles and the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). He believed that “Modernization goes hand in hand with deterrence” (Reagan 2). As Reagan implemented SDI and other modernized forces, the Soviet Union was increasing the quantity of their forces. In 1980 the Soviets had three times as many tanks as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries. The Strategic Defense Initiative was started on March 23, 1983. Reagan was widely criticized for the ideas it contained. It called for a missile defense system from space that