did ronald reagan play a major role or the most important role in the fall of communism in the soviet union?

Answer 1

Reagan's main contribution was that he was so far out of it with senility that no one paid any attention to him and everyone internationally looked to Margaret Thatcher for the leadership of the Free World. That was a good thing because she was pretty darned smart.

Russia's failure had as much or more to do with agricultural disasters brought on by atrocious collective farming practices as it had to do with military spending. But most political analysts are pretty clueless about agriculture - it's a lot easier and cooler to talk about military matters.

Answer 2

No. Some choose to give him credit for something he had nothing to do with. It would have happened if Pee Wee Herman had been president at the time. Reagan did put thousands of people with mental problems on the street by closing down many mental hospitals. And his union bashing put many air traffic controllers out of a job. Reagan did NOTHING for America.

Answer 3

I say most important role since he tricked the Soviets in to running a race they couldn't win. But it all depends on which historian you read. Most right leaning historians will agree with me while most left leaning historians will argue that Reagan had little to do with anything.

Here is a decent reference

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Reagan

Answer 4

As previously stated, Reagan was one of, if not THE, largest factors in the fall of the soviet union. Anyone who tells you otherwise is just in denial that a Republican president did something great.

Answer 5

Yes he did. He went on a military spending spree that the USSR could not match and technically bankrupted the communist nation.