I understand Reagan's pressure on the USSR was one of many, many factors that helped bring them down. Do people (like PNAC Penelope) give Reagan all the credit? Or can they acknowlege the years of political pressure from Kennedy and the others?
Really the corruption and economy inside Russia made it crumble, not your cowboy B-movie hero Reagan. I do admire the man, but some people want him annointed to sainthood. Nuts.
It's like saying the Civil War was about slavery. It really wasn't but that's the short answer, not untrue, that's easy to remember.
2007-09-05 05:41:46 · 10 answers · asked by ? 6 in Politics & Government ➔ Politics
Tater: The KGB is running Russia now. Where do you think Putin came from?
2007-09-05 06:16:29 · update #1
War is a brutal contest of wills.
Calling the difficulties of that era a "war" is a misnomer.
It was political turmoil, to be sure, even involving a great threat of military action, but it was not a war. "Cold War" is just cliche.
You're wrong is saying that corruption inside Russia made it crumble. As you mention, that was only one factor. The Soviet Union was pressed by the US, by Eastern European unrest, by it's own internal corruption, and by the Pope and religious leaders who rightly pressed for freedom for the people.
As for your Civil War comment, that too is bunk.
From Lincoln's First Inaugural:
"One section of our country believes slavery is right and ought to be extended, while the other believes it is wrong and ought not to be extended. This is the only substantial dispute."
So, even before the Civil War began, Lincoln defined slavery as the only substantial dispute. After all, when people claimed "states rights", they were not insisting on their right to eat grits.
2007-09-05 07:11:20 · answer #1 · answered by ? 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
True. Reagan reversed the practice of negotiating with the Soviets and started to buildup our military and that caused the Soviets to spend themselves into bankruptcy. His actions/comments contributed to Gorbachev's rise to power and the subsequent dismantling of the Berlin Wall and the end of the cold war.
If corruption and a bad economy were as major a factor in the collapse of the Soviet Union as you apparently claim, wouldn't the Russian government be in terrible trouble now? I mean there is rampant corruption in the current government so if you are right then the people should be trying to find new leaders now. But it doesn't seem as if the Russian people are doing that right now.
EDIT: And Putin is corrupt, so if you are correct about the corruption bringing down the regime then shouldn't the current regime be brought down by the people of Russia?
2007-09-05 06:12:40 · answer #2 · answered by Tater1966 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
no person claims Reagan gained the chilly conflict or brought about the cave in of the Soviet Union via himself. No sane guy or woman believes had Jimmy Carter gained reelection the Soviet Union might have collapsed interior of 50 years. The Soviet Union ought to have been unsustainable, yet purely while it replaced into being pushed via the mixed forces and wills of Reagan & Thatcher. The deployment of Pershing and cruise missiles in Europe interior the face of huge international huge opposition, the U.S. militia buildup, the SDI initiative, the U.S. help of Soviet, Polish & Czech dissidents, the U.S. help for the mujahideen in Afghanistan, the U.S. help of the liberty combatants in Nicaragua vs the Soviet backed Daniel Ortega, all worked to stymie and verify the Soviets at each turn. Carter does no longer have undertaken any of those projects. Reagan's willingness to call out the Soviets and act against then went against the customary Beltway expertise, besides the fact that it scared the hell out of the Soviets.
2016-10-10 00:18:13 · answer #3 · answered by dermio 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Don't you know that the premier of the USSR would do anything the US President ordered him to? When he told Gorbechev to tear down the wall we could see Gorby snapping to and saying yessir consider it done.
Reality check: There was intellegence that said the USSR and satellites were falling apart economically and could not sustain their empire any longer. Reagan took the opportunity for a photo op to make it look like it was because he demanded it that the wall came down. Reagan was an opportunist.
The work of thousands of people in both spheres were instrumental in the demise of the Soviet empire. To give credit to any one person is wrong. But if it were given to anyone it would be two Poles, the Pope and Lech Lawensa (spelling).
2007-09-05 06:00:29 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋
True. President Reagan was the leader of the country at the time. By forcing Russia to compete with the US, both military and economically, they just couldn't keep up.
2007-09-05 05:52:04 · answer #5 · answered by mustagme 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Just like your golden boy Kennedy slept with Marilyn Monroe and got us into Vietnam, your man of the 90's Bill Clinton was serviced daily in the Oval Office by Monica Lewinsky and brought about the attacks on the World Trade center. How about you commys make these two your poster boys for the national commucrat standard of excellence. We repubs already have!
2007-09-05 05:55:19 · answer #6 · answered by citizenvnfla 4 · 1⤊ 2⤋
FALSE. The people of Russia demanded the end of the War...and Reagan just spent our tax money on a multi-billion dollar "Star Wars" program that never worked.
citzenflna: what does your answer have to do with the question? nothing...that's what i thought. Just another loyalist Republican who can't answer anything with a logical answer...but prefers to waste space with a illogical rant about any Democrat that comes to mind. Good job!
2007-09-05 06:02:25 · answer #7 · answered by Becca 4 · 1⤊ 2⤋
I have to agree that the corruption and economy within the Soviet Union was already causing its downfall. Reagan did help it along; however, he is not soley responsible for its collapse.
Apparently some people just don't know their history. Truman and Eisenhower originally sent "advisors" into Vietnam. Kennedy escalated the numbers. And if Clinton is responsible for 9/11, GHWB must be responsible for the first WTC bombing, right?
2007-09-05 05:52:45 · answer #8 · answered by OPad 4 · 1⤊ 4⤋
"General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”
~ The Great Liberator Ronald Wilson Reagan
2007-09-05 05:48:59 · answer #9 · answered by PNAC ~ Penelope 4 · 6⤊ 2⤋
He Won!!!!!!!!
Compare the USSR when Reagan was done compared to when Carter was our "brave" president.
2007-09-05 05:47:57 · answer #10 · answered by Duminos 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋