The Cold War of 1947 could be considered one of the most peaceful yet chaotic war in history as two of the most influential nations tried to dominate the other through tactical and superior means. With the threat of the Nazi-led Germany eliminated by a temporary alliance, the USSR and the US remained as the two superpowers in dominance in the globe. The USSR tried to solidify its dominance by creating the Eastern Bloc filled with satellite states supporting the country. The US aided in the recovery of the Western European countries through the Marshall Plan. Eventually the US created the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the Truman Doctrine to combat against communism while the Soviet bloc founded the Warsaw Pact. Many nations and groups noted that the Cold War would escalate into an all-out nuclear war that can fatally affect other nations. However, upon the presidency of Ronald Reagan, the Cold War slowly turned to its end as the Soviet Union slowly lost its power due to Reagan’s strategic policies that have pressured the Soviet Union to concede defeat.
In the first few months of his term, Reagan portrayed the Soviet Union in a black light as he noted that the USSR is an “evil empire” that must be stopped. He then formulated policies, collectively known as the Reagan Doctrine, which opposes communism throughout the globe. Reagan cited that the current crisis happening in the globe relates to Soviet’s continuous influence in insurgencies. His entire team also noted that to stop the Soviet threat, the United States and its allies must increase their military efforts in supporting anti-communist rebels and regimes to ensure that Soviet influence is thwarted. Anti-communist rebels were given almost every type of weapons systems from the MX missile to the cruise and submarine missiles like the Trident II in full understanding that the action is supported by the US. The Reagan Administration even supported the trading and selling of highly complex weaponry to US allies that can aid in eliminating the growing Soviet threat. One notable undertaking of US is the selling of the Airborne Warning and Control System or AWACS to Saudi Arabia. Pakistan also transacted with the US government in exchange for arms. Reagan’s campaign promoted nationalism to ensure that Americans can recover from the stigma caused by the Vietnam War and note that it would deem to repeat if the United States cannot act against the Soviet Threat without support. The public supported his campaign, resulting to the biggest military deployment since peace-time .
According to Richard Allen, Reagan’s National Security Advisor, Reagan wanted America’s foreign policy against the Soviet Union that is straightforward and only concentrates on the ideal “we win, and they lose”. Reagan had been remarkably specific when he noted he wanted a traditional containment policy that would allow the US and its allies to go on offensive instead of always being in the defence. The Reagan Doctrine became his means to crack the Soviet Union’s defences to ensure the fast decline of its weak system. Its framework has been divided into three national security directive: NSDD-22, NSDD-66, and NSDD-75. The first directive covers neutralization of the Soviet force behind the Iron Curtain by supporting anti-Communist groups. The second directive covers the economic warfare against the Soviets, and the last noted the complete reform of the Soviet system in entirety. Reagan noted in his speeches that the Soviet Union must be removed due to their dictatorship nature, reminding people that the cause behind their struggles is due to the continuous presence of the Soviet Union
In the economic sector, Reagan also found means to contribute in the weakening the Soviet Union. Through NSDD-66, Reagan slowly built up defences to give the Soviets an idea that they are slowly building military defences to influence the Soviet Union. By the 1980s, Reagan’s centralized economic planning system had gained complexity as it slowly tried to update the economy around the globe. With the system’s complexity and renewed international standards, the Soviet Union’s produced goods only met standards up to 18% by 1987. The CCE continued to cause economic decline in the Soviet Union as production, growth and product rates have dwindled despite the several Five Year Plan initiative raised by the government. Reagan’s economic stratagem ensured that the CCE would be able to change world economy, crippling production of the Soviet Union. Reagan also wanted to expand the free-market economy system as he believes that it is a means to cripple the effects of communism. The newly dubbed “Reaganomics” was seen as a means to oppose the economic influence of the Soviet Union. While his expenditure in the war made the government succumb to bankruptcy, the passage of the Economic Recovery Tax Act of the 97th Congress ensured that the government can eliminate restrictions to the US budget
However, the most influential policy that influenced the Soviet Union is Reagan’s Strategic Defence Initiative. Reagan’s Strategic Defence Initiative (SDI) also caused chaos to the USSR as the program blocked any possibility of Soviet leadership in East-West trading. The SDI also forced the Soviets to also keep up their typical spending in the Cold War to sustain the losses in the economy . The SDI is the US’ proposal in creating a missile defence system that would eliminate the idea of “mutual assured destruction”. Reagan believed that it was not necessary to threaten millions of lives for the sake of proving to the other side the powerful nation. The SDI was also a means to prevent the Soviet Union from beating the country in the creation of a missile defence system that can pull out missiles launched to the country. While many noted that the SDI was a fluke proposal by Reagan due to its “fantasy” strategy, the Soviets feared that the system can turn the tides to the favour of the United States. Reagan also succeeded in forcing the Soviet Union in accepting the “zero option” to create the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty of 1987. Before the said treaty, Gorbachev tried to shut down the SDI in the Reykjavik summit in 1986 to ensure that the US stops militarization of space through the SDI. Reagan did not relent on the request, eventually getting the Soviet Union to support reductions proposed by the United States
In its entirety, Reagan’s policies against the Soviet Union proved itself to be a successful venture as the Soviet Union slowly succumbed to political and economic crisis. Margaret Thatcher even claimed that it was through Reagan that paved the way for many Communist satellite countries to be freed from Communist rule, nicknaming Reagan to be the “Great Liberator”. His set of policies gave the US a fighting chance to influence the state of affairs by providing means to enable the US and its allies to fight back. Although coexistence can exist between the two nations, it is, but a matter of time before the Soviet Union forces the United States in an all-out nuclear war. While Reagan’s efforts might have been forceful in considering that the Soviet Union is an “evil empire”, he eventually found himself agreeing into an agreement with Mikhail Gorbachev to freeze nuclear face-off between the two nation, bringing the Cold War to an end.
Works Cited
Carlisle, Rodney and Geoffrey Golson. The Reagan Era from the Iran Crisis to Kosovo. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2007. Print.
Hodge, Carl Cavanagh and Cathal Nolan. US Presidents and Foreign Policy. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2007. Print.
Levy, Peter. Encyclopedia of the Reagan-Bush Years. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1996. Print.
McCallister, Gerald. Ronald Reagan's Influence on the Fall of the Soviet Union. Ann Arbor: ProQuest Information and Learning Company, 2006. Print.
Williams, Robert and Paul Viotti. Arms Control. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2012. Print.
