|
The United States presidency of Ronald Reagan, also known as the Reagan administration, was a Republican administration headed by Ronald Reagan from January 20, 1981, to January 20, 1989. Reagan's presidency was termed the "Reagan Revolution", in recognition of the political realignment in the U.S. in favor of conservative domestic and foreign policies. The Reagan administration took a directly anti-communist stance towards the Soviet Union, actively seeking a collapse of the USSR as well as an end to the Cold War. Domestically, the administration claimed to favor reducing government programs. It introduced several tax cuts for Americans, even though it later raised taxes somewhat. The economic policies enacted in 1981, known as "Reaganomics", were an example of supply-side economics. Economic growth was strong for most of the 1980s; however, there was a recession in the beginning of his term and the national debt increased significantly. Regarding foreign policy, Reagan accelerated the massive buildup of the military, and undertook the invasion of Grenada, the first major overseas action by U.S. troops since the end of the Vietnam War. The "Reagan Doctrine" controversially granted aid to paramilitary forces seeking to overthrow communist or leftist governments, particularly in war-torn Central America and Afghanistan. Reagan also promoted new technologies such as missile defense systems in order to confront the Soviets and their allies. In diplomacy, Reagan forged a strong alliance with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and worked successfully with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev four times to end the Cold War. The damaging Iran-Contra affair engulfed several Reagan aides during his second term. His administration was criticized for lending support to right-wing military movements that committed human rights violations. Reagan was the first President since Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953–61) to have served two full terms as President. ==Overview== Reagan was an advocate of free markets and laissez-faire economics, and upon taking office, believed that the American economy was hampered by excessive regulations and social programs. Taking office during a period of stagflation, Reagan said in his first inauguration speech, which he himself authored:〔Murray, Robert K. and Blessing, Tim H. 1993. Greatness in the White House. Penn State Press. p. 80〕 His first act as president was to issue an executive order ending price controls on domestic oil, price controls which had contributed to the 1973 Oil Crisis and the 1979 Energy Crisis. Reagan focused his first months in office on two goals, tax reforms and increased military spending. During Reagan's first term, the nation fell into a recession that lasted from 1981 to 1982, with unemployment remaining high, as much as 10%, during 1982 and 1983. The degree of income inequality in America also rose substantially during Reagan's presidency. Despite this, the economy made a strong recovery and the nation experienced one of the longest periods of peacetime growth in its history. Employment though rebounded such that, by the end of Reagan's second term, the seventh year of the economic expansion, the country was technically at near full employment, with a civilian unemployment rate of 5.7 percent. Despite Reagan's stated desire to cut spending, federal spending grew during his administration. One of Reagan's most controversial early moves was to fire most of the nation's air traffic controllers who took part in a strike. Reagan also reduced Social Security by cutting disability and survivor benefits, but improved the solvency of the program by increasing the Federal Insurance Contributions Act tax (FICA). He also took tougher positions against crime, and also declared a renewed war on drugs. Reagan was criticized for being slow to respond to the AIDS epidemic. In foreign affairs, Reagan publicly and aggressively rejected détente, choosing instead direct confrontation with the Soviet Union through a policy of "peace through strength", including increased military spending, more confrontational foreign policies against the USSR and, in what came to be known as the Reagan Doctrine, support for anti-communist rebel movements in Afghanistan, Angola, Cambodia, Nicaragua and elsewhere.〔("Reagan Doctrine" ). United States State Department.〕 Reagan later negotiated with Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev, and together they succeeded in bringing about a substantial reduction in armaments levels worldwide. Reagan authorized military action in Lebanon, Grenada, and Libya during his terms in office. It was later discovered that the administration also engaged in covert arms sales to Iran in order to fund the Contra rebels in Nicaragua that were fighting to overthrow their socialist government. The resulting Iran-Contra Affair became a scandal to which Reagan professed ignorance. A significant number of officials in the Reagan Administration were either convicted or forced to resign as a result of the scandal. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Presidency of Ronald Reagan」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|