愛薇塔樂學英文

美國100位歷史名人榜(17)：Ronald Reagan

At the end of his two terms in office, Ronald Reagan viewed with satisfaction the achievements of hi

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At the end of his two terms in office, Ronald Reagan viewed with satisfaction the achievements of his innovative program known as the Reagan Revolution, which aimed to reinvigorate the American people and reduce their reliance upon Government. He felt he had fulfilled his campaign pledge of 1980 to restore "the great, confident roar of American progress and growth and optimism."

On February 6, 1911, Ronald Wilson Reagan was born to Nelle and John Reagan in Tampico, Illinois. He attended high school in nearby Dixon and then worked his way through Eureka College. There, he studied economics and sociology, played on the football team, and acted in school plays. Upon graduation, he became a radio sports announcer. A screen test in 1937 won him a contract in Hollywood. During the next two decades he appeared in 53 films.

From his first marriage to actress Jane Wyman, he had two children, Maureen and Michael. Maureen passed away in 2001. In 1952 he married Nancy Davis, who was also an actress, and they had two children, Patricia Ann and Ronald Prescott.

As president of the Screen Actors Guild, Reagan became embroiled in disputes over the issue of Communism in the film industry; his political views shifted from liberal to conservative. He toured the country as a television host, becoming a spokesman for conservatism. In 1966 he was elected Governor of California by a margin of a million votes; he was re-elected in 1970.

Ronald Reagan won the Republican Presidential nomination in 1980 and chose as his running mate former Texas Congressman and United Nations Ambassador George Bush. Voters troubled by inflation and by the year-long confinement of Americans in Iran swept the Republican ticket into office. Reagan won 489 electoral votes to 49 for President Jimmy Carter.

On January 20, 1981, Reagan took office. Only 69 days later he was shot by a would-be assassin, but quickly recovered and returned to duty. His grace and wit during the dangerous incident caused his popularity to soar.

Dealing skillfully with Congress, Reagan obtained legislation to stimulate economic growth, curb inflation, increase employment, and strengthen national defense. He embarked upon a course of cutting taxes and Government expenditures, refusing to deviate from it when the strengthening of defense forces led to a large deficit.

A renewal of national self-confidence by 1984 helped Reagan and Bush win a second term with an unprecedented number of electoral votes. Their victory turned away Democratic challengers Walter F. Mondale and Geraldine Ferraro.

In 1986 Reagan obtained an overhaul of the income tax code, which eliminated many deductions and exempted millions of people with low incomes. At the end of his administration, the Nation was enjoying its longest recorded period of peacetime prosperity without recession or depression.

In foreign policy, Reagan sought to achieve "peace through strength." During his two terms he increased defense spending 35 percent, but sought to improve relations with the Soviet Union. In dramatic meetings with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, he negotiated a treaty that would eliminate intermediate-range nuclear missiles. Reagan declared war against international terrorism, sending American bombers against Libya after evidence came out that Libya was involved in an attack on American soldiers in a West Berlin nightclub.

By ordering naval escorts in the Persian Gulf, he maintained the free flow of oil during the Iran-Iraq war. In keeping with the Reagan Doctrine, he gave support to anti-Communist insurgencies in Central America, Asia, and Africa.

Overall, the Reagan years saw a restoration of prosperity, and the goal of peace through strength seemed to be within grasp.

羅奈爾得·威爾遜·雷根（ Ronald Wilson Reagan ），美國政治家，也是一名偉大的演講家。在踏入政壇前，雷根也擔任過運動廣播員、救生員、報社專欄作家、電影演員、電視節目演員、和勵志講師，並且是美國影視演員協會（Screen Actors Guild）的領導人。他的演說風格高明而極具說服力，被媒體譽為“偉大的溝通者”(The Great Communicator）。歷任總統之中，他就職年齡最大。他是歷任總統中唯一一位演員出身的總統。

雷根在1980年的選戰中擊敗了現任的吉米·卡特，同時共和黨在那年選舉中也贏得了26年來首次在參議院過半數的席次。雷根推行的經濟政策為供應面經濟學，被人稱為雷根經濟學，將所得稅降低了25%、減少通貨膨脹、降低利率、擴大軍費開支、增加政府赤字和國債，以暫時解決社會福利的問題，排除了稅賦規則的漏洞，繼續對商業行為撤銷管制，使美國經濟在歷經1981—1982年的急劇衰退後，於1982年開始了非常茁壯的經濟成長。在國內議題上，雷根並沒有成功的解決如社會福利和墮胎等問題，但他也經由最高法院及其他聯邦法院的法官任命而轉移了聯邦的司法權。他始終強調他對於聯邦政府在處理問題上的能力抱持著懷疑態度，尤其是在經濟問題方面。他的解決方式是撤回政府的干涉並減少稅率和撤銷管制，以此讓自由市場機制能自動修正所面臨的問題。他在就職典禮那天說道：“政府並不是解決問題的方法，政府本身才是問題所在。” 　　

他的支持者盛讚他振奮了美國人在1980年面臨的低昂士氣和挫折感，並且讓積極不干預的資本主義體制超越政府的管制。在對外政策上，他大幅度擴張軍備，對蘇聯的政策則由原本的圍堵改為直接的對抗。雷根在政治意識形態上貫徹了反共主義與民主資本主義。雷根任內也經歷了數次嚴重的政治醜聞—並導致不少官員和幕僚被定罪，但他仍然得以安然度過這些危機。許多的觀察家，尤其是美國的保守派，稱讚雷根是美國得以拖垮蘇聯的主要功臣。歷史學家對此還沒有形成共識，一些人認為雷根是使蘇聯於1991年垮臺的主要推手；一些人則認為蘇聯于他任內開始的轉變，只不過是時間上的巧合。　　

在雷根兩屆任期結束後，同黨的喬治·H·W·布希於1988年的選戰中，挾著雷根的高昂人氣而大獲全盛，為共和黨60年來首次成功接任的總統。雷根的總統任期影響了美國1980年代的文化，80年代常被稱為“雷根時代”。他也是唯一一個遭到刺客以子彈擊中（1981年3月30日）而得以存活的美國總統。1989年退休後雷根定居於加州，在罹患阿茲海默症的10年後，於2004年死於肺炎，享年93歲，並獲得了隆重的國葬。