Ronald Reagan’s presidency was the most important in a half-century, perhaps in a century. What I would like to discuss with you today are the 10 most important legacies Ronald Reagan leaves America and America’s next president.

This article is from the Hoover.org website.

The 1970s were a dreadful decade for my country. The 1980s have been much better, thanks in large measure to Ronald Reagan’s leadership and the 10 most constructive and important legacies he leaves behind.

Formula for Economic Growth

There is a new dynamism in America. And Ronald Reagan once again proved that capitalism works-that free market economics succeeds. This is a wonderful legacy for America-and the world.

New Federalism

Reagan has invoked words, thoughts, and images that have touched American hearts and have recalled a special pride we long had in our country.

Privatization

The Reagan Doctrine is a true revolutionary policy. It proclaims that the future belongs to democracy, not to Soviet-imposed dictatorships.

Checking Judicial Activism

I realize that the appointment of American judges is an issue to which foreigners pay little attention. Yet it is very important because court decisions have a great impact on government policies.

Rebuilding America’s Military Might

Throughout the 1970s, under Republican and Democratic presidents, the U.S. became militarily weaker.

Grappling with the Bear

For too long America gave Moscow the advantage in negotiations. Those who were making U.S. policy seemed to feel that any treaty with the Soviets is better than no treaty. As such, Americans were always willing to make concessions to Moscow; we were afraid of sticking to our position if this would mean that the negotiations would break down. The result of this was the series of Soviet gains at the bargaining table: SALT I, the ABM Treaty, cultural exchanges, SALT II.

The Reagan Doctrine

The Reagan Doctrine is a policy of true liberation. It recognizes that national liberation movements in the Third World can be on the side of freedom and democracy and that the U.S. can help these national liberation movements win. It breaks with the 1970s when the U.S. had become isolationist and was unwilling to remain involved in the world.

Demise of the Brezhnev Doctrine

For two decades, we in the U.S., in the West, and in Asia were told by Moscow that the global correlation of forces had shifted in the Soviet favor and that this shift was permanent. We often believed this. This, in effect, is what the Brezhnev Doctrine was proclaiming: that once a country joins the Soviet camp, it must remain forever in the Soviet camp. The most dramatic example of this, of course, was the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia 20 years ago.

Defense Technology with a Human Face

The Strategic Defense Initiative may turn out to be the most important Reagan policy because it could change the world. It could end the nightmare of nuclear holocaust.

Restoring Confidence in the Presidency

Reagan’s final legacy is that he reignited Americans’ optimism and restored Americans’ faith in the presidency. We had become very pessimistic in the 1970s. We saw one president after another fail-Johnson, Nixon, Ford, and Carter. We started believing that America’s best days were behind it.

There is a new dynamism in America. Ronald Reagan once again has proved that capitalism works-that free market economics succeeds.

Touching American Hearts

And then, of course, there are Ronald Reagan’s words. I am not sure how they will sound to you, with your very different culture and history. But Reagan has invoked words, thoughts, and images that have touched American hearts and have recalled a special pride we long had in our country.

Frequently, Reagan talked about America as a promised land. He called America a “Zion in the wilderness,” and “a city on the hill.” He said often, in speaking to Congress or on television addressing the nation, that America is “the last best hope of man on earth.”
SDI is a policy that could end Moscow’s ability to intimidate and blackmail the U.S. and the rest of the world.

This then is the legacy that Ronald Reagan leaves his people. It is an impressive legacy. It is a marvelous legacy. And it will influence the direction and policies of America for years to come.

This article is adapted from a speech delivered at the China Association for International Friendly Contact, the People’s University of China, and the Shanghai Institute for International Studies in October 1988.

Source: https://www.hoover.org/research/ten-legacies-ronald-reagan