Ronald Reagan

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When Ronald Reagan was elected president in 1980, he found America's economy, defense, and global position weakened to the point of collapse. The previous seven years of attempted détente with the Soviet Union had resulted in the worst foreign policy failures in American history. As the distinguished diplomatic historian Richard C. Thornton shows in this thorough reassessment of Reagan's presidency, written for the 40th anniversary of his election, the new president was determined to rebuild American economic and military power and to restore the Western Alliance. Reagan's "Victory Program" supported anti-Soviet resistance movements in communist countries, attacked the financial underpinnings of the Soviet economy, and boldly challenged the Soviet Union's forward positions around the world. The deployment of Pershing II missiles to Europe in 1983 restored the balance of power in Europe and, combined with the U.S. military buildup, reestablished strategic equilibrium between the United States and the Soviet Union by the end of Reagan's first term. As America faces a host of new challenges in the world today, this reexamination will be of interest to students, scholars, and practitioners alike.

Richard C. Thornton is professor of history and international affairs at The George Washington University, in Washington, DC, where he has taught since 1967. He received his B.A. in 1961 from Colgate University, where he was awarded Phi Beta Kappa membership; and received his Ph.D. from The University of Washington in 1966. In 2013, he co-founded the Institute for the Study of Strategy and Politics, where he serves as president. He is also a retired Lieutenant Colonel, USAF Reserve, and a former State Department consultant. Professor Thornton is the author of more than a dozen books, including Kings and Conquistadors: Spain's American Empire; the histories of the Nixon, Carter and Reagan presidencies, as well as histories of modern China, the rise of Mao, the Korean War, and the Falklands War.