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Ronald Reagan
Politician
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Ronald Reagan was the 40th President of the United States and former Governor of California. Born and raised in Illinois, Reagan moved to California in the 1930s, where he became a Hollywood actor, President of the Screen Actors Guild, a spokesman for General Electric, and later met his second wife, Nancy. During his work for General Electric Theatre, he began to articulate the political themes that would carry him into the California Governorship. Derived from supply-side economics, "Reaganomics" consisted of large tax cuts, moderate deregulation, and increases in defense spending, resulting in about 16 million new jobs and significantly lower inflation rates, but also record budget deficits, a soaring national debt and a growing gap between rich and poor. After surviving an assassination attempt in his first term, Reagan was reelected in a landslide in 1984. His administration saw a number of scandals, most notably the Iran-Contra Affair. Reagan instituted his policy of "peace through strength" in an arms race with the Soviet Union. He rejected détente and confronted Communism, famously portraying the USSR as an "Evil Empire" and bolstering anti-Communist movements worldwide. Reagan negotiated with Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev to shrink both countries' nuclear arsenals and help bring a peaceful end to the Cold War.nemo
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