What the Legacy of Former President Ronald Reagan Can Teach Every Generation about Preserving Liberty

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Perhaps the most memorable moment of Ronald Reagan’s presidency happened on June 12, 1987, in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Germany’s West Berlin when he uttered the words, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”

To add additional context, the full challenge was that if the Soviet Union’s General Secretary of the Communist Party Mikhail Gorbachev (who was Russian) was truly seeking peace, prosperity, and liberalization for what was then the Soviet Union (and included parts of eastern Europe such as the Ukraine) he should tear down the wall and allow east and west Germany to be united and grant freedom to the eastern European countries that had been forced into the Soviet Union.

Soviet Union’s Faulty Promise to Eastern Europe about Free and Fair Elections  

The Soviet Union and its control over several Eastern European countries came about toward the end of World War II. The details on that long and somewhat complicated story can be found here. The Soviets promised Eastern European countries that they would be liberated from Hitler’s Germany through free and fair elections, according to the Office of the Historian, but they didn’t keep their promise. Instead, the Soviets took over the governments.

At the time Reagan issued the challenge, the Soviet Union’s economy was in free fall and headed toward collapse. Gorbachev was working to resuscitate it. It was under Reagan’s presidency and Gorbachev’s determination to implement more effective policies that eventually brought about improvements to the Soviet Union’s economy. In addition, the autonomy of previously oppressed Eastern European countries and the right to hold free and fair elections were also restored.

Elections that are legitimately free, fair, and a true reflection of a country’s citizens are foundational to preserving liberty in a country where government is supposed to be of the people, by the people, and for the people. An election lacking integrity isn’t truly free.

Reagan’s Conservative Policies Brought America Out of a Recession

When Reagan initially stepped into the office of the presidency, America was experiencing high taxes, high inflation, gasoline shortages, economic turmoil rooted in government bureaucracy, several military debacles, and basically, the loss of American optimism and hope, according to the Hoover Institution.

Reagan introduced policies that reduced government interference in business and entrepreneurship, encouraged economic growth and technological advancement, lowered taxes, reduced government regulation, and enabled American workers and businesses to keep more of the money they earned. As a result, the overall standard of living for Americans improved and businesses experienced growth.    

America also experienced the longest timeframe of economic growth in its peacetime history. An unprecedented number of new businesses emerged, a significant number of new jobs were created, and America produced more new products and ideas than ever before. It became more efficient than in the past. 

This renewed prosperity and national well-being also fanned the flame of patriotism, so that Americans began to experience a revived sense of self-respect. As America’s optimism and hope for the future returned, so did its pride in being an American.

The Responsibility of Each Generation to Preserve Liberty

Each generation needs to take responsibility for preserving liberty. That begins at the ballot box. Who Americans put in office, whether on the city, state or federal level, will determine the direction of the country. It’s also important that those who gain these positions truly reflect the will of the people. In America, the citizens are free to speak up and speak out. So if representatives aren’t truly responding to the will of the people, then the people need to call and write their representatives, and if there still isn’t an appropriate response, they need to be removed from office.

America is blessed with having rules and policies that allow for a peaceful transition of power. Not every nation has this. The preservation of traditional American values, America’s Christian heritage, and the legacy it leaves to the next generation is truly of the people, by the people, and for the people of each generation.

Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/LibraryOfCongress

Elizabeth Delaney has been a freelance content writer for over 20 years and has enjoyed having her prose published in both the non-fiction and fiction markets. She has written various types of content, including Christian articles, healthy lifestyle, blog posts, business topics, news articles, product descriptions, and some fiction. She is also a singer-songwriter-musician. When she is not busy with writing or music, she enjoys spending time with friends or family and doing fun social activities such as hiking, swing dancing, concerts, and other activities.