Regarding the stupid myth that Reagan brought down the evil Soviet Empire...

POSTED BY: chrisisall
UPDATED: Friday, August 29, 2025 18:07
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MAGONSDAUGHTER

Saturday, October 10, 2009 6:46 AM

The myth re Reagan is definitely a made in America one - I never even heard of it before I started ghosting around boards on the Internet. I was completely astounded.

I always thought the Soviet union fell because it was decaying from within and only being held together by the tyranny of the State. When the State started to lose its grip - then it fell apart like a house of cards.

Was Reagan responsible for the reunification of Germany as well.

ANTHONYT

Saturday, October 10, 2009 6:54 AM

Hello,

I think the common wisdom regarding Reagan is this...

Poor management and financial woes troubled the Soviet Empire, threatening it with collapse.

And Reagan gave them a little push.

I do think the Soviet Union would have collapsed regardless. I don't think it can be denied that Reagan helped apply pressure to an unsustainable system.

What is frequently overlooked, in my opinion, is that he did that at home as well as abroad.

--Anthony

"Liberty must not be purchased at the cost of Humanity." --Captain Robert Henner

KWICKO

Saturday, October 10, 2009 6:25 PM

Quote:

I do think the Soviet Union would have collapsed regardless. I don't think it can be denied that Reagan helped apply pressure to an unsustainable system.

What is frequently overlooked, in my opinion, is that he did that at home as well as abroad.

We really need a big thumbs-up smiley around here!

SKYWALKEN

Saturday, October 10, 2009 7:31 PM

http://www.amazon.com/Face-Evil-Reagans-Word-Deed/dp/B0007Q3SII

From Harry Truman to Jimmy Carter, the policy when dealing with the Soviet Union was containment. Containment failed. The ultimate goal of the Soviet empire was a global communist revolution, therefore the Soviets could never have been contained. When Ronald Reagan came into office, he initiated a policy of confronting the Soviet Union, marking a sharp departure from the "détente" policy of the 1970s.

Reagan advocated a radical agenda: challenge the Soviets everywhere. Economically, politically, militarily, and especially psychologically. Not just coexist with the Soviets, but defeat them. His strategy for an endgame to the Cold War was that there would be no coexistence with the Soviets. From beginning to end, the goal was the destruction of the Soviet Union.

He realized that a planned economy could not compete against a market economy in a renewed arms race and so he made the Cold War hot in an economic and rhetoricall sense. Reagan and his team devised a plan. The secret plan was to dismember the Soviet Union brick by brick. It would be coercive. Confront the Soviet head on to fight and win a protracted four part war.

The first part was a war of action. The Reagan administration used paramilitary ops, covert action, small unit combat, and simly taking the torch to the enemy. The instruments were anti-communist Nicaraguan freedom fighters, anti-communist Afghan freedom fighters and anti-communist Polish freedom fighters.

The second part was a war of material. Reagan began a massive re-armament based on high-technology that obsoleted a generation of Soviet weaponry. Before Reagan took office, U.S. defense technology had fallen badly behind the Soviets during the Jimmy Carter administration. The defense upgrade include a 600 ship Navy, new Army divisions, tanks, planes, and missiles. Under the orders of Reagan, Caspar Weinberger cleared out the Carter Defense Department, instilled an esprit de corps within the ranks, and rebuilt the military as an instrument for the Soviets to fear. The method was unpredictable. Incursions into Russian airspace, sending B-52s in attack formation over the North Pole, disrupting naval exercises. The weapons build-up forced the Soviets to increase military spending, freeing the CIA to inflict massive damage in Afghanistan and Central America without obvious U.S. involvement.

The third part of the plan was a war of ideas. Reagan recognized that mass communications was the new most important instrument. He used Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, and Radio Marti; bombarding the captive nations with broadcasts, embedding coded messages for the leaders of resistance movements, secretly distributing Korans and pamphlets and that detailed the ongoing Soviet abuse of Muslims. Reagan knew that the struggle against communism was not simply between two political ideologies, but it was fundamentally about core beliefs and values and faith in a higher power. So when he changed the radio stations and made them voices of advocacy, he also added religious programming. Particular the Catholic mass was provided to listeners in Poland and that was a very energizing and mobilizing influence in a country where Catholicism and resistance to communism worked well together. They were also providing information and spiritual food to Muslims in Soviet Central Asia. They were printing brochures and they were having radio programs that talked about the incompatibility between Islam and the forced militant atheism of communism.

The fourth and final part of the plan was a war of money. Reagan devised a plan to bankrupt the Soviet Union. He had always known that the Soviet economy was no more than the size of California's and CIA analysis proved him right. Their 500 billion dollars paled in comparison to the 2.5 trillion dollars of the United States. Reagan used this discrepancy to America's advantage with economic warfare on a scale never seen before. One fought with a new weapon. Reagan made the dollar a weapon for the first time in

FREMDFIRMA

Saturday, October 10, 2009 9:04 PM

I don't know what's funnier, that you posted this to try and boost your case, or that you actually believe this crap.

I think imma go with that fact that on close inspection, this piece actually WRECKS your case, and also amusing is that you don't even realize it cause you skimmed it, mentally triggered on the buzzwords, then accepted it entire and threw it at us.

I know how to key and trigger buzzwords too, and it's funny as hell to watch you guys dance unknowning to my tune, especially when it leads you right off a cliff.

Meep Meep!

-F

KWICKO

Saturday, October 10, 2009 9:36 PM

Quote:
Skywhackin wrote (or copied and pasted):

The first part was a war of action. The Reagan administration used paramilitary ops, covert action, small unit combat, and simly taking the torch to the enemy. The instruments were anti-communist Nicaraguan freedom fighters, anti-communist Afghan freedom fighters and anti-communist Polish freedom fighters.

"Freedom fighters"? Don't you mean "terrorists"?

GINOBIFFARONI

Sunday, October 11, 2009 12:06 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Kwicko:
Quote:
Skywhackin wrote (or copied and pasted):

The first part was a war of action. The Reagan administration used paramilitary ops, covert action, small unit combat, and simly taking the torch to the enemy. The instruments were anti-communist Nicaraguan freedom fighters, anti-communist Afghan freedom fighters and anti-communist Polish freedom fighters.

"Freedom fighters"? Don't yoy mean "terrorists"?

and after one term in power the " anti-communist Polish freedom fighters " were thrown out of power and replaced by the communists by popular vote.

also the " anti-communist Nicaraguan freedom fighters " were prolific drug smugglers and terrorists, and the US was actually found guilty of war crimes in their support, although the US simply ignored the verdict.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicaragua_v._United_States

Either your with the terrorists, or ... your with the terrorists

" I don't believe in hypothetical situations - it's kinda like lying to your brain "

" They don't hate America, they hate Americans " Homer Simpson

Lets party like its 1939

KPO

Sunday, October 11, 2009 5:43 PM

Quote:
and after one term in power the " anti-communist Polish freedom fighters " were thrown out of power and replaced by the communists by popular vote.

But the long term damage to communism had been done?

Interesting topic this.

Heads should roll

DREAMTROVE

Sunday, October 11, 2009 8:03 PM

Except in how in 1945 we withdrew the Japanese forces under American command from China which they controlled, allowing the soviets to arm Mao in the takeover of the world's most populous and powerful nation, killing 70 million people, and now if Russia were still communist it would be less than 10% of the world's communist population

KWICKO

Sunday, October 11, 2009 8:46 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by kpo:
Quote:
and after one term in power the " anti-communist Polish freedom fighters " were thrown out of power and replaced by the communists by popular vote.

But the long term damage to communism had been done?

Interesting topic this.

Heads should roll

I think you mean the short-term damage to communism had been done. Like most other 'isms', it comes around from time to time, just like fascism, socialism, and free-market capitalism. None of them ever existed in the "true" or pure form, but are mixed to varying degrees time after time after time - often right here in the U.S.

By the way, I could argue that the defeat of the United States by the communist-backed Viet Cong meant that the "long-term damage" to capitalism had already been done. Would you agree with that assertion?

Mike

The percentage you're paying is too high-priced
While you're living beyond all your means;
And the man in the suit has just bought a new car
From the profit he's made on your dreams

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