With twenty-eight speeches spanning the Reagan era, The Greatest Speeches of Ronald Reagan provides readers with a direct source into President Reagan’s profound belief in God, freedom, individualism, limited government, and his great love for his country. Ronald Wilson Reagan, the fortieth president of the United States, was also one of America's greatest orators. Known as “The Great Communicator,” he shared his vision of the greatness of America while guiding the nation to an unprecedented prosperity and renewed vigor. When President Reagan assumed the presidency in 1981, America’s economy ebbed with 12 percent inflation and 8 million unemployed. Reagan’s predecessor spoke of a national “malaise”. Abroad, America’s adversary, the Soviet Union, was expanding its influence. The Soviet Union’s nuclear weapons capability surpassed that of the United States and previous nuclear arms treaties were failures. President Reagan’s goals were simple: * To reduce the size of the federal government * Lower taxes * Stabilize the economy * Restore the belief of the American people in their government * Win the Cold War When President Reagan left office in 1989, these goals had been achieved: * Americans were enjoying the longest uninterrupted span of prosperity in the nation’s history. * After a massive military build-up, the largest in peacetime, President Reagan had negotiated a nuclear arms treaty that greatly reduced the threat of nuclear war.