Ronald Reagan served as the 40th president of the United States of America from 1981-1989. He was the first two term republican since Eisenhower and considered a national hero by conservatives. His pro military and anti soviet policies were a trademark of his candidacy and presidency. The American consensus is that the Soviet economy was an inefficient system that collapsed because of the brilliant policy in acted by Reagan that increased military spending to a level the soviets could not match. This story has USA vs USSR good vs evil and these were the terms that Ronald Reagan used to frame the debate. They were an evil empire with expansionist goals.
Kurt Vonnegut in his Slaughterhouse Five uses his book and the character Billy Pilgrim to show that war or America’s involvement in a situation is not just a matter of good vs. evil. Situations especially on an international scale like that are extremely complex with lots of different actors with varying motives. To just gloss over these bumps and say that World War Two was good vs evil or the cold war was good vs evil is a huge error. Not just to historical accuracy but to the experience and people who lived through these events and were shaped and defined by them
Ronald Reagan speaks at Disney
David's Blog 