Ronald Reagan vs. The Evil Empire (Part 4)

This podcast episode, part of a mini-series on Ronald Reagan, discusses his presidency from 1983 onwards, focusing on the economic recovery, his landslide re-election, and the escalating Cold War. Hosts Katty Kay and Anthony Scaramucci, along with a guest speaker, analyze Reagan's "evil empire" speech, his Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), and his staunch anti-communist stance. They explore how Reagan's aggressive rhetoric and massive defense spending, despite initial skepticism and internal White House objections, ultimately pressured the Soviet Union into dialogue, particularly after Mikhail Gorbachev's rise to power. The discussion highlights Reagan's vision of a world without nuclear weapons and the controversial nature of his policies, which some feared would lead to nuclear conflict, while others credit them with contributing to the end of the Cold War.