State Historical Society of Iowa

"A Bright New Role for Ronald Reagan," 1981

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Courtesy of University of Iowa Libraries, "A Bright New Role for Ronald Reagan," 1981

Description

A part of President Reagan's foreign policy initiative was meaningful arms reduction, which the I.N.F. treaty with the Soviet Union accomplished in 1987. On November 18. 1981 Reagan first proposed the idea which would become known as the "zero option" in which both sides eliminated and permanently stopped production on all of their nuclear and conventional ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges of 500 to 5,500 kilometers. The result of the INF Treaty was that both the US and Soviet Union destroyed a total of 2,692 short-, medium-, and intermediate-range missiles by the treaty's deadline of June 1, 1991.
The cartoon from Frank Miller shows Reagan as a the "sheriff" of peace in a "bright new role." In the background are silhouettes of nuclear warheads.

Source Dependent Questions

  • What was the perspective of the cartoon? How does this compare to the "Lady Your Kids are Shooting at Me" cartoon from 1957? What actions of Reagan have helped him "win" a war of ideals at home according to this cartoon? How do you think the events of the Cold War prior to 1981 would have influenced the perspective of Frank Miller?
  • Considering Reagan's defense spending speech delivered a few years after, how does this speech corroborate or counter the idea of Reagan as seeking peace? Use evidence from the source.

Citation Information

Miller, Frank. "A Bright New Role for Ronald Reagan" (1981) The Register and Tribune Syndicate, Inc. Courtesy of The University of Iowa Courtesy of Library of Congress

State Historical Society of Iowa

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