When Ronald Reagan died from complications arising from Alzheimer’s disease on June 06 2004, it signaled the end of an incredible journey from cinematic leading man to the Most Powerful Man on Earth. Indeed, when he first came to power in 1981, few could have seen the impact this seemingly quiet, unassuming man would make, not just in America but the world as a whole.

In fact, there were times both leading up to his Presidency and during it that Reagan was lampooned as nothing more than a buffoon, for whom even just getting up in the morning was a Herculean task. However, in 2001 a poll carried out in the US showed that the nation’s voters held this “bumbling buffoon” to be the greatest president of all time, with Abraham Lincoln in second place. So how did a Hollywood B-list actor come to be revered so highly?

Perhaps the answer lies with the very reason he was also derided – despite his often-goofy countenance, he was looked upon as a man of the American people, for the American people. This was shown by his policies that, although they seemed ill advised at first, slowly but surely changed the fortunes of Americans both at home and abroad. One of these would be what was later dubbed as “Reaganomics”.

When Reagan took over the tenancy of the White House in 1981, America was struggling financially, and in the very real danger of succumbing to a recession as bad as the one that brought the country to it’s knees in the 1930’s. In fact, the US would fall into a recession, but thanks to Reagan’s vision of growth through supply, as well as cutting taxes and social spending, the economy picked up and was actually stronger than ever before.

This tough mentality to see problems out would see him survive two of the most defining moments of his first term in office as well. The first was the assassination attempt on his life shortly after he took office, in March 1981. Despite being shot by would-be assassin Mark Hinckley – who claimed the attempt was to impress Hollywood star Jodie Foster – Reagan survived with the help of stomach surgery. This tied in with his image of the “cowboy President”, and endeared him to both fans and critics alike. He even had time to joke to the surgeons who would operate on him, stating he hoped they were Republicans.

The second big test of his fledgling presidency came in the way he dealt with a crippling air traffic controller strike just four months after his life-saving surgery. Although the air traffic controllers may have had a case like any other employee who feel they aren’t paid what they’re worth, they made a crucial error which the wily Reagan instinctively drew upon. With federal law stating that strikes are prohibited for government employees, Reagan was the ultimate hardball and fired all 11,400 striking controllers. On top of that, he refused to enter into any negotiations with the air traffic union, stating that he wouldn’t negotiate with anyone that’s breaking the law.

Despite being the oldest president ever elected, Reagan was so popular that he easily won a second term in office, with his only loss coming in his opponent Walter Mondale’s home state of Minnesota. With a second term secured and a healthy economy, it was time for Reagan to continue the work he’d started in his first term – namely, ending the Cold War with Russia.

Initially coming up with the idea of having lasers erected in space to shoot down any Russian missiles launched at the US, it was deemed too expensive and shelved. However this hadn’t stopped Reagan from organizing massive budget increases going towards the military in an attempt to show Russia who was the most powerful nation.

This approach intensified in his second term, when both Reagan and his Russian counterpart Mikhail Gorbachev came together in an historic meeting in 1987 to sign a peace treaty. This would start the process of dismantling intermediate-range nuclear weapons, and the legacy of that process still lives on today.

Reagan wasn’t perfect, though, and perhaps this is why he’s so beloved and held in such high esteem today. During his tenure, he made a huge political error in the Iran-Contra scandal, where he sold arms to Iran to free US hostages. His Reaganomics would also eventually leave the US with a large budget deficit in later administrations. Yet, for all this, America loved him.

Whether it was for the way he stood up to the Libyan dictator Colonel Gadhafi, or showed that he understood the mood of a nation when talking about the 1986 space shuttle disaster, Reagan gave Americans the feeling of knowing where they stood with him. Ask how many of these people feel the same about the current president, and it’s doubtful you’d be anywhere near.

Known as The Great Communicator, Ronald Reagan could be justifiably proud of his achievements. Without his vision and strength of character to see that vision through, the world may have been a very different place from what it is today, and not for the better.