Reagan’s Strategy for the Cold War and the Evil Empire Address

This essay examines Ronald Reagan’s 1983 speech to the National Association of Evangelicals, along with speeches and foundational documents leading up to the address. We argue that Reagan utilized a rhetorical approach consistent with what Martin and Annelise Anderson have termed a “grand strategy” for winning the Cold War. This “strategy” consisted of three components. First, Reagan labeled the Soviet system evil and a failure. Second, Reagan argued that the path to victory required an arms buildup that would leave the Soviets with no choice but to negotiate arms reduction. Finally, Reagan’s rhetoric contained a defense of liberal democracy and the prediction that such a system eventually would triumph over Soviet communism.