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Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th President of the United States from 1981 to 1989, having previously been Governor of California. A Republican and an iconic figure in modern conservatism and free-market economics, Reagan was a prominent conservative leader who led a conservative revolution emphasizing anti-communism. He pursued policies including supply-side economics, tax cuts, deregulation, military buildup, and a strong stance against communism during the Cold War. Reagan played a key role in escalating the Cold War initially and later challenged Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, contributing to its end. He reappointed Paul Volcker as Federal Reserve Chair despite their policy differences, appointed numerous neoconservatives to significant defense roles, influenced conservative ideology and right-wing journalism, received the Private Sector Initiative Award, and participated in organizing a meeting to launch Jewish Heritage Week.