Nevertheless, President Obama has used Reagan's words purposely, knowing that Republican critics who often invoke Reagan's name have been criticizing President Obama for saying what Reagan said in that speech. That's why Obama subtly reminded them that what they don't want to hear was actually said by their political idol, Ronald Reagan.

Many conservative and traditional Americans loved Ronald Reagan, and many still do, because he did say and do some good things. Republicans and Libertarians especially love him because he was very charming and could exhibit a kind of an "aw shucks" humility, and also because on the other hand he could be a very feisty partisan politician appearing to be righteous, religious, and patriotic.

In some respects, that image of Ronald Reagan was genuine. However, in some other very significant respects, his image was a guise, so carefully crafted and groomed that even Reagan himself sincerely believed that he was his own man, and that he was not playing a role written by others.

Of course, Reaganites will vehemently deny that. However, when you learn his history you will see why, because Reagan was a convert, influenced by very wealthy, powerful corporate forces. 

See, as a young man and until age 36, Ronald Reagan had recognized and appreciated the great legacy of democratic progressive President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, which was based on democratic fairness and generosity. Reagan had understood that Roosevelt cared for the poor and the least of our brethren, promoted the general welfare and ensured justice for all, and his New Deal ended the Great Depression, put people to work, and was great for working people and the middle class. 

However, something began to happen to Reagan when he was 36 years old in 1947, and during the next ten years he went through a conversion in a couple of respects. One was that he was converted to "McCarthyism" and the views and ideology of right-wing extremists like Senator Joseph McCarthy, who waged dirty partisan political warfare and “black listed” many great and famous Americans, labeling them as “communists” or “socialists” even though they were merely conscientious humanitarians trying to inform people about injustice and inequity and advocate for social justice and equal rights and opportunities.

How and Why Reagan Converted

Reagan’s conversion was not merely the result of choosing the slanderous, offensive and dark side of McCarthyism, though. His conversion became even more pronounced as he was carefully groomed for a political career from 1954 to 1962 by top executives at General Electric Corporation. That was when Reagan was a television spokesman for the company on G.E. Theater, and when G.E. executives sent Reagan out across the country on speaking tours promoting anti-union, corporate friendly ideology. 

Then from 1976 to 1980 Reagan's conversion became more pronounced, and in May 1976 Time magazine quoted Reagan as saying: “Fascism was really the basis for the New Deal.” And even later, in 1981, there was a New York Times article titled "Reagan says many New Dealers wanted fascism." Then, not long after that William P. Hoar of the ultra-right-wing John Birch Society, in his 1985 book Architects of Conspiracy, wrote: "The economics of Fascist Italy were soon being imported into this country by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, whose C.C.C., W.P.A., PWA. and other Depression-era schemes proved so damaging." 

All that propaganda was deliberately designed to denigrate Roosevelt and his New Deal programs, which were in fact not damaging, but saved the country from the consequences of all the greed and corruption that had almost destroyed the country before Roosevelt became president.

However, Reagan’s conversion was not really complete until the most crucial part of it occurred in 1979 and 1980 while he was campaigning for the presidency. That was when he was supported and influenced by the leaders of the "Religious Right" (like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson) who justified Reagan's economic ideology claiming it was consistent with Christianity (even though it actually turns Christianity up-side-down).

Now it is time to understand the truth about Ronald Reagan’s image, and about the real agenda of Reaganism, because while it was charmingly sold as being religious and patriotic, and good for all the people, it actually served the interests of the wealthiest few to the detriment of the majority, the economy, the infrastructure, and the environment.

Even though Reagan did some good things, he had a dark side, and it's important to be aware of because right-wing Republican and Libertarian extremists who love to invoke Reagan's name copy his dark side while ignoring his better side.

Reagan’s dark side was in his lack of empathy and compassion for the working poor, the poor and disadvantaged, and in his hegemonic sense of American pride and superiority which he sold as conservative, religious and patriotic. 

Unfortunately, Reagan was able to sell it as such because of the political activism of leaders of the “religious right,” like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson. And, due to the collusion with them, a Reaganite “Gospel of Prosperity” was concocted. 

But, it was not really new. That "Gospel of Prosperity" revived the old Hamiltonian Federalist idea of 1800 of a "Christian Meritocracy," which claims that the wealthy are deserving and entitled to rule, especially if they profess to be Christians. 

Furthermore, since Reagan had been extremely resentful of the free speech and anti-war movements and the general successes of the "New Left" of the 1960s and '70s, his collusion with the “religious right” enabled him to dismiss his progressive critics as being unpatriotic and even un-Christian -- because Falwell and Robertson were calling those critics "ungodly."

Furthermore, Reagan promoted the idea that America had nothing to be ashamed of, even for what the U.S. Government had done in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia between 1963 and 1975. And because Reagan was unrepentant and in denial, he established a precedent that all right-wing Republicans (like George W. Bush) have followed ever since.

The very unfortunate thing about it, though, and what must be stressed, is that while Reagan said exactly what right-wing wealthy and well-to-do Americans wanted to hear, his rhetoric, agenda and policies have ultimately proven to be to the detriment of the environment, the infrastructure, workers, labor unions, the middle class, the working poor, and the poor.

For example, regarding Reagan's and the Reaganite's war on labor unions, here is a video illustrating its impact.

Unfortunately, most Americans are unaware of the facts of the matter, because Reagan successfully sold the misleading corporate idea that labor unions were bad and greedy, and that corporations were good and beneficial. And many Americans still believe it, even though the opposite has proven true!

That is why now, since politicians in America have been using Reaganite tactics and invoking the name of Ronald Reagan trying to maintain or regain political power, it is important that the American people learn the truth about him — not about Reagan the man, personally, but about the agenda and legacy of Ronald Reagan in his role as corporate spokesman, partisan politician, governor, and president. 

It is absolutely crucial that people understand that his agenda, like the agenda of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, served the interests of the wealthiest few, not the people or the country as a whole.

It is especially important now to understand what Reagan's real agenda was, and what his real legacy is, because many Americans have been led to believe in a fabricated image, and in myths. Consequently, they don’t realize what once made America great, and what has nearly ruined America once again during the last 30 years (as it did in the 1920s causing the crash of 1929).

What once made America great was Franklin D. Roosvelt's New Deal, which he made for the American people after the corrupt forces of greed and self-interest had nearly brought America to ruin between 1920 and 1931. That was because the corrupt wealthy people were motivated by the idea that the wealthiest people were entitled to rule, and that it was proper to regard their greed simply as "ambition." 

Roosevelt saved the country from the consequences of all the greed and corruption, and he established much-needed reforms and regulations regarding the stock market, banking and corporations. And again, he also put millions of people to work and his policies and programs ended the Great Depression and ultimately made the middle class large and great.

Then along came Reagan in 1981, and he revived the idea of "Christian Meritocracy" and Hamiltonian Federalism again. And, unfortunately, Reagan’s revival justified and motivated people driven by greed and self-interest, and it led to unchecked greed and corruption again. 

Between the late 1990s and 2001 the impact of the greed and corruption that Reaganism enabled started to become very evident (remember the corporate scandals caused by Enron, Global Crossing, Adelphia, etc.). And since then we have learned that because Reaganite Republicans actually served the interests of a very wealthy few, who between 1982 and 2008 had created situations that inevitably led to the horrible economic crises and police-state-like atmosphere we now suffer from.

Reaganites will object to that portrayal, of course. But, that is because most of them have bought a fabricated image of Reagan that was very effectively sold. And, as you will see in Ronald Reagan's Real Record, the television pitch man who sold it had been very carefully and cunningly groomed as a corporate spokesman, and he actually believed in the product he was selling -- which was himself and his corporate, partisan political ideology. He had been led to believe he was establishing patriotic, religious values, even though what he sold favored the wealthiest few at the expense of everyone and everything else.

That is why the image and myth of Ronald Reagan as hero must be shattered in order to America to progress, and in order for prophecy to be fulfilled. For according to most of the prophecies of the world’s religions, including those in the book of Daniel and John’s book of Revelation, the image of the "great king" must be shattered, and the deceptions must be exposed — because many Americans have been grossly misled and deceived.

That is one of the main reasons humanity is sharply divided by those who feign religiosity in order to gain or maintain personal power, wealth, and domain at the expense of others. And Ronald Reagan was their champion.

Reagan was able to pull it off because even when he spoke without a script, he could display a very humble quality that was charming and likeable. However, his television appearances were carefully choreographed and scripted, and Reagan played his role very well. And Republicans liked him because he was very proud and could talk tough, and he could even appear righteously combative against those he judged either as unpatriotic and wrong, or as evil enemies.

That's why many Americans today still believe in the image of Reagan as a conquering hero. In fact, many Americans like him because he appealed to the pride of the American people. And even though most Americans really don’t know much about Reagan’s actual record as governor and president, those who think he was a good president say it is because he made them feel good about their country and themselves. 

That reveals the key to Reagan’s success, and it explains why they like the man.

Now, though, because Republican and Libertarian politicians have been trying very hard to maintain and even enhance Reagan’s image, we should realize they do it for self-serving purposes. After all, it is to their political advantage if Americans think of Ronald Reagan as a great president, because it is to their politically advantage to invoke his name, and it makes it easy for them to perpetuate the Reaganite culture and policies, and carry out their corporate friendly political agenda to our detriment.

The Reaganite "Gospel of Prosperity"

The problem is that the Reaganite "Gospel of Prosperity" is flawed and misleading, and mainly serves the interests of the wealthy. As is explained in the article on Poverty: America’s Hidden Shame, it is based on one sentence in the books of Matthew and Luke in the Christian Bible, and it is taken out of context to justify their idea that wealth is a "reward from God," and that the poor deserve to be poor because they are simply "lazy" and don’t have enough faith.

That is the basic Reaganite position to justify themselves with regard to economic and fiscal policies, and they think it’s a Christian one. However, it is not, because even though Jesus of Nazareth pointed out that we "reap what we sow," he made it very clear that it is wrong to exploit people and profit unfairly at the expense of others, "reaping" far more than you deserve.

Despite the facts, the Reaganites and other forces of greed and self-interest turn Christianity up-side-down and do whatever is needed to justify the culture of greed and self-interest. And to perpetuate it they are trying, and will continue to try, to instill the misleading idea that critics of the wealthiest few and their corporations are merely uniformed, uneducated, immature, jealous, covetous, malcontent “socialists.” 

Not that wealth in itself is bad. It's corrupt greed and selfish lust for money that's bad. Wealth is great, and many hard-working, talented and skilled people are very deserving of their wealth, because they earned it fair and square. However, contrary to the Reaganite claims, not all wealthy people are fair, and some are not deserving of the excessive wealth that they have managed to gain at our expense.

That is why it is important that the actual historic record of events between 1982 and 2008, and even to the present, reveal the negative impact of the political agenda and policies of the Reaganites. Increasingly during the last 30 years the impact of Reaganism has been devastating for the majority of people, and it has exacerbated the religious and political conflict and division in the nation and in the world.

Two of the greatest American presidents, Thomas Jefferson and Franklin D. Roosevelt, would have called Ronald Reagan an "Economic Royalist."

In Thomas Jefferson’s day, he was very much against the economic "Royalists" on the Hamiltonian wing of the Federalist party, because they pushed the royal aristocratic European economic and corporate traditions, which made bankers and industrialists very rich at the expense of everyone else.

That is why Jefferson said: Banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies." He warned that unregulated banks could "deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless."

Unfortunately, the Hamiltonian view regarding economics prevailed over Jefferson’s, and banks and corporations flourished. They then caused problems, sporadically, and due the lack of proper regulation, they reached the point where in the 1920s they become exactly what Jefferson warned against.

In the 1920s Republicans had negated and reversed the progressive democratic reforms that had been made between the late 1800s and 1921. Instead, the Republicans enabled the forces of greed and self-interest to totally dominate and rule, which finally resulted in the economic collapse of 1929 and the resulting Great Depression.

That is why in the 1030s Franklin D. Roosevelt was very much against "Economic Royalists," because they were right-wing Republicans who were just like the Hamiltonians who Jefferson fought against. And as the son of man wrote in the 1980s (and was finally able to publish in 2002 in his first book, Real Prophecy Unveiled), from 1933 to 1945 President Roosevelt cleaned up the Republican mess, established needed reforms, regulations and safeguards, provided a New Deal for the American people, and enabled the average majority to enjoy living the American Dream.

However, there was something very ironic about Reagan. For as was mentioned earlier, even though as a politician he was against Roosevelt’s New Deal programs and was the same kind of "Economic Royalist" that Jefferson and Roosevelt fought against, until he was 36 years old Reagan had admired Roosevelt’s New Deal programs and policies.

In the late 1940s and 1950s when Reagan turned his back on progressive reformers and instead identified with "Red-Baiting" Senator Joseph McCarthy and Senator Richard Nixon, slandering and accusing progressive reformers of being "communists" or "socialists," he went over to the dark side. But as is the case with many converts, Reagan believed he had seen the light.

What actually happened, though, was that Reagan had begun to listen to the rationalizations of very wealthy, cunning people. He had begun to see the wonderful advantages of wealth, and he had begun to see why the wealthy who influenced him thought of themselves not as greedy, but as ambitious and deserving. 

Therefore, labeling conscientious, fair-minded people who stood up for the common man as "communists" seemed righteous to Reagan. He did not recognize that it was a very concocted and effective way of discrediting or silencing dissent or protest. It’s a tactic historians call "Red-Baiting" caused by the "Red Scare." But, in the 1950s is was actually the "Second Red Scare."

See, the "First Red Scare" was back in the 1920s, when the wealthiest few Americans were very afraid that the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 in Russia would influence American workers to revolt too, and they suspected anyone who even talked about income disparity or the plight of the working poor. In America in the 1920s anyone trying to organize laborers and workers was held especially suspect, and labeled as a communist.

That kind of fear was revived in the 1950s, along with the fears caused by the U.S. Cold War with the Soviet Union. Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy and Republican Senator Richard Nixon were the most notable opportunists who took political advantage of it, and even made it worse. They were among the most vocal accusers in Congress.

But, there was another very vocal accuser in Hollywood. It was Ronald Reagan, who was at that time the President of the Screen Actors Guild. In that role, Reagan accused many people in Hollywood of being communists, many simply because they were New Deal Democrats following the ideals of Franklin D. Roosevelt, as Ronald Reagan had earlier.

The history of how and why Reagan’s legacy in politics as a governor and president turned out to be the exact opposite of Roosevelt’s is interesting, because we can look far back into American history to see the difference, and the conflict. It goes all the way back to the political conflict between Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton, which was revived between Franklin D. Roosevelt and Herbert Hoover. And history makes it very clear who actually served the great majority of the people and who served the wealthiest few at the expense of the majority.

Reagan, like Hamilton and Hoover, believed that people should be self-reliant; that government should not need to promote the general welfare; that private charitable organizations alone should provide help to those who need it; that government is best when it regulates least; that big businesses, corporations and banks should be free and unencumbered by government regulation and oversight; and that legislation and laws should enable the wealthy to get even wealthier without restraints, because their "earned" prosperity will naturally trickle down on those below and benefit the whole country.

Unfortunately, their Laissez Faire right-wing political ideology wrongly assumes that the wealthiest few and their large banks, businesses, corporations and insurance companies will operate honestly, ethically and fairly. But, the truth is that, given free rein, they usually do not actually earn their income honestly and fairly. Furthermore, private charitable organizations cannot possibly provide all the help that is needed.

That is why Progressive Republican Theodore Roosevelt, who was president from 1901 to 1909, said the following:

“We are not attacking the corporations, but endeavoring to do away with any evil in them. We are not hostile to them; we are merely determined that they shall be so handled as to subserve the public good. We draw the line against misconduct, not against wealth.” – Theodore Roosevelt

Unfortunately, right-wing "conservative" Republicans have always done the opposite, from when they were Hamiltonian Federalists in 1800, to "prudent" Republicans in the 1920s (who caused the economic crash of 1929 and the resulting Great Depression), to Reaganite Republicans since 1981. Consequently, during the last 30 years we have seen the nation's wealth "trickle up" to the wealthiest one percent of the population who control the biggest banks, lending institutions and corporations.

Since Reaganism became firmly entrenched in American politics in 1982, the rich have increasingly gotten incredibly richer. After all, before Reaganism there were 13 Billionaires in the U.S., and by 2004 their number had increased to 313 Billionaires and now the number nears 400. 

Furthermore, despite what the Reaganites still claim, it is no coincidence that while the wealthiest few have gotten so much richer, the middle class shrank, more and more Americans fell into the working poor population, and poverty, hunger and homelessness increased. (See the articles on Poverty: America’s Hidden Shame, and Ignored American History.)

The fact is that since Reaganism has dominated the political arena for three decades and persists even today, Americans have increasingly been experiencing the terrible consequences of greed and corruption, which began to be exposed in the 1990s, peaked in 2008, and still plagues us.

Many Americans do not yet see that because Reaganism was sold as being fiercely patriotic and religiously Christian, even though it was actually a deceptive, extremely right-wing partisan political strategy.

Many Americans were simply fooled by all the Reaganite flag waving and bible thumping, and they just did not see that the Reaganites actually served and enabled the wealthiest few and all the forces driven by greed and self-interest. And that is precisely why America now suffers from the consequences of uncontrolled, unbridled greed and corruption.

Ronald Reagan changed and became an enemy of Roosevelt’s New Deal programs and policies not only because he was influenced and poisoned by the slanderous hatemongering of Senator Joseph McCarthy and Senator Richard Nixon in the 1950s. It was also because several years before he seriously got into politics he became a corporate spokesman and television pitch man for General Electric. And Reagan was carefully groomed by top executives in that corporation.

The main influence was Lemuel Boulware, General Electric’s president of labor and community relations from 1956 until 1961. Boulware was known for his tough stance against labor unions and he was a champion of modern American Neo-Conservatism, advocating the destruction of labor unions, unregulated markets, lower taxes, and limited power of government. Boulware carefully groomed Reagan in right-wing partisan political ideology from 1954 to 1962 while Reagan was a spokesman for the company.

Very few Americans know it now, but during that time Boulware and General Electric’s CEO Ralph Cordiner mounted a national political campaign behind the scenes, recruiting major corporate allies, teaching employees to learn the fundamental political skills to win elections, and developing shareholder lists for political mailings, and thus cunningly turned GE employees into advocates of Republican causes in order to sway voters. 

Ronald Reagan played a key role in this as spokesman and communicator, and was sent out into what was called "the mashed potato circuit" of civic forums, mostly in the South and smaller states, and especially in cities and towns where GE dominated the economy. That, in fact, is how and where Reagan was trained, and that is how a lot of Americans, many of whom had to listen to Reagan as GE employees, were swayed by Neo-Conservative Republican ideology.

During that time and afterward, Reagan began to rise in political stature by becoming an advocate and supporter of Richard Nixon in his campaign for the presidency. He then ran for president, and his political stature rose even more with his support for Republican candidate Barry Goldwater in his campaign for the presidency, because Reagan graciously conceded the Republican nomination to Goldwater at the Republican Convention.

In 1980, Reagan finally had his opportunity to be elected to the presidency in order to destroy Roosevelt’s great legacy and restore Hamiltonian style "Meritocracy." However, Reagan’s speech writers were very clever and cunning about it, because they knew they had a very effective television spokesman, and a great champion for Neo-Conservative ideology.

For example, in 1980 while he was running for president, Ronald Reagan quipped: "Wage and price controls have failed since the time of Diocletian. I ought to know. I'm the only one here old enough to remember that."

Naturally, that got a laugh, as his script writer knew it would, and it was, admittedly, disarmingly clever. And, it proved to be a winning strategy because people loved it.

However, that statement was deliberately designed to create the illusion that it is foolish to control prices and incomes, and that government should not put any limits or constraints upon businesses. And the fact is that Reagan’s statement was blatantly misleading, and false. He and other Neo-Conservative Republicans obviously thought they were right, and they were probably well-meaning, but they were actually wrong.

The fact is that President Franklin D. Roosevelt had instituted remarkably successful wage and price controls. Roosevelt implemented an economic plan which was part of a greater, comprehensive plan. It was efficiently and effectively organized and regulated, and it improved the military, agricultural, manufacturing, industrial and civilian conservation capacity of America. And, it enabled Americans to win World War II in less than four years from the day America entered the war.

In fact, Roosevelt’s legacy not only produced great prosperity for a large and great middle class by implementing proper wage and price controls and fair and proper regulations and policies to protect the public from the forces of greed and self-interest. Roosevelt’s New Deal also provided a safety net for the elderly and disadvantaged, with Social Security and Medicare. (And, by the way, if you read the 21st Century Declaration of Independence, you will see recommendations that the safety net should be available only to those who actually need it, because those with very high incomes now take enormous amounts out of the Social Security fund, even though they certainly don’t need it and can well afford to live in luxury without it).

Roosevelt’s great legacy is proven, because the American middle class became large and great because of Roosevelt’s New Deal. However, Ronald Reagan’s political agenda and legacy as a governor and a president was in opposition to and detrimental to all that.

Most Americans are not aware of the impact of Reagan’s favoritism of the wealthy few, and they are not aware of his betrayal of the people while seeming to be their hero because he said: "God bless you, and God bless America" at the end of every speech.

That was because Reagan actually convinced himself that he served God and Country. He believed it because he was supported by evangelical leaders like Billy Graham, who led Reagan to believe that "Judgment Day" was coming, as did other evangelical leaders like Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson and other right-wing partisan political ideologues who led the Christian Right. (And in that sense, Reagan was rather like George W. Bush would be from 2000 to 2008.)

Reaganism and Reaganomics was sold as "Christian" because the Christian Right pushed the "gospel" of prosperity which claims that their wealth is a reward from God. And, as a "religious" political doctrine, it was and is, of course, very convenient and very politically expedient for those who are wealthy. And it was a political strategy that worked beyond their wildest dreams. They’ve gotten incredibly rich during the last 30 years.

The truth, however, as Jesus said, is that th rich have about as much chance of getting into heaven as a camel has to fit through the eye of a needle.

Wealth from money can change people, as it did Reagan and so many others, and it can produce lust for more and more money. As the Christian gospels actually say, money can be the root of much evil, because money can easily corrupt people without them realizing it. Jesus not only said that a greedy, selfish rich man who profits unfairly at the expense of others puts his soul in grave jeopardy. He also said that even though we generally reap what we sow, it is unfair to profit unfairly at the expense of others.

In spite of the truth, Reaganism enabled the most corrupt of the wealthiest few to rationalize that their greed was not bad, It enabled them to justify themselves with the idea that they were entitled to enjoy extravagant wealth, even though and even while everyone else was growing less and less prosperous. It enabled the Reaganites and the "Religious Right" to operate on the idea that God helps those who help themselves, and so they helped themselves, and managed to ignore how that effected the majority.

The clarion call of the Reaganites demanded that they pay less taxes because "people should be self-reliant and not dependent on government handouts."

Of course, people should be self-reliant if and when possible. However, it is grossly misleading to characterize public assistance as "government handouts," when public assistance is actually an investment in people and a helping hand. But Reagan pejoratively labeled it as "welfare" and made it a dirty word, and he claimed that it enabled and coddled "welfare cheats" and made all recipients "dependent," even though the facts of the matter prove him wrong in the vast majority of cases.

The facts of the matter reveal the real legacy of Reaganism and show that the Reaganite propaganda was grossly exaggerated, deceptive, and misleading, as is explained in the articles titled Poverty: America’s Hidden Shame, and Ignored American History. For Reagan simply swept the issue of poverty and inequity under the rug, and claimed that the democratic efforts to reduce poverty produced "lazy bums" and "destroyed wealth." But that was shameful corporate propaganda.

That was a cunning way to justify cutting taxes for the wealthy and for their corporations, which Republicans claimed would create American jobs, but actually enabled corporations to enjoy enormous profits, start building plants overseas and employ foreign workers, which made unemployment much worse in America. Even more to the point, it was also a cunning way to justify cutting human services programs for Americans that needed help, which Reagan did with gusto.

In the companion article, Ronald Reagan's Real Record, you will find more  discussion on Reagan's foreign policies, which supported ruthless, murderous dictators. But there is a wonderful and great movie that reveals the reality of that far better.

The movie is The House of the Spirits, a 1993 dramatic film that is very enlightened, and expresses some very valuable lessons regarding love, organized religion, and government. The film stars Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Jeremy Irons, Winona Ryder, and Antonio Banderas. Based on the 1982 novel La Casa de los Espíritus by Isabel Allende, the film is about the life of a young lady before and during the military dictatorship in Chile which was supported by the U.S. Government. 

The film won awards in Bavaria, Germany and Denmark, and it was highly regarded by liberal progressives in many countries because it revealed the true nature of a “Patron” (land baron) who considered himself a good Christian and a patriot when he was in fact an often wicked man who lusted for power and self-gratification at the expense of others. And part of the film’s great value is that he eventually learns some extremely hard lessons and realizes his vain folly. 

Unfortunately, the film was held suspect and was panned by critics in America because at the time it came out the Reaganites controlled both houses of Congress, and they, like Reagan, supported dictators in many counties like Chile, Guatemala, Argentina, El Salvador, Guatemala, etc. In fact, the Reaganites were enjoying so much popularity because of Ronald Reagan’s fabricated, misleading image that the only way democratic politician Bill Clinton was able to become president was by taking a political position quite a way to the right of center.

Nevertheless, the film was very timely in 1993, and it is even more timely now. Everyone should see it, and learn the lessons that it so clearly and vividly teaches.

(For more facts about these issues, and to find out exactly why and how Reagan’s real legacy led to so much tragedy for so many people, see the article on Ronald Reagan’s Real Record.)