3 Heroes: Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, and Pope John Paul II

The unlikely trio who helped undermine Soviet Russia

A West Berliner carries a Federal Republic of Germany flag to hand to an East German through a portion of the fallen Berlin Wall near the Brandenburg Gate on Nov. 11, 1989. Three leaders were instrumental in the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War: U.S. President Ronald Reagan, English Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and Polish Pope John Paul II. Gerard Malie/AFP via Getty Images

In the introduction to his book “Heroes,” historian Paul Johnson remarks on the difficulties inherent in defining a hero. He finally concludes that “heroic behavior is to be found in every age and in all kinds of places. The chief criterion is the verdict of the public and this, being arbitrary, eccentric and often irrational (as well as changeable), gives a salty flavor to the business.”

Americans have tasted this salt in the 21st century. Academics, politicians, and a mob of followers have assailed icons of history like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Robert E. Lee, going so far as to deface or tear down their statues because of their connections to slavery. Christopher Columbus, Abraham Lincoln, Booker T. Washington, Theodore Roosevelt, and others have also come under attack, all for a variety of reasons.

Yet we humans certainly crave our heroes, as may be evidenced by the adulation their admirers have paid to Barack Obama and Donald Trump. Others choose celebrities—athletes, film stars, musicians—to raise up on a pedestal.

Johnson’s book itself displays some of these ambiguities. Here are those we might expect to find—Julius Caesar, Elizabeth I, Lord Nelson, and more—but here, too, are actresses Mae West and Marilyn Monroe. We can probably safely guess that Monroe in particular, whatever her virtues and flaws, appears in few other books or articles touting her as heroic, though Johnson makes that case.

The Pantheon of Heroes,” 1898, By Arturo Michelena. National Gallery of Art Galería, Caracas, Venezuela. Public Domain

Late 20th-Century Lionhearts

In the book’s final chapter, Johnson offers readers “The Heroic Trinity Who Tamed the Bear: Reagan, Thatcher and John Paul II.”

The “Bear” to which Johnson refers is, of course, the Soviet Union, brought to a collapse, in part, because of the many failures of communism but also because an American president, an English prime minister, and a Polish pope exerted enormous political pressure on what Reagan had once called an “evil empire.”

In addition, often acting against stiff resistance and harsh criticism, Thatcher, Reagan, and John Paul II changed the course of events in their own spheres of influence. Thatcher defeated out-of-control labor unions, Reagan restored American pride and the economy after the dreary presidency of Jimmy Carter, and John Paul II steered the barque of Peter away from the radical reforms that sprang up in the wake of Vatican II.

John Paul II became pope in 1978, Margaret Thatcher prime minister in 1979, and Ronald Reagan president in 1981. That three such vigorous and powerful leaders of the free world should take high office almost simultaneously at a crucial time in history seems inexplicable except by dint of providence, fate, or fortune. That a professional politician, an actor, and a man of the cloth should also share a common vision of liberty and the human spirit is equally mystifying. Their collaboration came into play in part because of the Cold War and the times in which they lived, but this trio also shared some commonalities of adolescence and youth that perhaps opened the doors to camaraderie.

Ronald Reagan As a Who Radio Announcer in Des Moines Iowa, sometime between 1934 and 1937. White House Photographic Collection. Public Domain

Their Early Days

Of the three, Margaret Hilda Roberts (1925–2013) had the most stable childhood and adolescence. She grew up in the town of Grantham, in Lincolnshire, England, where her parents were pious Methodists and middle-class shopkeepers. Like her American and Polish contemporaries, she was taught thriftiness at home by word and example. Her revered father, Alfred, served as an alderman and later mayor of the town, sparking her early interest in politics. She worked hard in school, where one of her teachers, Miss Kay, inspired an interest in chemistry. Later, she took her degree in that subject at the University of Oxford.

Ronald Reagan (1911–2004) grew up in the small town of Dixon, Illinois. His father was an alcoholic and a salesman who had trouble supporting his family, but his mother, Nelle, deeply influenced their son. Nelle was a devout Christian, fiercely opposed the racism of her day, and even in those tough times, spent countless hours helping the less fortunate. From her, Reagan absorbed the idea of giving the poor a hand up rather than a “handout.” He excelled in sports, performed in dramas organized by Nelle and in school plays, and became president of his high school student body. Later, while attending Eureka College, he continued these activities, meanwhile working to pay his way through school and sending money home at times to his family.

Karol Wojtyla (1920–2005) spent his childhood and adolescence in Wadowice, Poland. His mother died when he was 8. Four years later, his beloved brother, a newly minted physician, died as well. From his father, a soldier who devoted himself to the well-being of his surviving son, Wojtyla learned to treasure his Catholic faith in what he later called his “domestic church.” An avid skier and football player, he also showed a passion for theater. When he attended university in Krakow—his father moved there as well—he continued his acting for a time even after the Nazis had closed the university, forcing him and others to work at manual labor. In 1942, he began studying for the priesthood in an underground seminary run by the city’s archbishop.

President Ronald Reagan met with Pope John Paul II at the Vizcaya Museum in Miami, in September 1987. White House Photographic Collection. Public Domain

Middle Years

As they matured, these three individuals set out on vastly different journeys. By the early 1950s, Thatcher had left the field of chemistry, studied and was practicing law, and immersed herself in politics. In 1959, she became a member of Parliament. By then, Reagan had already made a name for himself in Hollywood as a B-movie actor and was a presence on television. Meanwhile, Wojtyla became a priest and in 1958 was ordained a bishop.

Meanwhile, the Cold War between the West and the Soviet Union continued unabated. To predict at the time that these three people, strangers one to the other, would in 20 years form an alliance that would end both that war and the Soviet Union itself would have been beyond the power of any Nostradamus.

Courage Under Fire

In the last paragraph of “Heroes,” Johnson asks how we might recognize contemporary heroes. He then lists four qualifications that work for him: Heroes, he writes, possess “absolute independence of mind,” followed by the ability and willpower to act on those thoughts “resolutely and consistently.” They slough off the criticisms of the media provided they “remain convinced” they are doing right.” Finally, heroes “act with personal courage at all times, regardless of the consequences” to themselves.

Thatcher, Reagan, and John Paul II demonstrated these qualities throughout their long stint in the public arena. In his discussion of the pope and Church affairs, for instance, Johnson writes that “he never allowed himself to be deflected from his restorative program, which he pursued steadily and tenaciously throughout his long pontificate.” Adjusted for circumstances, that same stamp of endurance and courage applies to Thatcher and Reagan.

Clearly, all of them whetted these abilities in the years before they became international figures. Those 20 years that Thatcher served in Parliament before becoming prime minister accustomed her to the rough and tumble of politics and factionalism. Reagan’s career in radio, film, and television created the talents for speaking and the charisma that carried him into the California governor’s office and then into the White House. John Paul’s five decades of dealing with totalitarian governments sharpened the skills and know-how needed to battle and defeat communism.

President Reagan and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher on the South Lawn during her arrival ceremony in February 1981. National Archives and Records Administration. Public Domain

Building Champions of Virtue

A lack of space doubtless prevented Johnson from exploring the childhoods of Thatcher, Reagan, and Wojtyla. If we look to those younger years, however, we find the roots that gave blossom to their courage and fortitude. Each one of them came of age in communities that nurtured them and gave them room to develop their talents. Each one was raised and formed by loving, encouraging parents who taught them virtue. Each grew up in a home where religious faith was strong rather than perfunctory. Each learned early the necessity and value of hard work, individual effort, and righteous ambition.

These are the soil, water, and sunshine that produce not only heroes but also good men and good women. No matter the era and no matter their station in life, such people are always in short supply in any society. The lives of Thatcher, Reagan, and John Paul should remind us all, especially parents, that character formation—the creation of goodness and heroism—begins with the lessons taught in childhood.

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