The two brave men who destroyed the seemingly impregnable Communist Empire of Europe, liberating 300 million people!!!
Don’t forget Margaret Thatcher
Yep. Guided by principles rooted deeply in the truth. We (mankind) are blessed when men of such character represent or lead us, and are duti-bound to reject those who, with so much ease, effortlessly portray a false image of the world around us.
In all fairness, Pope John Paul II made the greater contribution. He reached out in a way that Reagan could not possibly do, and made the fall of Communism peaceful. In fact, Poland could and would become free without Lech Walesa and Solidarity, but without Karol Wojtola (his birth name), none of this would have been possible. The Cold War would have eventually ended, but not as hastily and not without much bloodshed. Poland was heavily entrenched in Communism when he became Pope, and his ascendancy became the hope of the Polish people that they had made it in the world, and that freedom was their birthright. He also tightly balanced the goal of freedom with preventing outright revolt against the communist government, which would precipitate a soviet invasion. Because their previous cultural, military and political leadership (which was ethnic Lithuanian predominately anyway) was wiped out in the Katyn massacre, it took the Pope (who inspired Walesa) to set the liberation of Poland in motion. He was not only the Holy Father of the Catholic Church, but he truly was the Father of modern democratic Poland.