7 Kwame Nkrumah 7

seclusion from public life and to the growth of a person-

ality cult, as well as to a massive buildup of the country’s

internal security forces. Early in 1964 Ghana was offi-

cially designated a one-party state, with Nkrumah as life

president of both nation and party. While the adminis-

tration of the country passed increasingly into the hands

of self-serving and corrupt party officials, Nkrumah bus-

ied himself with the ideological education of a new

generation of black African political activists. Meanwhile,

the economic crisis in Ghana worsened, and shortages of

foodstuffs and other goods became chronic. On Feb. 24,

1966, while Nkrumah was visiting Beijing, the army and

police in Ghana seized power. Returning to West Africa,

Nkrumah found asylum in Guinea, where he spent the

remainder of his life. He died of cancer in Bucharest

in 1972.

Ronald W. Reagan

(b. Feb. 6, 1911, Tampico, Ill., U.S.—d. June 5, 2004, Los Angeles, Calif.)

C

onservative Republican Ronald Reagan, the 40th

president of the United States, who served from

1981 to 1989, was noted for his appealing personal style,

characterized by a jaunty affability and folksy charm.

His remarkable skill as an orator earned him the title

“the Great Communicator.” His policies have been

credited with contributing to the demise of Soviet

Communism.

Early Life and Acting Career

Ronald Wilson Reagan was the second child of John

Edward “Jack” Reagan, a struggling shoe salesman, and

Nelle Wilson Reagan. Reagan’s nickname, “Dutch,”

derived from his father’s habit of referring to his infant