Ronald Wilson Reagan left the White House one of the most popular presidents of the 20th century — and one of the most controversial. Two-part special.

When he left the White House in 1988, Ronald Reagan was one of the most popular presidents of the century — and one of the most controversial. A failed actor, Reagan became a passionate ideologue who preached a simple gospel of lower taxes, less government and anti-communism. One by one, his opponents underestimated him; one by one, Reagan surprised them, rising to become a president who always preferred to see America as a "shining city on a hill."

A two-part AMERICAN EXPERIENCE special.