Use the excerpt and your knowledge of U. S. history to answer the question.

Excerpt from a Speech to the House of Commons (June 8, 1982)
by President Ronald Reagan

The decay of the Soviet experiment should come as no surprise to us. Wherever the comparisons have been made between free and closed societies ... it is the democratic countries that are prosperous and responsible to the needs of their people

Our military strength is a prerequisite to peace, but let it be clear we maintain this strength in the hope it will never be used, for the ultimate determinant in the struggle that's now going on in the world will not be bombs and rockets but a test of wills and ideas, a trial of spiritual resolve, the values we hold, the beliefs we cherish, the ideas to which we are dedicated

Which statement best explains how President Reagan contributed to the end of the Cold War?

A. He helped revolutionaries overthrow the government of the Soviet Union.
B. He ordered a rapid increase in military spending to challenge the Soviet Union.
C. He threatened to use nuclear missiles to destroy the Soviet Union.
D. He placed an embargo on the sale of goods to the Soviet Union.