 George H. W. Bush was vice president under Ronald Reagan and became president in 1989. Bush promised to make the United States a kinder and gentler nation. And indeed, many people who knew Bush said he was a kind and gentle person. But he struggled to convince everyday Americans that he cared about them. His government also faced a recession, followed by slow economic growth. Bush was more successful in foreign policy. He organized the International Coalition to stop Iraq's occupation of Kuwait. And he was president during the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Union. Yet, voters did not re-elect him in 1992. Years later, however, they did elect his son.