Abstract
This paper focuses on the theme of continuity and change from the first to the second term of a Presidency, from an historical perspective, examining the case of two US Presidents who from 1945 to our days spent more than four years in office: the Truman Presidency - a democratic Presidency, born out of the legacy of the previous administration and renewed for the following four years, which allows us to reflect upon political continuity and change at the origin of the Cold War and the Ronald Reagan Presidency, the case of a Republican President, elected twice over, which offers an opportunity to focus on the last stages of the bipolar era.
Mariele Merlati, researcher in the History of International Relations, Department of International Studies at the University of Milan.