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For students of U.S. history, The Reagan Revolution explores how a Hollywood upstart and eventual conservative leader became one of the most successful and influential presidents in U.S. history-one whose presidency helped to define the end of the Cold War. This book covers Ronald Reagan''s long rise to the presidency and the conservative political revolution he brought about in the 1980s. Spurning the moderate values and policies Republicans had previously championed, Reagan''s revolution continues to play an outsized role in America''s political life. This important reference book gives browsers and readers alike an opportunity to focus on many of the intertwined issues of the 1980s: abortion, gay rights, law and order, the Cold War, tax cuts, de-industrialization, the Religious Right, and the political divisions that made Reagan''s legislative victories possible.The book opens with a concise biography covering Reagan''s rise from radio personality and actor to governor and president. Subsequent chapters cover politics and policy. Chapters also include an important review of Reagan''s legendary public relations operations ("morning in America" and the perfection of the television photo op) and the ways in which 1980s popular culture influenced and was influenced by his presidency. This section portrays Reagan as a product of Hollywood who keenly understood the importance of public opinion and creating a positive image.>
List of contents
Series Foreword
Preface and Acknowledgments
Historical Overview: The Evolution of the U.S. Presidency
Chronology
Chapter 1. Ronald Reagan's Political Odyssey: From New Deal Democrat to Conservative Republican, 1911-1980
Chapter 2. "Tear Down This Wall!": Foreign Policy in the Time of Reagan
Chapter 3. Trickle-Down Prosperity: Economic Policy during the Reagan Revolution
Chapter 4. "Just Say No": Social Policy in Reagan's America
Chapter 5. "Do We Get to Win this Time?": Popular Culture and Presidential Public Relations in the Eighties
Epilogue: Legacies of the Reagan Revolution
Biographical Essays
Primary Documents
Annotated Bibliography
Index
About the author
Kenneth J. Heineman is professor at Angelo State University and the author of six previous books, including
The Rise of Contemporary Conservatism in the United States.
