Reagan Revolution
The Event A new set of federal priorities and
initiatives inspired by conservative and
neoconservative principles redirects U.S.
foreign and domestic policies
The Reagan Revolution was a major realignment of U.S.
federal governmental policy along lines that were generally
politically, economically, and socially conservative. Under-
lying policy successes during Reagan’s two terms, this con-
servative trend continued to influence U.S. policy and poli-
tics into the twenty-first centur y.
By the 1980 election cycle, the American electorate
had grown weary of pessimism engendered by de-
feat in Vietnam, the failures of the Great Society pro-
grams of the 1960’s, the federal scandals of the
1970’s, fear of the Soviet Union, and disastrous for-
eign and economic policies of the Jimmy Carter ad-
ministration. Ronald Reagan ran on two optimistic
principles—economic recovery and revitalization of
U.S. military strength—and handily defeated Carter.
Reagan’s young administration quickly began re-
shaping U.S. policies. Economic growth meant low-
ering tax rates and reducing government spending
and regulation, both conservative goals that would
create free market prosperity and lead to “smaller
government,” a program often called Reaganomics.
Simultaneously, however, Reagan required an
expensive military buildup that increased troop
strength, developed new weapons systems (the
stealth bomber and Strategic Defense Initiative),
and generally increased the aggressive stance of the
United States toward the Soviet Union and its satel-
lites. Ultimately, Reagan sought the elimination of
all nuclear weapons, but, distrusting Soviet good
faith, he sought this goal by starting an arms race in
which, he gambled, the weaker economy of the So-
viet Union could not compete. This anticommunist
stance also led to a successful incursion into Gre-
nada and domestically scandalous support for the
anti-Sandinista Contras in Nicaragua.
Domestically, the Reagan White House exercised
what it called New Federalism. It sought to limit abor-
tion rights, civil rights programs such as affirmative
action, and the funding of certain social programs
while protecting private property rights, espousing
victims’ rights over those of criminals, and strength-
ening the prerogatives of the executive branch that
had been attenuated in the wake of Watergate.
Impact The successes of the Reagan Revolution
galvanized conservative politics in the United States,
slowed the advance of leftist statism and socialist-
inspired social programming, seriously weakened
the Soviet Union, and established the United States’
position as the unrivaled world superpower for the
remainder of the twentieth century.
Subsequent Events Arguably the most significant
subsequent event was the disintegration of commu-
nist regimes in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe
beginning in 1989. Domestically, the solid Republi-
can victories in the House and Senate in 1994, which
held until 2006, also stemmed from the Reagan Rev-
olution.
Further Reading
Reagan, Ronald.An American Life. New York: Simon
& Schuster, 1999.
Schwab, Larry M.The Illusion of a Conservative Reagan
Revolution. Somerset, N.J.: Transaction, 1991.
Thornton, Richard C.The Reagan Revolution. 2 vols.
Victoria, B.C.: Trafford, 2006.
Joseph P. ByrneSee also Berlin Wall; Economic Recovery Tax Act
of 1981; Elections in the United States, 1980; For-
eign policy of the United States; Grenada invasion;
Inflation in the United States; Intermediate-Range
Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty; Iran-Contra affair; Mil-
itary spending; Reagan, Ronald; Reagan Doctrine;
Reaganomics; Reagan’s “Evil Empire” speech; Soviet
Union and North America; Stealth fighter; Strategic
Defense Initiative (SDI); Tax Reform Act of 1986.Reaganomics
Definition An economic policy that emphasizes
the downsizing of government and of costly
government-supported social programs whose
curtailment permits reductions in taxation
The supply-side economic policies of the Reagan adminis-
tration resulted initially in a severe recession and in a dras-
tic reduction in social services that adversely affected the
poor, while they simultaneously ran up huge federal deficits.
However, before Reagan left office, the American economy
had improved significantly.
When he was inaugurated on January 20, 1981, Ron-
ald Reagan became president of a nation beset byThe Eighties in America Reaganomics 809