Robert Collins examines the critical and controversial developments of the 1980s and the unmistakable influence of Ronald Reagan on their making. Portraying the former president as a complex political figure who combined ideological conservatism with political pragmatism, Collins demonstrates how Reagan's policies helped limit the scope of government, control inflation, reduce the threat of nuclear war, and defeat communism. In the 1980s other changes occurred as well, including the advent of the personal computer, a revolution in information technology, a more globalized national economy, and a restructuring of the American corporation. In the realm of culture, MTV, self-help gurus, and postmodernism realized the cultural shifts of the postwar era, creating a conflict that pitted cultural conservatism against a secular, multicultural view of the world. Entertaining and erudite, Transforming America explores the events, movements, and ideas that profoundly changed American culture and politics during an important decade.
Acknowledgments Introduction1. Malaise 2. Enter Ronald Reagan, Pragmatic Ideologue 3. Reaganomics 4. Greed is Good? The American Business System in the Eighties 5. Social Problems, Societal Issues 6. The Postmodern Moment 7. Culture War 8. Combating the Evil Empire 9. Winning the Cold War 10. The Eighties Legacy: The Recentering of Politics and CultureNotes Index
Robert M. Collins is the William H. Byler Professor of Social and Behavioral Science at the University of Missouri-Columbia. He received his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University and is the author of More: The Politics of Economic Growth in Postwar America and The Business Response to Keynes, 1929-1964.
An astute account of politics and culture during the Reagan years. -- Nicholas Wapshott New York Sun A masterly synoptic account of the Reagan years (including two chapters on the Cold War)... that is especially good on domestic issues... Collins is the rare historian who is literate in economics and public policy. He combines this knowledge with a writing style that is direct and understated. Indeed, it is hard to tell from his scrupulous prose what his own ideological leanings may be. Although he does not shrink from criticizing Reagan or his record, Collins confidently dispatches many of the well-entrenched criticisms of the Gipper that most historians roll over for, and in a way that does not read like a pro-Reagan brief. -- Steven F Hayward Claremont Review of Books Any student of the period would benefit from having this book both for general reference and for a lively, informative read. -- John Matlin American Studies Transforming America is an engaging, readable account of an important decade. -- Jerome L. Himmelstein Register of the Kentucky Historical Society
 |
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
