The Imaginary Reagan Revolution: On the Conservative Undermining of Radical Left-Wing Discourse
Many historical narratives take for granted that a conservative “Reagan Revolution” took place in the 1980s. Though the gap between the reality and the rhetoric of the Reagan era has been subject to historiographical debate, the expression is still used today by Reagan critics and supporters alike....
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| Language: | English |
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Association Française d'Etudes Américaines
2018-12-01
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| Series: | Transatlantica |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/transatlantica/8847 |
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| author | Bradley Smith |
| author_facet | Bradley Smith |
| author_sort | Bradley Smith |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Many historical narratives take for granted that a conservative “Reagan Revolution” took place in the 1980s. Though the gap between the reality and the rhetoric of the Reagan era has been subject to historiographical debate, the expression is still used today by Reagan critics and supporters alike. This article suggests that the use of revolutionary rhetoric by American conservatives is an ideological tool that tends to undermine the very meaning of revolution, thus reducing the number of politically viable alternatives that would prompt significant change. This hypothesis is explored in two ways: first, by analyzing how Ronald Reagan presented both his policy objectives and his role in American history in terms of “revolution”; and second, by measuring the extent of a selection of actual changes that took place during and after the 1980s, so as to determine how revolutionary Reagan’s legacy is. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2db4373f963a485a9251fddd80a2d4f9 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1765-2766 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2018-12-01 |
| publisher | Association Française d'Etudes Américaines |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Transatlantica |
| spelling | doaj-art-2db4373f963a485a9251fddd80a2d4f92025-01-30T10:45:18ZengAssociation Française d'Etudes AméricainesTransatlantica1765-27662018-12-01110.4000/transatlantica.8847The Imaginary Reagan Revolution: On the Conservative Undermining of Radical Left-Wing DiscourseBradley SmithMany historical narratives take for granted that a conservative “Reagan Revolution” took place in the 1980s. Though the gap between the reality and the rhetoric of the Reagan era has been subject to historiographical debate, the expression is still used today by Reagan critics and supporters alike. This article suggests that the use of revolutionary rhetoric by American conservatives is an ideological tool that tends to undermine the very meaning of revolution, thus reducing the number of politically viable alternatives that would prompt significant change. This hypothesis is explored in two ways: first, by analyzing how Ronald Reagan presented both his policy objectives and his role in American history in terms of “revolution”; and second, by measuring the extent of a selection of actual changes that took place during and after the 1980s, so as to determine how revolutionary Reagan’s legacy is.https://journals.openedition.org/transatlantica/8847conservatismrevolutionRonald Reaganneoliberalismpolitical reform |
| spellingShingle | Bradley Smith The Imaginary Reagan Revolution: On the Conservative Undermining of Radical Left-Wing Discourse Transatlantica conservatism revolution Ronald Reagan neoliberalism political reform |
| title | The Imaginary Reagan Revolution: On the Conservative Undermining of Radical Left-Wing Discourse |
| title_full | The Imaginary Reagan Revolution: On the Conservative Undermining of Radical Left-Wing Discourse |
| title_fullStr | The Imaginary Reagan Revolution: On the Conservative Undermining of Radical Left-Wing Discourse |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Imaginary Reagan Revolution: On the Conservative Undermining of Radical Left-Wing Discourse |
| title_short | The Imaginary Reagan Revolution: On the Conservative Undermining of Radical Left-Wing Discourse |
| title_sort | imaginary reagan revolution on the conservative undermining of radical left wing discourse |
| topic | conservatism revolution Ronald Reagan neoliberalism political reform |
| url | https://journals.openedition.org/transatlantica/8847 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT bradleysmith theimaginaryreaganrevolutionontheconservativeunderminingofradicalleftwingdiscourse AT bradleysmith imaginaryreaganrevolutionontheconservativeunderminingofradicalleftwingdiscourse |