Ronald Reagan: The American Presidents Series: The 40th President, 1981-1989

by Jacob Weisberg, Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. (Editor), Sean Wilentz (Editor)

Overview

The conservative icon who reshaped American politics and laid the groundwork for the end of the Cold War

In the second half of the twentieth century, no American president defined his political era as did Ronald Reagan. He ushered in an age that extolled smaller government, tax cuts, and strong defense, and to this day politicians of both political parties operate within the parameters of the world he made. His eight years in office from 1981 to 1989 were a time of economic crisis and recovery, a new American assertiveness abroad, and an engagement with the Soviet Union that began in conflict but moved in surprising new directions.

Jacob Weisberg provides a bracing portrait of America's fortieth president and the ideas that animated his political career, offering a fresh psychological interpretation and showing that there was more to Reagan than the usual stereotypes. Reagan, he observes, was a staunch conservative but was also unafraid to compromise and cut deals where necessary. And Reagan espoused a firm belief, just as firm as his belief in small government and strong defense, that nuclear weapons were immoral and ought to be eliminated. Weisberg argues that these facets of Reagan were too often ignored in his time but reveal why his presidency turned out to be so consequential.

In the years since Reagan left office, he has been cast in marble by the Republican Party and dismissed by the Democrats. Weisberg shows why we need to move past these responses if we wish truly to appreciate his accomplishments and his legacy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780805097276
Publisher:	Holt, Henry & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	01/05/2016
Series:	American Presidents Series
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Jacob Weisberg is chairman and editor-in-chief of The Slate Group and the former editor of Slate magazine. Weisberg is the author of The Bush Tragedy and is the creator of the "Bushisms" book series. He previously worked for The New Republic and was a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine, a contributing editor to Vanity Fair, and a columnist for the Financial Times. He lives in New York City.

Table of Contents

Editor's Note xv

Introduction: Surrounded by a Wall of Light 1

1 Fact and Fancy 9

2 Sign Before They Change Their Minds 17

3 The Only Voice for Real Liberals 24

4 Living Better Electrically 33

5 I've Never Played a Governor 42

6 Call It Mysticism 52

7 I Paid for That Microphone 57

8 The Present Crisis 67

9 I Think I Made a Friend 80

10 The Ash Heap of History 89

11 They Keep Dying on Me 98

12 Morning Again in America 111

13 Why Wait Until the Year 2000? 119

14 The Facts Tell Me 128

15 Tear Down This Wall 140

Conclusion: That's How I Saw It 147

Notes 155

Milestones 166

Selected Bibliography 169

Acknowledgments 174

Index 175

Editorial Reviews

"Weisberg takes his historical duties seriously, laying out Reagan's actions with an admirable lack of pop psychology. . . . This concise biography makes a good case that Reagan was the second most important president of the 20th century after Franklin Roosevelt."—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

2015-10-22
The latest in the commendable American Presidents series is a thoughtful biography of an increasingly well-regarded president. Many observers during Ronald Reagan's presidency held a low opinion of his intellect. Time has not altered that perception, but most historians, including Slate Group chairman and former Slate magazine editor Weisberg (The Bush Tragedy, 2008, etc.) agree, often reluctantly, that he presided over significant changes in the United States. Although no conservative like his subject, Weisberg takes his historical duties seriously, laying out Reagan's actions with an admirable lack of pop psychology. A successful radio announcer and actor, Reagan enjoyed politics, serving twice as Screen Actors Guild president before election as California governor in 1966. Attuned to the national rightward swing, he denounced government, regulation, and taxes but left implementation to his staff, who discovered, to their annoyance, that he hated conflict and had no objection to compromise. "He knew what he believed, meant what he said, and made clear what he intended to do," writes the author. "He didn't suffer from anxiety or self-doubt. The search for something beneath the surface has tended to produce few results." The massive tax cut that began his presidency did not discourage him from extolling a balanced budget, and he accepted the almost yearly tax increases that followed. He appointed Antonin Scalia to the Supreme Court but also, despite objections, Sandra Day O'Connor. The electorate loved his speeches attacking student protesters, welfare, and communism, but activism seemed to bore him, except in his campaign against nuclear war. Ignoring opposition from his administration and outrage from conservative commentators, he embraced disarmament proposals from the new Soviet premier, Mikhail Gorbachev. This concise biography makes a good case that Reagan was the second most important president of the 20th century after Franklin Roosevelt.

Kirkus Reviews