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The Imaginary Reagan Revolution: On the Conservative Undermining of Radical Left-Wing Discourse

Author

Listed:
  • Bradley Smith

    (UPN - Université Paris Nanterre, CREA (EA 370) - Centre de Recherches Anglophones - UPN - Université Paris Nanterre, UPN LCE - Université Paris Nanterre - UFR Langues et cultures étrangères - UPN - Université Paris Nanterre)

Abstract

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Bradley Smith, 2017. "The Imaginary Reagan Revolution: On the Conservative Undermining of Radical Left-Wing Discourse," Post-Print hal-04145165, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04145165
    DOI: 10.4000/transatlantica.8847
    as

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