The 1980 Presidential Election - Ronald Reagan and the Shaping of the American Conservative Movement (Electronic book text)

Ronald ReaganOCOs victory in the 1980 presidential election marked a watershed moment in the history of the United States, heralding the triumph of the American conservative movement. Once a supporter of the New Deal, Reagan had come to symbolize the union of three diverse forms of conservatismOCoanti-communism, social traditionalism, and libertarianismOCothat were increasingly intertwined under the banner of the Republican Party. The unlikely development of this new conservative coalition was based upon the larger impacts of the civil rights movement in reshaping the dynamics of the Democratic and Republican parties, the social backlash of the Nixon era, the emergence of the religious right, and the economic and political crises that directly set the stage for ReaganOCOs stunning victory.

In five original, engaging chapters, "The 1980 Presidential Election" shows how ReaganOCOs journey to the White House was connected to the wider transformations of post-1945 American history. Supplemented by a fresh collection of primary documentsOCoincluding previously unpublished transcripts of ReaganOCOs radio addresses of the late-1970sOCothis book is an ideal introduction to the origins and impact of the American conservative movement."