Why was ronald reagan's presidency called a "revolution"?

Answer 1

I'm guessing that hiddentableau did not live through the 80s (or perhaps was not old enough to remember these things)

People called it the "Reagan Revolution" LONG before Reagan succeeded. In fact, in the early days all the pundits predicted utter catastrophe, so "revolution" would not have been very "flattering"!.

The term "revolution" may have stuck in (small) part because the alliteration ("R...n R...n") made it catchy.

But the real reason Reagan's supporters dubbed it a "revolution" was that Reagan was advocated "reversing the course of government" with MAJOR changes from the policies and direction of the previous 20 years.

It's important to note that all this began at the Republican Party's LOW-POINT -- LBJ's landslide win over Barry Goldwater in the 1964 Presidential race. Reagan himself came to national prominence in that campaign with a television speech he made for Goldwater. He soon became the standard bearer for many conservatives who did not agree with the direction government policy was taking and who felt that he said what they believed.
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So what were those "revolutionary" changes Reagan advocated (and his opponents scoffed at)?

They boiled down to a handful of items that Reagan focused on and that might be grouped together under the umbrella of STOPPING and reversing the growth of government and the loss of freedoms (to government).

This included:

1. economic policy - removing economic barriers -- especially by lowering confiscatory tax rates (top rate had been over 70% !), as well as cutting government regulations.

The idea was that, with lower taxes and less red tape, people would be more willing to risk investing money in business (which is often a big risk, since so many startup businesses fail, but when they succeed the payoff can be large) rather than try to put money in safe "tax shelters" or even take LOSSES that oddly would help them by avoiding high taxes!

As Reagan put it in his farewell address (January 1989), "Common sense told us that when you put a big tax on something, the people will produce less of it. So, we cut the people's tax rates, and the people produced more than ever before." (This was dubbed "SUPPLY-side" economics. It comes from the idea of "supply and demand" in the marketplace, and especially the notion that prosperity comes more from reducing the costs of production --the SUPPLY.)

This also meant reducing TRADE barriers. Reagan and Bush I began this and Bill Clinton agreed with it enough that he pushed for passage of the NAFTA treaty negotiated by Bush.

2. foreign policy - strong military, reviving an aggressive anti-Communism [Cold War], esp. against the Soviet Union... (vs. the "detente" of the 1970s, which proceeded from the idea that the Soviet Union would survive for a LONG time).

This included seeking to roll back Soviet advances in places like Central American and Nicaragua (under Carter), and to became strong enough militarily that the Soviet Union would not be able to compete economically. THEN he would negotiate 'with the right person' from a position of strength.

(That's what he did with Gorbachev, despite CONSERVATIVE critics who thought he' "gone soft"!. . .and it succeeded. The Soviet Union collapsed before Reagan had been out of office a year.)

3. cutting back on government dependency, government programs (domestic spending), mainly the "welfare state" of the 1960s. Along with this he intended to cut the national deficit

Reagan did not have as much success here, in part because he had to work with a Democratic Congress and a long-time mindset. The deficit increase was also in part because of the cost of rebuilding the military, which Reagan regarded as the higher priority.

Another factor -- as soon as Reagan's policy was put in place INFLATION suddenly collapsed, far quicker than ANYONE ever expected. (Higher inflation -- and it was VERY high under Carter-- means that money is not worth as much, so that debts are "less expensive" to pay off.)

But despite the large increases in the deficit:

a) the economy began to grow SO rapidly that the RELATIVE size of the deficit (compared to the size of the Gross Domestic Product) ended up much smaller than it had been in decades! and this trend has continued through the past 25 years with only two brief interruptions (1991-2 and 2001).

b) the effort to cut back the welfare state continued after Reagan -- esp. when Republicans took over the House in 1994 and finally gained Clinton's support for their "welfare reform" proposal - to restructure the system according to Reagan's principle that the success should be judged NOT by how many people were given money, but how many it helped get 'back on their feet' and FREE from government dependence
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Here are a couple of links (of many) that may help.

First, you can see Reagan's own explanation in his farewell address (note esp. the part that begins with "the Great Communicator")
http://www.reaganfoundation.org/reagan/speeches/farewell.asp

And here is a close look at the domestic side -- at what actually happened -- including the numbers:
http://www.reagansheritage.org/html/reagan_edwards12.shtml

Answer 2

It's only called a "revolution" by conservatives, so take the name with a grain of salt. They do it because it's flattering.

Think about it this way: Reagan was the first successful Republican president that any of the party's supporters could remember. Think about the ones that came before him. Nixon: the biggest disgrace in Presidential history. Ford: boring, stupid, completely forgettable. Republicans had to go back more than 20 years (an eternity in politics) to find Republican president that wasn't an embarrassment. And though Eisenhower might have been a great general, he wasn't a great president.

So compared to all the lame ducks that came before him, Reagan really was great. He talked a lot about small government, and conservatives liked that. He cut taxes, and just about everyone liked that. The economy improved during his time in office. And most importantly, he was president at a turning point in American history -- the end of the Cold War. He was in office when America won, when the Berlin wall came down, and the Soviet Union started to dissolve. That makes Reagan a winner, and everyone likes a winner. So why is his presidency called a "revolution?" He was (and remains) popular! Reagan was a charismatic man, and one republicans fondly remember. The term is a compliment to his legacy, and nothing more. Don't take it literally.

Answer 3

He ended the cold war and kick started the economy but also he was the first hollywood personality to be president and he revolutionized American politics.

I don't know if it was for the best but I like ARNOLD myself so thanks Ronny..

These may not be the only ways but they are revolutionary.

Answer 4

he helped the whole u.s. economy get off his feet even tho it wasnt so great in the time of his presidency it was great in th elong run