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Notes on Contributors viii <p>“To Grasp and Hold a Vision”: Ronald Reagan in Historical Perspective 1<br /><i>Andrew L. Johns</i></p> <p><b>Part I Ronald Reagan’s Pre-Presidential Life and Career 7</b></p> <p>1. Reagan’s Early Years: From Dixon to Hollywood 9<br /><i>John Sbardellati</i></p> <p>2. Political Ideology and Activism to 1966 22<br /><i>Lori Clune</i></p> <p>3. Reagan’s Gubernatorial Years: From Conservative Spokesperson to National Politician 40<br /><i>Kurt Schuparra</i></p> <p>4. Reagan Runs: His Campaigns for the Presidency, 1976, 1980, and 1984 54<br /><i>Yanek Mieczkowski</i></p> <p><b>Part II The Reagan Administration, 1981–1989 71</b></p> <p>Domestic Policy: Politics and Economics 73</p> <p>5. The Great Communicator: Rhetoric, Media, and Leadership Style 74<br /><i>Reed L. Welch</i></p> <p>6. Reagan and the Evolution of American Politics, 1981–1989 96<br /><i>Andrew E. Busch</i></p> <p>7. Ronald Reagan and the Supreme Court 117<br /><i>Andrew E. Hunt</i></p> <p>8. “Reaganomics”: The Fiscal and Monetary Policies 131<br /><i>W. Elliot Brownlee</i></p> <p>9. Reagan and the Economy: Business and Labor, Deregulation and Regulation 149<br /><i>Michael R. Adamson</i></p> <p>10. Reagan and the Military 167<br /><i>Jonathan Reed Winkler</i></p> <p>Domestic Policy: Social and Cultural Issues 184</p> <p>11. Ronald Reagan, Race, Civil Rights, and Immigration 185<br /><i>Lilia Fernandez</i></p> <p>12. Reagan, Religion, and the Culture Wars of the 1980s 204<br /><i>Matthew Avery Sutton</i></p> <p>13. Reagan and AIDS 221<br /><i>Jennifer Brier</i></p> <p>14. The Crackdown in America: The Reagan Revolution and the War on Drugs 238<br /><i>Jeremy Kuzmarov</i></p> <p>15. Ronald Reagan’s Environmental Legacy 257<br /><i>Jacob Darwin Hamblin</i></p> <p>Foreign Policy: Issues 275</p> <p>16. Reagan, the Soviet Union, and the Cold War, 1981–1985 276<br /><i>Michael V. Paulauskas</i></p> <p>17. Shaking the Empire, or a Negotiated Settlement: Ronald Reagan and Visions of the Cold War’s End 295<br /><i>Gregory Mitrovich</i></p> <p>18. The Iran–Contra Affair 321<br /><i>James F. Siekmeier</i></p> <p>19. The Reagan Doctrine 339<br /><i>Dustin Walcher</i></p> <p>20. Reagan and Terrorism 359<br /><i>Heather S. Gregg</i></p> <p>Foreign Policy: Regions 377</p> <p>21. Reagan and Africa 378<br /><i>James H. Meriwether</i></p> <p>22. Reagan and Western Europe 393<br /><i>William Glenn Gray</i></p> <p>23. Reagan and Asia 411<br /><i>Michael Schaller</i></p> <p>24. Reagan and Central America 434<br /><i>Jason M. Colby</i></p> <p>25. Reagan and the Middle East 453<br /><i>Clea Bunch</i></p> <p>Key Figures 469</p> <p>26. Mikhail Gorbachev 470<br /><i>Elizabeth C. Charles</i></p> <p>27. The Vice Presidency of George H. W. Bush 491<br /><i>Michael F. Cairo</i></p> <p>28. Ronald Reagan, Tip O’Neill, and 1980s Congressional History 510<br /><i>Robert David Johnson</i></p> <p>29. The Troika: James Baker III, Edwin Meese III, and Michael Deaver 529<br /><i>Christopher Maynard</i></p> <p>30. A Foreign Policy Divided Against Itself: George Shultz versus Caspar Weinberger 546<br /><i>Andrew Preston</i></p> <p>31. Margaret Thatcher 565<br /><i>Michael F. Hopkins</i></p> <p><b>Part III The Legacy of Ronald Reagan 583</b></p> <p>32. Ronald Reagan and the Conservative Movement 585<br /><i>Sandra Scanlon</i></p> <p>33. Reagan and Globalization 608<br /><i>Thomas W. Zeiler</i></p> <p>34. Reputation and Legacies: An American Symbol 626<br /><i>Chester J. Pach</i></p> <p>Index 644</p>

<p>“This strapping volume is another fine addition to the Wiley Blackwell Companions to American Historyseries and, at 682 pages, one of the longer ones.”  (<i>Reference Reviews</i>, 1 October 2015)</p> <p>“This volume offers the fullest and fairest assessment of Ronald Reagan available today. The chapters cover Reagan’s life, his policies, and the key issues of his time with clear focus and rigorous analysis. This volume defines the field, and it charts many future directions for research and debate.”  (<i>Expofairs</i>, 7 May 2015)</p> <p> </p>

<p><b>Andrew L. Johns</b> is Associate Professor of History at Brigham Young University and the David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies. He is the author of <i>Vietnam’s Second Front:  Domestic Politics, the Republican Party, and the War</i> (2010), and the co-editor of <i>The Eisenhower Administration, the Third World, and the Globalization of the Cold War</i> (with Kathryn C. Statler, 2006) and <i>Diplomatic Games: Sport, Statecraft, and International Relations since 1945</i> (with Heather L. Dichter, 2014). He is also the editor of <i>Passport: The Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations Review</i>.</p>

<p>Ronald Reagan’s life (1911-2004) spanned some of the most important domestic and international events of the last century.  Moreover, his administration (1981-1989) represents a pivotal point in American history, when the pattern of U.S. domestic and foreign policy was fundamentally and permanently changed.  As perhaps the key political figure in the last quarter of the twentieth century, Reagan’s legacy continues to exercise significant influence on contemporary politics.</p> <p>Providing a systematic and definitive examination of Reagan’s life and legacy in its entirety, <i>A Companion to Ronald Reagan</i> evaluates the events, policies, politics, and people of his administration, and assesses the scope and influence of his various careers – sportscaster, actor, political activist, governor, and political icon – within the context of the times. Finally, it grapples with Reagan’s evolving historical and popular legacy in the twenty-first century. Providing the most comprehensive coverage of Ronald Reagan, his administration, and his legacy currently available, this unique companion is the definitive resource for undergraduate and graduate students as well as scholars.</p>

<p>"To understand Ronald Reagan is to understand our recent past, and <i>A Companion to Ronald Reagan</i> is simply the best source available for understanding this complex, enigmatic, and profoundly influential shaper of American politics and of America's trajectory.  Comprehensive, illuminating, and produced by some of the finest scholars writing today on American history, it is essential reading for anyone interested in this American political giant."–<i>Jeffrey A. Engel, Director, Center for Presidential History, Southern Methodist University</i></p> <p>“This volume offers the fullest and fairest assessment of Ronald Reagan available today. The chapters cover Reagan’s life, his policies, and the key issues of his time with clear focus and rigorous analysis. This volume defines the field, and it charts many future directions for research and debate.”–<i>Professor Jeremi Suri,</i> <i>University of Texas at Austin</i></p>

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