America's Failing Economy and the Rise of Ronald Reagan

This book examines one of the most important economic outcomes in American historythe breakdown of the Keynesian Revolution. Drawing on economic literature, the memoirs of economists and politicians, and the popular press, Eric Crouse examines how economic decline in the 1970s precipitated a political revolution. Keynesian thought flourished through the presidencies of Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, and Gerald Ford, until stagflation devastated American workers and Jimmy Carter's economic policies faltered, setting the stage for the 1980 presidential campaign. Tracking years of shifting public opinion and colorful debate between free-market and Keynesian economists, this book illuminates a neglected era of American economic history and shows how Ronald Reagan harnessed a vision of small government and personal freedom that transformed the American political landscape.

Analyzes the economic crisis of the 1970s and the subsequent 1980 presidential campaign as a watershed era in American history Weaves a vivid, accessible narrative of Keynesian thought and American politics in the 1970s Appeals to scholars and students of American economic history, Keynesian economics, and twentieth-century American politics

Auteur
Eric R. Crouse is Professor of History and Global Studies at Tyndale University College, Canada.

Contenu

1. Introduction.- 2. The Keynesian Revolution, 19361965.- 3. Johnson's Great Society to Nixon's Gamble.- 4. Ford's Economy.- 5. The Presidential Campaign of 1976.- 6. Carter's Keynesian Start.- 7. Inflation and Taxes in 1978.- 8. The Energy Crisis.- 9. On the Brink of Economic Revolution.- 10. The Presidential Campaign of 1980.