Living in the Eighties

Description

Some see the 1980s as a Golden Age, a Morning in America when Ronald Reagan revived America's economy, reoriented American politics, and restored Americans' faith in their country and in themselves. Others see the 1980s as a new Gilded Age, an era that was selfish, superficial, glitzy, greedy, divisive, and destructive. This multifaceted exploration of the 1980s brings together a variety of voices from different political persuasions, generations, and vantage points. The volume features work by Reagan critics and Reagan fans (including one of President Reagan's closest aides, Ed Meese), by historians who think the 1980s were a disastrous time, those who think it was a glorious time, and those who see both the blessings and the curses of the decade. Their essays examine everything from multiculturalism, Southern conservatism, and Reaganomics, to music culture, religion, crime, AIDS, and the city. A complex, thoughtful account of a watershed in our recent history, this volume will engage anyone interested in this pivotal decade. Contents Contributors Timeline Introduction 1 Ronald Reagan’s 100-Day Revolution 2 An Insider’s Look at the Reagan Legacy 3 Ronald Reagan’s South: The Tangled Roots of Modern Southern Conservatism 4 The Reorientation of Liberalism in the 1980s 5 Bright Lights, Doomed Cities: The Rise or Fall of New York City in the 1980s? 6 Feminism in the 1980s: Surviving the Backlash 7 Intellectual Affirmative Action: How Multiculturalism Became Mandatory and Mainstream in Higher Education 8 Reaganomics: The Rebirth of the Free Market 9 Did Ronald Reagan Make the Berlin Wall Fall Down? 10 Where Is Graceland?: 1980s Pop Culture through Music 11 The Privatization of Everyday Life: Public Policy, Public Services, and Public Space in the 1980s 12 Reaganizing Religion: Changing Political and Cultural Norms among Evangelicals in Ronald Reagan’s America For Further Reading Index A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z