Transforming America

By the end of the 1980s, the "malaise" that had once pervaded Americansociety was replaced by a renewed sense of confidence and national purpose. However,beneath this veneer of optimism was a nation confronting the effects of massivefederal deficits, a reckless foreign policy, AIDS, homelessness, and a growing"cultural war."In Transforming America,renowned historian Robert Collins examines the decade's critical and controversialdevelopments and the unmistakable influence of Ronald Reagan. Moving beyondconventional depictions that either demonize or sanctify Reagan, Collins offersfresh insights into his thought and influence. He portrays Reagan as a complexpolitical figure who combined ideological conservatism with political pragmatism toachieve many of his policy aims. Collins demonstrates how Reagan's policies helpedto limit the scope of government, control inflation, reduce the threat of nuclearwar, and defeat communism. Collins also shows how the simultaneous ascendancy of theright in politics and the left in culture created a divisive legacy.The 1980s witnessed other changes, including the advent of thepersonal computer, a revolution in information technology, a more globalizednational economy, and a restructuring of the American corporation. In the realm ofculture, the creation of MTV, the popularity of self-help gurus, and the rise ofpostmodernism in American universities were the realization of the cultural shiftsof the postwar era. These developments, Collins suggests, created a conflict inAmerican society that continues today, pitting cultural conservatism against asecular and multicultural view of the world.Entertaining anderudite, Transforming America explores the events, movements,and ideas that defined a turbulent decade and profoundly changed the shape anddirection of American culture and politics.