Ronald Reagan and the Politics of Freedom

In Ronald Reagan’s view, freedom was America’s defining characteristic. Free society, however, depended on a number of elements that require deliberate cultivation. This foundation included political components like: decentralized and limited government, constitutionalism, and a discourse of freedom; the economic freedom found in a healthy market economy; social factors such as family, religion, and civil society; and a world strategy that could maintain the nation’s security and independence. In addition, it was important to construct a durable electoral coalition capable of supporting limited government policies. This work examines Reagan’s approach to each of these questions. What was his understanding of a free society? What strategy did he pursue in each area? What were the effects of his efforts? This work argues that Reagan’s politics of freedom-found in his discourse, policy, and coalition-building achieved significant successes in the 1980s and beyond.