Reagan was a departure from previous conservative presidents mainly because he represented the antithesis of New Deal ideology. Though Reagan, ironically, admired Franklin Roosevelt as a young man, he felt disillusioned with the bloated elements of what he perceived to be “big government”.

Previous conservative presidents had largely attempted to uphold most of the elements of the New Deal. Eisenhower is typically pointed out as being the prime example of the Republican Party’s post-New Deal identity. He was moderate, especially compared to modern Republican presidents, and he protected New Deal legislation, expanded Social Security, warned about increased military spending, and massively increased infrastructure spending. Nixon is sometimes, erroneously referred to as one of the last “liberal” presidents, mainly because of the role he played in the development of the Environmental Protection Agency.

When looking at the American presidency, it is foolish to analyze only the presidents of the time period, and not the people they represented. Reagan being conservative is not necessarily the story here. Conservatism had largely been developing in the American mainstream starting with the Barry Goldwater presidential campaign in 1964. Considered a watershed moment in American conservative history, Goldwater’s rhetoric resonated with many Americans who were rejected with the growing Civil Rights Movement and New Deal America in general. The Vietnam War and the associated turbulence from the time period allowed President Nixon to mobilize the “silent majority” who had watched the anti-war movement, the Civil Rights Movement, and some of the pseudo-revolutionary fervor in the United States with horror.

In many ways, the 1970’s were a conservative reaction to the late 1960’s and the upheaval of the time period. Reagan’s election in 1980 was really the culmination of all of these social forces at work. It was the rise of “evangelical conservatism”, as well as a highly business oriented conservatism that had roots in the Nixon administration (though the Republican Party was definitely pro-business preceding this case, I’m more or less referring to the first appearance of many men who would make it into George W. Bush’s cabinet by the 2000’s). Reagan gutted government programs and drastically reduced taxes across the board, something that Eisenhower and Nixon had not done. He also massively increased military spending. The “Reagan Revolution” was a moment in the history of conservatism that arguably moved American politics so far to the right that it has never really moved back since. Presidents like Bill Clinton and Barack Obama are essentially centrist candidates that look quite conservative when compared to New Dealers. Nearly every Republican candidate for president has attempted to emulate Reagan’s platform in some way. It is not ridiculous to make the assertion that Reagan is as important for conservatives as FDR is for liberals in America. Reagan’s ascension restructured American politics.