U.S. still 'Reaganized': prof

By Joel Goldenberg, The Suburban, 2005-04-13 10:31:40

Photo by Martin Chamberland, The Suburban Troy: Canadians forget their fury at Ronald Reagan.

The United States is still experiencing the "hangover" effect of "Reaganization", says McGill history professor Gil Troy.

Troy, who lived in the United States until 1990, launched his latest book last Wednesday at the McGill University Bookstore, where guests were served jelly beans, Reagan's favourite indulgence. Morning in America: How Ronald Reagan Invented the 1980s looks at the former president's effect on U.S. culture from 1981 to 1989, and his ability to instill a feeling of confidence in most Americans during the decade.

Troy said today's news still reveals a Reaganized America.

"I was surprised, after the 2004 presidential campaign, when people were surprised that values had become an issue," he said. "That was something Ronald Reagan injected into the body politic. Reagan was much more careful than George W. Bush to plunge into those wars, he tended to be more cautious.

"And Bush, despite the fact that George Bush is his genetic father, really looks at Ronald Reagan in many ways as his spiritual father. To understand the Bush and the Clinton presidencies, you have to understand that big picture governance that Reagan brought back to America - he was actually following Franklin Roosevelt's template."

Troy also said so many Canadians are so opposed to George W. Bush, that they've "forgotten how infuriated they were about Ronald Reagan.

"So many friends of mine, on both sides of the border - in the bluest of blue states, New York and in Montreal say, 'I really hate Bush, I've never hated a president like this before. Reagan was a nice guy, but...' In the 1980s, many of those people didn't say 'he was a nice guy, but.....'

Troy at book launch: Reagan history studies former president's effect on '80s culture.

Gil Troy launches Reagan book

The McGill Reporter, Kudos, April 14, 2005

Gil Troy, professor of history at McGill, has dug deep and gone beyond the oversimplified stereotypes to illustrate the how and why of Reagan's cultural and political influence. His new book, called Morning in America: How Ronald Reagan Invented the 1980s, was launched at the McGill Bookstore, April 6.

To the surprise of those who dismissed the 40th president of the United States as an ignorant and dangerous lightweight, he is now venerated as one of the best leaders of the past century by a substantial portion of the American populace. Whether you love him or hate him, there can be no denying the former B movie actor was a crucial force in defining the world we live in today.

Good morning, Reagan!

The McGill Reporter, Around Campus, March 24, 2005.

Former U.S. president Ronald Reagan is the subject of McGill political science professor Gil Troy's new book (Courtesy Ronald Reagan Presidential Library)

An icon on the right, a favourite punching bag of the left, criticized as being intellectually not up to the demands of the White House and prone to invading countries unilaterally, proudly guided by religious convictions, promoter of expensive missile defense programs and showing a pronounced tendency to run massive deficits: surely we'll never see the see the likes of Ronald Reagan again.

For those with a hankering for '80s nostalgia, or those in search of we're-sure- inappropriate analogies to current political controversies, history professor Gil Troy has written a well-received - one reviewer called it "masterly" - book on America's 40th President, entitled Morning in America: How Ronald Reagan Invented the 1980's.

One of Troy's central arguments is that Reagan, contrary to belief, was not a rigid ideologue, and that he worked with the spirit of the times, rather than trying to undo the reforms of the '60s.

Troy will speak about and sign copies of Morning in America on Wednesday, April 6, at 5 pm in the McGill Bookstore Cafe'.

'Morning in America: How Ronald Reagan Invented the 1980s,' a new book by Gil Troy

Source: University Relations Office (URO) [newswire] April 06, 2005.

A Canadian academic has written THE BOOK on Ronald Reagan. In an even-handed, objective account, Gil Troy, professor of history at McGill University, has dug deep and gone beyond the oversimplified stereotypes to illustrate the how and why of Reagan's cultural and political influence. His new book, called Morning in America: How Ronald Reagan Invented the 1980s, will be launched at the McGill Bookstore (3420 McTavish Street) on Wednesday, April 6, from 5:00 to 7:00 pm.

To the surprise of those who dismissed the 40th president of the United States as an ignorant and dangerous lightweight, he is now venerated as one of the best leaders of the past century by a substantial portion of the American populace. Whether you love him or hate him, there can be no denying the former B movie actor was a crucial force in defining the world we live in today.

In the 1980s, Ronald Reagan presided over prosperity, destroyed communism, and made Americans feel good about themselves. Who was this man and how did he do it? Troy's pioneering and lively assessment of Reagan's legacy takes us through the 1980s in ten entertaining, year-by-year chapters, integrating the story of the Reagan presidency with the story of the decade's cultural icons and watershed moments - from personalities to popular television shows.

Much of Reagan's success, Troy explains, was knowing how to cast himself as the protagonist in the broad narrative of a nation that was leaving behind the despair and anxieties of the 60s and 70s to be saved by his optimistic "Morning in America." "Neither liberals nor conservatives should underestimate the modern president's power to shape the nation's self-perception and world view, or the centrality of that mission in moulding an administration's legacy," says Troy.

Troy also debunks the myth that the 80s were a counterrevolutionary reaction to the 60s. Many 60s political movements, from civil rights to feminism, may have lost momentum during the decade, but women and minorities made huge strides, and the Democrats succeeded in checking Reagan's power with vigorous opposition.

Morning in America has been receiving rave reviews on both sides of the border.

Correspondent Lesley Stahl, on 60 Minutes, said, "I thoroughly enjoyed every single chapter of Morning in America! Gil Troy has written a wonderful book: important, full of fresh insights, and fun to read."

Former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney said, "This superb book's original insight into the linkage between politics and culture not only explains what happened during Reagan's presidency and the 1980s, it offers essential insight into the continuing debates about the key challenges facing North Americans today."

"Superb... nuanced... [Troy] does what an historian is trained to do: allow change and continuity to coexist. The result is a balanced book on a plausibly human politician ....," said the Austin American-Statesman.

Gil Troy, PhD, is professor of history at McGill University in Montreal. A native of Queens, New York, he received his bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees from Harvard University. He is also the author of See How They Ran: The Changing Role of the Presidential Candidate and Mr and Mrs President: From the Trumans to the Clintons (an updated version of Affairs of State: The Rise and Rejection of the Presidential Couple Since World War II). He appears regularly on Canadian and American television. Prof. Troy's website is at www.giltroy.com.