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Transformative Presidents: A Review of Definitions, Focused on the Reagan Presidency



Author(s)

William A. P. Thompson Jr.

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DOI:10.17265/2328-2134/2015.07.006

The most significant variable in ranking a President as transformative is the nature of his legacy. Reagan‟s legacy resulted from the Tea Party‟s adoption of Reagan‟s conservative policy proposals, labeled the Reagan Revolution, or as Reagan defined in his farewell address, the “… Great Rediscovery, a recovery of our values and common sense” (Skowronek, 1967, p. 95). Transformative presidents create changes in the American Political System. Stephen Skowronek has defined five transformational presidents whose administration transformed the American political system: Jefferson, Jackson, Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Reagan (Skowronek, 1967, p. 95). Further, a comparison of the Reagan and Obama presidencies is included to explain why a President may be defined as being or not transformative. Each of these transformation repudiated their predecessor‟s policies. The Reagan Revolution enabled Reagan to become transformative by repudiating Carter‟s New Deal liberal and progressive policies. Presidential scholars who deny the ability of presidents to become transformative do so based on their research that presidents lack the power to persuade Congress or change public opinion. Skowronek utilized Neustadt‟s theory of “periodization” to explain how the five transformational presidents each left through their “legacy”, presidents who followed their policies. Reagan‟s followers included: George Bush, Clinton‟s centrist policies adhered to Reagan‟s, and George W. Bush. Obama was elected by repudiating his predecessor‟s policies. Whether Obama was transformative has yet to be determined.

transformative, Reagan presidency, periodization

Thompson Jr., W. A. P. (2015). Transformative presidents: A review of definitions, focused on the Reagan Presidency. International Relations and Diplomacy, 3(7), 487-495.