FDR and Reagan : transformative presidents with clashing visions / John W. Sloan.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. Reconstructive Presidents as Principal Agents of Regime Change -- 2. The Collapse of the Republican Regime -- 3. Erosion of the Liberal Regime -- 4. The Life, Personality, and Political Philosophy of Franklin Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan -- 5. Advising FDR -- 6. Advising Reagan -- 7. Core Policies of the New Deal -- 8. Reagan's Core Policies -- 9. Legitimating the New Deal -- 10. Legitimating Reagan's Conservative Regime -- 11. FDR's Reconstructive Party Leadership -- 12. Reagan's Reconstructive Party Leadership.

"FDR and Reagan is a study of how old regimes unravel, how new ones are constructed, and how the political system is rejuvenated. Adapting noted presidential scholar Stephen Skowronek's framework, Sloan analyzes how two iconic "reconstructive" presidents redefined the country's fundamental philosophy, priorities, and policies as he weighs their similarities, differences, and impacts. He compares their lives, core policies, and leadership traits and shows that today's politics and policies are still heavily influenced by these key presidencies." "Each of these men transformed the way Americans thought about the legitimate role of government, whether providing more security for citizens or stepping back from federal regulation. But, as Sloan reminds us, the new order never totally destroys the old - reconstructive presidents never completely eradicate the ideas and programs associated with the regime they replaced. Big business survived the New Deal, just as the welfare state weathered the Reagan Revolution."--BOOK JACKET.