Ronald Reagan: Fate, Freedom, and the Making of History (Hardcover)

~ John Patrick Diggins (Author)
Key Phrases: neocon intellectuals, neocon advisors, many neocons, Soviet Union, United States, White House (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. A professor of history at the City University of New York Graduate Center, Diggins (The Rise and Fall of the American Left) provides an original reappraisal of Ronald Reagan from the conservative perspective. Throughout, Diggins discovers nuances that have heretofore escaped notice by most other Reagan scholars. For example: in appraising Reagan's reaction as California governor to '60s radicals, Diggins is the first writer to acknowledge the extent to which the onetime movie star shared common ground with rebels on campuses nationwide. Reagan, with his reverence for Thomas Paine and passion for limiting the reach of government, was—on at least one level—more than sympathetic when Berkeley protesters chanted, "Two, Four, Six, Eight, Organize to Smash the State!" Although a fan of Reagan's, Diggins doesn't hesitate to be critical—as when he discusses Reagan's attitude as president toward environmental issues, which Diggins characterizes as "puzzling" and "disastrous." (Diggins notes that Reagan's record as governor of California, where he allied himself with old guard Republican conservationists, was far more environmentally-friendly.) Overall, Diggins does a superb job of tracing Reagan's intellectual development from old school New Dealer to thoughtful, Emersonian libertarian, and also firmly establishes Reagan's credentials as a major architect of communism's final collapse. 13 photos. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Because Reagan has been misinterpreted by both the Right and the Left, his legacy in American political history has been distorted and undervalued, according to Diggins, author of The Rise and Fall of the American Left (1992). Contrary to liberal opinions, Reagan was no philosophical lightweight, nor was he the moral absolutist lauded by conservatives. He was a man of consistent beliefs, forged during the cold war. In his efforts to end the cold war, he was closer to liberals who always thought it possible than to conservatives who didn't believe it could ever be done. Reagan was "the only president in American history to have resolved a sustained, deadly international confrontation without going to war," defying liberal expectations of him personally and conservative expectations of the value of diplomacy. Reagan rejected the authority of religion as much as government. By convincing Americans to believe in themselves, Reagan demonstrated the duality of American political culture, that it is both liberal and conservative. This is a thoughtful book for both Reagan admirers and critics. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton (February 6, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393060225
• ISBN-13: 978-0393060225
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #647,322 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reagan and his Quest for Liberty. Well-Researched and Important, March 6, 2007

By	T. Carlsen - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In this illuminating book "Ronald Reagan: Fate, Freedom, and the Making of History," John Patrick Diggins shows that Reagan was influenced by old-school liberalism (often called libertarianism). Reagan's extensive writings, speeches and political career show Reagan to be a thoughtful advocate of individual freedom. The author describes Reagan as Emersonian in his optimistic belief in self-reliance.

Reagan was most concerned about the power of government, which makes him an anti-government conservative. Reagan was personally a straight-laced, old-fashioned Midwesterner. Yet Reagan was not a pessimistic old-school (social order) conservative like Edmund Burke or a racial (social order) conservative like Southern conservatives. Reagan's crusade was liberty. Reagan did not support religious control which could threaten individual liberty. Indeed, the author argues that Reagan was in some ways anti-establishment in his optimistic belief in individual freedom.

Reagan's burial site is inscribed with these optimistic words: "I know in my heart that man is good. That what is right will always eventually triumph. And there's purpose and worth to each and every life." Reagan spoke these optimistic words at the opening of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, and these optimistic words express what Reagan wanted to be remembered by and the outlook described in this book.

Reagan's spirit was deeply shaped by his mother, a member of the Disciples of Christ faith related to Unitarianism, which espoused an optimistic view of nature, sobriety, and personal responsibility. Reagan optimistically wrote in his autobiography "An American Life" that "every individual is unique, but we all want freedom and liberty, peace, love and security, a good home, and a chance to worship God in our own way; we all want the chance to get ahead and make our children's lives better than our own." He wrote that "my mother always taught us: 'Treat thy neighbor as you would want your neighbor to treat you,' and 'Judge everyone by how they act, not what they are.'" Reagan believed in individual freedom.

"Ronald Reagan: Fate, Freedom, and the Making of History" explains Reagan's journey from a New Deal Democrat, when Reagan voted for FDR four times, to a Republican who opposed big government. Being a good soul, Reagan originally believed that government could solve social ills. But then he witnessed government bureaucracy protecting itself and not serving taxpayers well. He believed that individuals could best solve their own problems. Eventually, Reagan had little reason to be a Democrat anymore. FDR was dead. All Reagan's friends were Republicans. Reagan's father, a Democrat, was dead. Reagan strongly disagreed with the radical liberal activists back then who were often influenced by Marxism (which FDR was not). In contrast, Reagan majored in economics in college, advocated free markets, was strongly anti-communist, was strongly anti-government, and shared the views of the original Democrat Thomas Jefferson: individual liberty and government power disbursed between the Federal Government and the States. Reagan said that he did not leave the Democratic Party; the party left him.

Reagan optimistically told Americans to believe in themselves and reach to an optimistic future.

Reagan also rejected isolationism often associated with old-fashioned American conservatism. He vigorously opposed the dangers of the Third Reich and then Soviet Communism. Reagan advocated political freedom and free trade, and he was so sincere, optimistic, and good-natured in his convictions. He had a good soul, Diggins writes.

Reagan's proactive optimism helped bring liberty to Eastern Europe. Very few people, other than Reagan, believed that Communism would collapse. Yet Reagan saw it coming, because he viewed communism as an unnatural system. Reagan's can-do optimism led him to negotiate a peaceful end to the Cold War. Contrary to what neo-cons falsely claim, Reagan's charm and sincere diplomacy with Gorbachev achieved the end of the Cold War peacefully. (Read Reagan's autobiography to hear it from Reagan himself.) For his role, Gorbachev won the Nobel Peace Prize, the first Ronald Reagan Freedom Award, and Time Magazine's Man of the Decade. In that respect, Diggins does not give Gorbachev enough credit. The author is more concerned that Reagan has not (yet) fully received due credit for his role in the end of the Cold War.

Diggins writes that Reagan (the Cold War), Abraham Lincoln (American Civil War) and Franklin Roosevelt (World War Two) were the three greatest liberators, and that Reagan deserves to be recognized as a great president. In an interview of John Patrick Diggins by George Will on C-Span in March of 2007, Diggins said that he would rank Reagan below only Lincoln, Washington, Franklin Roosevelt and maybe Theodore Roosevelt, which would make Reagan maybe the fifth best president. (I would argue that Jefferson should also be rated higher, which would put Reagan in the top six.)

Reagan's reputation among scholars has been rising since the release of his writings and radio speeches, which show Reagan to be a thoughtful thinker as described in this book. I highly recommend this outstanding book "Ronald Reagan: Fate, Freedom, and the Making of History," along with Reagan's autobiography "An American Life," the classic "President Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime" by Lou Cannon, "President Reagan: The Triumph of Imagination" by Richard Reeves and "Reagan and Gorbachev: How the Cold War Ended" by Jack Matlock, Reagan's top advisor and ambassador to USSR.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Uninformed by recent events, August 8, 2007

By	Jonny T "Jonny T" (Indiana) - See all my reviews

Dr. Diggins seems to be an erudite, intelligent man who put some serious time into researching his book. The other reviewers have rightly praised his efforts to look at Reagan through the lense of history and not idealogy, and for his ranking of Reagan with Roosevelt and Lincoln among our greatest presidents.

At the same time, I must confess that having recently read the Reagan Diaries as well as other books dealing with the Reagan legacy like Victory, Bill Bennett's recent second history volume, Reagan "In His Own Hand" etc., I must find that some of the conclusions drawn in this book diverge from the facts and tread familiar academic paths of thought about our great President.

The final negotiations that ended the Cold War occured PRECISELY because Reagan worked on every front to thwart the Soviets. This included Bill Casey flying all over the world covertly, actions to stop Soviet technology acquisition, efforts to make them spend money they didn't have on defense, and a lot more. Reagan mentions anti-communist efforts on a daily basis in the diaries. Also, the preposterous comment that Reagan did nothing to support Solidarity is false on its face - not making speeches about something (even though he did) does not mean inaction. Again, his diaries reveal many efforts on behalf of Solidarity, and Walesa himself gives Reagan great credit for his support. The fact remains that Reagan didn't alter or change his demands on the Soviets when Gorbachev came to power - the final agreement reached was the US STARTING POSITION on disarmement years earlier. His strong stance in negotiations and the arms build up (laughably described as starting under the Carter administration in the book - are you kidding?) drove the Soviets to the table because they literally could not afford to fight anymore. Fighting them on every front was intended from the beginning to realize this result. It is as Reagan described before he became President - his view of the cold war was "we win and they lose".

On a philosophical point, Diggins rightly remarks that Reagan often acted against the conservatives of his time's wishes. This does not make him somehow "less" conservative - just proven right in the argument. All idealogies are constantly in these debates, and Reagan comments on his reviews on the right constantly in his diaries as well, since he was such an avid reader of their writings. Just because the greatest conservative of the last fifty years didn't agree with every midget wonk at National Review or in congress is a comment on the midgets, not him. The line between "classical" and contemporary liberalism also seems to blur in his discussions. Yes, many current conservative thoughts on freedom and liberty are classicly liberal views (as many liberal statist views are classicly conservative), the modern distinctions are all that really matter in current discussion.

I started to read this book with great enthusiasm, as its take on Reagan seemed fresh and interesting, but as I saw conclusion after conclusion follow other tired academic views on Reagan and contradict what I had read him say in his own hand were his views and thoughts, I found it ultimately unhelpful.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Better to call it, "The Ronald Reagan Administration", May 17, 2007

By	M. Strong (Milwaukee, WI USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Most authors who try to write an insightful book about Ronald Reagan eventually say in frustration, "It's impossible to get to know the man!" Indeed, the same man that many of us felt close to despite never meeting him was apparently a tough nut to crack in person. That hasn't given historians and biographers much to work with. Most famously, Edmund Morris, a brilliant biographer, laid a huge egg with the highly anticipated "Dutch."

Diggins seems to understand that it's hard to understand the man, so he takes a slightly different approach in this book. First, he studies Reagan's years in Hollywood and as Governor of California, looking at his stance and action on issues (especially Communism) and interpreting their meaning. Once Diggins' narrative reaches the White House years, he really leans heavily on the thoughts and actions of Reagan's advisers, especially the group Diggins calls Neo-Cons (new conservatives).

All in all, Diggins does a very nice job of taking a truly objective look at Reagan's Presidency - one of the first books that has enough temporal distance from the event to do it. That is a worthy achievement and wins this book four stars, but ultimately you are left with the sense that you missed the core of what made Reagan's Presidency what it was - both good and bad - Reagan.

Diggins often uses ideas from Michael Deaver's book about his years with Reagan, "A Different Drummer" to try to give perspective on the President. Despite being a close adviser, friend and fan of Reagan, Deaver does give a fairly objective look at the man. I recommend that book first, or maybe together with this one.