---
title: "Reaganism — APUSH Definition & Exam Guide"
description: "Reaganism is the conservative ideology of the Reagan era: tax cuts, deregulation, traditional values, and anti-communism. Core to APUSH Unit 9, Topic 9.2."
canonical: "https://fiveable.me/apush/key-terms/reaganism"
type: "key-term"
subject: "AP US History"
unit: "Unit 9"
---

# Reaganism — APUSH Definition & Exam Guide

## Definition

Reaganism is the conservative political ideology that dominated 1980s America under President Ronald Reagan, combining tax cuts, deregulation, and smaller government with traditional social values and an aggressive anti-communist military buildup.

## What It Is

Reaganism is the whole conservative package that took power with [Ronald Reagan](/apush/key-terms/ronald-reagan "fv-autolink")'s election in 1980. It has three main strands. Economically, it pushed major [tax cuts](/apush/unit-9/reagan-conservatism/study-guide/bhzREq69MW1ktHbBP8hg "fv-autolink"), deregulation of industries, and shrinking federal social programs, based on the argument that liberal antipoverty programs were counterproductive and that a freer market would grow the economy. Socially, it championed traditional family and religious values, energized by the New Right and groups like the Moral Majority. In foreign policy, it meant hardline anti-communism backed by a massive defense buildup.

The CED treats Reagan's 1980 victory as a milestone (KC-9.1.I.A) because it let conservatives actually enact this agenda after decades of building it. But Reaganism wasn't a total revolution. The CED is explicit that efforts to cut government "met with inertia and liberal opposition" because programs like Social Security and Medicare stayed popular with voters (KC-9.1.I.B). So think of Reaganism as a sharp rightward turn in the debate over government's role, not the end of [the New Deal](/apush/unit-7/new-deal/study-guide/O8bvpnFSbBfiQMHlcl4D "fv-autolink") state.

## Why It Matters

Reaganism lives in **[Unit 9](/apush/unit-9 "fv-autolink") (Globalization and Contemporary America, 1980-Present), Topic 9.2: Reagan and Conservatism**, and directly supports learning objective **[APUSH](/apush "fv-autolink") 9.2.A**: explaining the causes and effects of continuing policy debates about the role of the federal government over time. That phrase "over time" is the key. Reaganism is the conservative answer in a debate that runs from Hamilton vs. Jefferson through the New Deal and Great Society to today. It also connects to the Politics and Power (PCE) theme and gives you the perfect endpoint for change-and-continuity essays about the size and scope of the federal government across the 20th century.

## Connections

### [Reaganomics (Unit 9)](/apush/key-terms/reaganomics)

[Reaganomics](/apush/key-terms/reaganomics "fv-autolink") is the economic arm of Reaganism. It's the specific policy program of supply-side tax cuts, deregulation, and spending cuts, while Reaganism is the broader ideology that also includes social conservatism and anti-communism.

### [New Right (Unit 9)](/apush/key-terms/new-right)

The [New Right](/apush/key-terms/new-right "fv-autolink") is the grassroots coalition of evangelical Christians, suburban voters, and free-market conservatives that made Reaganism electable. Reaganism is basically the New Right's wish list turned into a governing agenda after 1980.

### Great Society (Unit 8)

Reaganism defined itself against LBJ's Great Society. [Conservatives](/apush/key-terms/conservatives "fv-autolink") argued those liberal programs were counterproductive in fighting poverty (KC-9.1.I.B), making the 1960s-to-1980s shift a classic change-over-time pairing on the exam.

### New Deal (Unit 7)

FDR's New Deal built the activist federal government that Reaganism tried to roll back. The fact that Reagan couldn't dismantle Social Security shows the continuity side of the argument, which is exactly what APUSH 9.2.A asks you to weigh.

## On the AP Exam

Reaganism shows up in multiple-choice and short-answer questions tied to Topic 9.2, usually through an excerpt (a Reagan speech, a conservative critique of government, or a liberal response) asking you to identify the ideology's goals, its historical roots in the New Right, or its limits. No released FRQ uses the word "Reaganism" verbatim, but the concept is a favorite for change-and-continuity prompts about the role of the federal government from the New Deal to the present. The strongest move you can make with it is nuance. Don't just say Reagan shrank government. Explain that conservatives cut taxes and deregulated industries, yet popular programs survived because of voter support and liberal opposition. That both-sides framing is exactly what earns complexity points.

## Reaganism vs Reaganomics

Reaganomics is only the economic policy: supply-side tax cuts, deregulation, and cuts to domestic spending. Reaganism is the full ideology, which adds conservative social values (the New Right's family and religious agenda) and hawkish anti-communist foreign policy with a major defense buildup. If a question is about marginal tax rates, that's Reaganomics. If it's about the broader conservative movement, that's Reaganism.

## Key Takeaways

- Reaganism is the conservative ideology of the 1980s that combined tax cuts and deregulation with traditional social values and aggressive anti-communism.
- Reagan's 1980 election win was a milestone that allowed conservatives to enact significant tax cuts and continue deregulating industries (KC-9.1.I.A).
- Conservatives argued that liberal programs like the Great Society were counterproductive in fighting poverty and slowing economic growth (KC-9.1.I.B).
- Reaganism had limits, since efforts to shrink government ran into inertia and liberal opposition because many federal programs stayed popular with voters.
- On the exam, Reaganism works best as the modern endpoint in arguments about the ongoing debate over the role of the federal government, the core of APUSH 9.2.A.
- Reaganomics is just the economic piece of Reaganism, which also includes the New Right's social agenda and a Cold War military buildup.

## FAQs

### What is Reaganism in APUSH?

Reaganism is the conservative political ideology of Ronald Reagan's presidency (1981-1989), built on tax cuts, deregulation, smaller government, traditional social values, and a strong anti-communist military buildup. It's the centerpiece of Unit 9, Topic 9.2.

### Did Reaganism actually shrink the federal government?

Not really, and the CED says so directly. Conservatives won big tax cuts and deregulation, but efforts to cut programs met inertia and liberal opposition because programs like Social Security remained popular with voters (KC-9.1.I.B). Defense spending also grew dramatically.

### What's the difference between Reaganism and Reaganomics?

Reaganomics is just the economic policy: supply-side tax cuts, deregulation, and reduced domestic spending. Reaganism is the whole ideology, including the New Right's conservative social values and hardline anti-communism abroad.

### Why was the election of 1980 so important to Reaganism?

The CED calls Reagan's 1980 victory an important milestone (KC-9.1.I.A) because it gave conservatives the political power to actually enact their agenda, including significant tax cuts and continued deregulation, after decades of liberal dominance dating back to the New Deal.

### Is Reaganism on the AP US History exam?

Yes. It falls under Topic 9.2 (Reagan and Conservatism) and learning objective APUSH 9.2.A. Expect it in multiple-choice stimulus questions on 1980s conservatism and as evidence in essays about debates over the role of the federal government over time.

## Related Study Guides

- [9.2 Reagan and Conservatism ](/apush/unit-9/reagan-conservatism/study-guide/bhzREq69MW1ktHbBP8hg)

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