In many ways, the presidencies of Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan can be considered reactions to the presidents who came before them. Carter was the type of president that Americans wanted after Nixon's (and, by extension, Ford's) "imperial presidency", but why is he considered such a failure? Reagan's election can be seen as a backlash against the down-to-earth presidency of Carter. With Reagan, we will be looking at how and why he got elected, and how the Cold War ultimately came to an end.
