The impact of the Reagan presidency on the U.S. federal system

This research describes the process of centralization in the U.S. federal system of government and Ronald Reagan's attempts to reverse this trend. Using Reagan's rhetoric gleaned from his campaign speeches, official speeches as president, along with his specific initiatives, an agenda is identified. This agenda is compared with the accomplishments of the Reagan administration toward the goal of decentralizing the federal system. Reagan is found to have been only partially successful in transforming the federal system, in part because of his approach to the problem and in part because of the politics of federalism. It is concluded that the U.S. federal system has continued its march toward centralized government with only a partial, and perhaps only temporary, respite during the Reagan Era. In other words, Ronald Reagan was limited in what he could accomplish by way of federal reform before he even took the oath of office.