{"product_id":"the-education-of-ronald-reagan-the-general-electric-years-and-the-untold-story-of-his-conversion-to-conservatism-9780231138604","title":"The Education of Ronald Reagan: The General Electric Years and the Untold Story of his Conversion to Conservatism","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn October 1964  Ronald Reagan gave a televised speech in support of Republican presidential nominee Barry Goldwater. \"The Speech \" as it has come to be known  helped launch Ronald Reagan as a leading force in the American conservative movement. However  less than twenty years earlier  Reagan was a prominent Hollywood liberal  the president of the Screen Actors Guild  and a fervent supporter of FDR and Harry Truman. While many agree that Reagans anticommunism grew out of his experiences with the Hollywood communists of the late 1940s  the origins of his conservative ideology have remained obscure.  Based on a newly discovered collection of private papers as well as interviews and corporate documents  The Education of Ronald Reagan offers new insights into Reagans ideological development and his political ascendancy. Thomas W. Evans links the eight years (1954-1962) in which Reagan worked for General Electricacting as host of its television program  GE Theater  and traveling the country as the companys public-relations envoy-to his conversion to conservatism.  In particular  Evans reveals the profound influence of GE executive Lemuel Boulware  who would become Reagans political and ideological mentor. Boulware  known for his tough stance against union officials and his innovative corporate strategies to win over workers  championed the core tenets of modern American conservatism-free-market fundamentalism  anticommunism  lower taxes  and limited government. Building on the ideas and influence of Boulware  Reagan would soon begin his rise as a national political figure and an icon of the American conservative movement.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45279826706485,"sku":"ByrdShop_0231138601","price":50.44,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780231138604.jpg?v=1780612411","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-education-of-ronald-reagan-the-general-electric-years-and-the-untold-story-of-his-conversion-to-conservatism-9780231138604","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}