Seminar paper from the year 2006 in the subject Politics - International Politics - Region: USA, grade: 1,0, New School for Social Research (Political Sience), course: Crises & Continuities in 20th Century American Political Development, language: English, abstract: This paper will focus on domestic policies introduced and tried to be introduced by the Reagan administration between 1980 and 1988, their success, and their consequences. The focus will be on taxation policies and retrenchment policies in government spending, particularly looking at the welfare state. First, the historical background and economic legacy of the 1960s and 1970s will be outlined in order to then analyze policies in the 1980s. A systematic three-step analysis will examine the goals, the actual measures, and the effects of policies within the fields of analysis. A concluding assessment will hopefully contribute to a clearer understanding of this important political era.