What Were the Principal Differences Between Presidents Reagan & Carter?

1980 Presidential Election

• In the 1980 presidential election, Reagan cast Carter as an ineffective leader by attacking his foreign and domestic policy. The electorate clearly agreed with him, as Reagan carried 44 states in the election, leaving Carter with only six and the District of Columbia. Four years later, Reagan won an even greater landslide, winning 49 states against Walter Mondale.

Domestic Policy

• Carter endorsed democratic liberalism, which involved a greater role for central government, with the federal government very active at every level of politics. He sought to improve social services by introducing the federal Department of Education and increased government efficiency with civil service reforms. Reagan favored a more minimalist, conservative approach, with more traditionally Republican libertarian values. He overhauled the income tax system and sought to increase employment. His domestic popularity was boosted significantly by the calm manner in which he survived an assassination attempt just 69 days into his first term.

Economics

• Carter created nearly 8 million new jobs during his presidency and cut the federal budget deficit, but inflation and interest rates shot to record highs. By the end of his term, unemployment was also on the rise. Reagan sought a radical overhaul of America's economic policy, which became famous as "Reaganomics." He abolished many of Carter's tax rates, in particular those relating to profits made from oil, and built a platform of "supply-side" economics, cutting government spending and regulation of the private sector -- which sparked a wave of economic expansion.

Foreign Policy

• Foreign policy was a difficult issue during Carter's presidency. The Cold War had been going through a phase of "détente" carried over from the Nixon and Ford administrations, but during Carter's time this fell apart with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Reagan came to the White House with a "peace through strength" policy of aggressive military investment, increasing the defense budget by 35 percent and starting the "Star Wars" missile defense program. This new arms race contributed significantly to the economic collapse of the Soviet Union and the eventual victory of the West in the Cold War.

Strategy

• Ronald Reagan came into the White House with a clear and ambitious plan. He had set out goals on military expenditure, domestic budgets and the economy. President Carter was criticized repeatedly, even by his own aides, for lacking a "grand plan" and simply reacting to events as they transpired. Much of the time, he was happy to continue the status quo without making radical changes. This image was underlined during the Iran hostage crisis and contributed in no small part to Carter's defeat in 1980.