A large part of it was Volcker’s incredibly high interest rates that helped strengthen the dollar after it began collapsing when Nixon removed the last gold link in 1971. This article talks a little about it. I actually can’t think of a good economic history text on that time period off the top of my head, but it’s late. I’ll have to try again later.
And I know you said you weren’t looking for these, but others may find them useful:
“The Sad Legacy of Ronald Reagan”
“The Reagan Fraud — and After”
The Free Market: “Ronald Reagan : Protectionist”
“The Two Faces of Ronald Reagan”
And on the forum:
Onion: Embarrassed Republicans Have Been Confusing Reagan with Eisenhower