The Democratic Party Heads North, 1877-1962

Half-title......Page 3
Title......Page 5
Copyright......Page 6
Dedication......Page 7
Contents......Page 9
List of Tables......Page 11
Preface......Page 17
1 The Democrats’ Road from 1877......Page 21
The Majority Party Account......Page 28
The Changing Party Systems Account......Page 29
The Political Continuity Account......Page 33
1 Electoral Realignment: How Are Parties Constrained
in Coalition Building?......Page 36
2 The Idea of Interest Aggregation......Page 44
3 Interest Aggregation Failure......Page 48
Aggregation Failure Originating in Interests Themselves......Page 49
Aggregation Failure That Originates in Leadership......Page 50
4 Aggregating State Parties into a National Coalition......Page 52
5 What Was the North?......Page 61
3 The Unstable Party Equilibrium, 1877–1896......Page 66
1 Party Coalitions from the 1850s to the 1890s......Page 70
2 The Increasing Significance of the West......Page 84
3 Long-Term Change in the 19th Century Party System......Page 86
4 The Destabilization of the Party Coalitions, 1889–1896......Page 93
4 The Re-assembling of the Democratic Coalition, 1896–1912......Page 98
1 Had the Interests Within the Democratic Coalition Become Incompatible?......Page 104
2 Was the Democratic Coalition Too Disparate After the Mid-1890s?......Page 112
3 Did the Democrats Suffer a Decline in Their Resource Base?......Page 115
4 Were Newly Enfranchised Interests Being Mobilized in Other Parties?......Page 119
5 What Was the Influence of Changes in External Political Structures?......Page 120
6 Was There Loss of “Fluidity” in the Electoral Market?......Page 122
7 Was There an Absence of Potential Leaders in the Party?......Page 125
8 Was the Democratic Party Controlled by Just a Few Interests?......Page 131
9 Changes in the Rules for Selecting Presidential Candidates......Page 132
10 The Democratic Party in 1912......Page 133
5 Woodrow Wilson and the Failure to Re-shape the Democratic Coalition, 1912–1920......Page 137
1 The Linkage of Voters and Parties......Page 138
2 Un-mobilized “Pools” of Voters......Page 141
3 The Unelectability of the Republicans......Page 145
4 Democratic Party Problems in Particular States......Page 148
5 Prioritizing the Democratic Party......Page 149
6 Policies Inconsistent with Successful Coalition Building......Page 154
7 Failure to Make Particular Interests Dependent on the Democratic Party......Page 158
8 The Democratic Party and the North After 1912......Page 161
6 How Could a Winning Democratic Coalition Be Constructed, 1920–1932?......Page 166
1 The Electoral Disasters of the 1920s......Page 167
2 The Incompatibility of Interests in the Democratic Coalition......Page 171
3 Had the Democratic Party Become Too Disparate by the 1920s?......Page 178
5 Were the Republicans Mobilizing New Interests in the Electorate?......Page 186
6 What Was the Influence of Change in External Political Structures?......Page 187
7 Loss of “Fluidity” in a Previously Competitive Electoral Market......Page 188
8 The Absence of a Pool of Suitable Leaders in the Democratic Party......Page 190
9 Was the Democratic Party Controlled by Just a Few Interests?......Page 191
11 The Democratic Party in 1932......Page 192
7 Democratic Party Dominance or Restored Party Equilibrium, 1938–1952?......Page 195
1 Evidence of the Republican Revival After the Early Years of the New Deal......Page 196
2 The Rise of Moderate Republicanism......Page 200
3 The Limits of the New Deal Revolution......Page 218
4 The Problems in Sustaining a Republican Resurgence at the National Level......Page 222
5 The Democratic Party in 1952......Page 226
8 The Two Parties’ Coalitions Come Under Threat, 1952–1962......Page 229
1 Had the Interests Within Either Coalition Become Incompatible?......Page 237
2 Had the Two Parties' Coalitions Become Too Disparate?......Page 246
3 Did Either Party Suffer a Decline in Its Resource Base?......Page 249
4 Were Newly Enfranchised Interests Being Mobilized by Either Party?......Page 250
5 What Was the Influence of Changes in External Political Structures?......Page 251
6 Loss of Fluidity in the Electoral Market?......Page 252
8 Was Either Party Controlled by Just a Few Interests?......Page 253
10 The Democratic Party in 1962......Page 256
9 Conclusions......Page 258
1 Longer-Term Effects of Short-Term Electoral Change......Page 270
2 The Complexity of the Potential Coalition......Page 271
3 Internal Conflict and Its Resolution Within a Coalition......Page 273
4 The Inertia Created by a Fragmented Governmental System......Page 274
5 Leadership Attitudes Towards Coalition Transformation......Page 276
6 Changes in the Composition of the Electorate......Page 277
Final Thoughts......Page 279
Appendix: Note on Data Sources......Page 283
Bibliography......Page 287
Index......Page 293