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POL 310 |
Political Parties |
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Party System 3 (1854/60-1896) During the 1850s American party politics were fractured by the issue of slavery. The issue had been a part of politics for most of the century and indeed there had been significant third party candidacies from 1832 onwards under the banner of either the Free Soil and/or Liberty parties. Indeed there was even a political party (whose nominee was ex-President Millard Fillmore) that was opposed to immigration (The Know Nothing Movement)! They got 20% of the popular vote in 1856 In the election of 1860, Lincoln received about 40% of the vote and Douglas 30%. Thus nearly one-third of the popular vote was cast for other parties! The Civil War and the Reconstruction era destroyed the old party cleavages. Of most significance was Southern hostility to "carpetbaggers" and to the Republican party. The South becomes the Democratic Party "Solid South". The rest of the country however, becomes solidly Republican and the Republican party remains the "party in the ascendancy until 1932! During this period the Republicans usually dominated both houses of Congress and the presidency. They built a strong alliance of interests which lasted for nearly three-quarters of a century: 1) blacks who owed their emancipation to Lincoln 2) Northern army veterans who owed their benefits to Republican congresses 3) westerners who owed access to public lands to Republicans 4) banking, mercantile and commercial interests who owed Republicans for opposing "easy money", bimetallism, etc. The Democrats increasingly became the party of those who saw themselves as oppressed by powerful economic interests: small farmers, laborers, the unemployed It took the 1896 election to "shake things up" and although the Republicans remained the "party in the ascendancy", the issues changed and the seeds were sown for change! Party System 4 (1896-1932) The election of 1896 is one of the most interesting and colorful in the history of the development of the political parties. During the last third of the nineteenth century American economic turmoil reached a fever pitch. There were growing economic disparities between rich and poor, corruption, and great economic dislocations like the Depression of the 1890s (especially the "Panic of 1893"). During this time some third parties arose to again challenge the established order. For example, the Populist Party nominated James B. Weaver in 1892 and he received nearly 1 million votes. Weaver and the Populists called for increased government ownership and the free and unlimited coinage of silver (the "free silver" movement). In 1896 the Democrats nominated William Jennings Bryan from Nebraska. He ran on a bimetal platform and was endorsed by the Populist Party. Bryan's campaign was remarkable for its appeal to class politics and its sectional flavor (the South and West were his strongholds). An extraordinary orator, Bryan is known for his "Cross of Gold" speech at the Democratic Convention in Chicago. The Republican nominee, William McKinley of Ohio, ran a "front porch" campaign from his home in Canton and, with the support of business and commercial interests, outspent Bryan 7 to 1. McKinley was able to capitalize of Eastern workers' fears of Bryan's assault of industrial capitalism and to argue that preserving the monetary system, employing protective tariffs and persueing expanded foreign markets were more likely to provide factory workers with a "full dinner pail" than Bryan's "radical" solutions. Although Bryan lost, the new century saw a dramatic change in the American political landscape. Populists, Socialists and reformers protested corrupt business and political alliances, the sordidness of urban life, the exploitation of women and children, and the evils of big business. They ushered in The Progressive Era. The Progressive Era Many political reforms which have a lasting impact on party politics begin in this era: 1) nomination changes: direct primary election of delegates to state conventions replaced selection by caucuses in many areas 2) expansion of the electorate: women's universal suffrage causes parties to create roles for women in party organizations 3) "good government" reforms: "taking the 'politics' out of government", commission and city manager model, merit systems 4) other political innovations: initiatives, referenda, recalls The Republican party divides in 1912 with a split between Taft and Roosevelt basic issues with split the party were over: conservation, "nationalism" (imperialism), leadership Roosevelt is nominee of the Bull Moose Party Democrat Woodrow WIlson wins in East, West, and South, Taft wins only Utah and Vermont, Roosevelt wins in Midwest Republican Warren G. Harding wins a sweeping victory in 1920 against James M. Cox Republicans captured the House 303-131 A conservative political era exists alongside the "Roaring '20s"
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