The Republican Party and American Politics from Hoover to Reagan

During a long period of the twentieth century, stretching from the Great Depression until the Reagan years, defeat generally characterized the electoral record of the Republican party. Although Republicans sometimes secured victory in presidential contests, a majority of Americans identified with the Democratic party, not the GOP. This book investigates how Republicans tackled the problem of their party's minority status and why their efforts to boost GOP fortunes usually ended in failure. At the heart of the Republicans' minority puzzle was the profound and persistent popularity of New Deal liberalism. This puzzle was stubbornly resistant to solution. Efforts to develop a Republican version of government activism met little success. Only the Democratic party's decline eventually created opportunities for Republican resurgence. This book is the first to offer a wide-ranging analysis of the topic, which is of central importance to any understanding of modern US political history.

Introduction; 1. From old Home Melodies to jazz music: 1928–33; 2. As Maine goes, so goes Vermont: 1933–9; 3. The simple barefoot Wall Street lawyer: 1939–45; 4. Liberty versus socialism: 1945–53; 5. Modern Republicanism: 1953–61; 6. A choice, not an echo: 1960–8; 7. There's a realignment going on: 1968–76; 8. You are witnessing the great realignment: 1977–89; Conclusion.

Robert Mason is Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Edinburgh, where he has worked since 1998. In 2004–5 he held a fellowship at the John W. Kluge Center, Library of Congress. Professor Mason is the author of Richard Nixon and the Quest for a New Majority (2004).