Party Realignment

I.  Realignment

           A.  occur on the average of about every 30 years to 40 years

            B.  tend to occur at the time of major crises when “politics as usual” is not adequate to deal with major economic or social problems;

                         1.         the racial and sectional tensions of the 1850s

                         2.         the depressions of the 1890s and 1930s

II.  The result of major crises

            A.  highly polarized campaigns;

            B.  heightened public interest

            C.  third party protests occurred before each realignment and reflected the inability of the existing major parties to meet

                 the expectations of large segments of society

                         2.         the Free Soil party arose prior to the collapse of the Second Party System and the rise of the Republicans;

                         3.         the Populist uprising in 1892 took place before the McKinley-Bryan realigning election of 1896

                         4.         the LaFollette Progressive party of 1924 foreshadowed the problems that were to result in the New Deal realignment of 1932

                                     that resulted in critical realignments of voters

III.  During a realignment , significant changes within the electorate:

            A.    minority party becomes the majority party (1860, 1932);

            B.     one party achieves an infusion of strength that enables it to remain dominant (1896)

            C.      changes in the partisan loyalties of voters develop (1860, 1932)

III.  Stages of Realignment

            A.  voter dissatisfaction with the dominant political party;

            B.   new party governs successfully

            C.   change in voter attitudes toward political parties

American Party Systems