While the strength of the two party system is beyond question, an examination of American political history shows that independent political movements frequently have had an important influence upon election results and considerable influence in molding subsequent political and governmental policies.
The dominant figure in the new political movement is Robert Marion LaFollette, the senior senator from Wisconsin.
Senator LaFollette has as yet made no formal announcement of his candidacy or his plans for the coming campaign. A fairly definite indication of what is in his mind has been given, however, in his letter of May 26 to the Attorney General of Wisconsin. It demands the elimination of monopoly control, the downfall of the corrupt political bosses, the adoption of truly progressive principles and the repudiation of those great campaign contributors who have in the past bought up both parties.
Help Login. Search by keyword. Congress U. Presidency U. All Rights Reserved. Thrid Parties: Past and Prospective. Report Outline Strength of the Two Party Systems Third Party Movements of the Past Minor Parties in Third Party Conventions La Follette Movement's Prospecis Introduction The country at present faces the probability of a new third, party movement which, whatever its fortunes at the polls in , may have an important influence upon the future political history of the United States.
Political Parties. The GOP's Future. Future of the Democratic Party. Populism and Party Politics. Nonprofit Groups and Partisan Politics.
Future of the GOP. Polarization in America. Tea Party Movement. Democrats in Congress. The Partisan Divide. Third-Party Prospects. Post Political Landscape. Democratic Revival in South America. Competition was intense and elections were very close. In the Southern states, lingering resentment over the Civil War meant that much of the South would vote Democrat.
After the end of Reconstruction in , political competition in the South mainly took place within the Democratic Party. Nationwide voter turnout fell sharply after Major metropolitan centers underwent rapid population growth, and as a result, had many lucrative contracts and jobs to award. Large cities became dominated by political machines, and constituents supported a candidate in exchange for anticipated patronage.
Votes were repaid with favors from the government once a candidate was elected; very often, candidates were selected based on their willingness to play along with the spoils system. The basic campaign strategy was the maximum mobilization of potential votes. To find new supporters, politicians systematically canvassed their communities, talking up the state and national issues of the day, and watching which themes drew the best responses. In such a large, complex, pluralistic nation, the politicians discovered that citizens were especially loyal to their own ethno-religious groups.
These groups, furthermore, had distinctive moral perspectives and political needs. During the Gilded Age, Congress was known for being rowdy and inefficient. It was not unusual to find that a quorum could not be achieved because too many members were drunk or otherwise preoccupied with extra-governmental affairs. The halls of Congress were filled with tobacco smoke and spittoons were everywhere.
One disgusted observer noted that not only did the members chew and spit incessantly, but also their aim was bad.
Even discussion of the graduated income tax, by any definition a revolutionary measure, failed to arouse much interest or public debate. There was a sense that government enabled political machines to intervene in the economy and the resulting favoritism, bribery, inefficiency, waste, and corruption had negative consequences. Accordingly, there were widespread calls for reform, such as the Civil Service Reform led by the Bourbon Democrats and Republican Mugwumps.
In , the Democrats won their first national victory since with the election of Democrat Grover Cleveland to the presidency. The Bourbon Democrats supported a free-market policy, with low tariffs, low taxes, less spending, and in general, a laissez-faire hands-off government.
They argued that tariffs made most goods more expensive for the consumer and subsidized the trusts monopolies. They also denounced imperialism and overseas expansion. In contrast, Republicans insisted that national prosperity depended on industry that paid high wages, and warned that lowering the tariff would be a disaster because goods made by low-wage European factory workers would flood American markets.
Presidential elections were so closely contested between the two major parties that a slight nudge could tip the election, and Congress was marked by political stalemate. With support from Union Army veterans, businessmen, professionals, and craftsmen and larger farmers, the GOP the Republicans consistently carried the North in presidential elections. The Democrats, often led by Irish Catholics, had their base among Catholics, poorer farmers, and traditional party members. Overall, Republican and Democratic political platforms remained remarkably constant during the years before As the parties developed distinctive positions on issues such as the modernization of the economy and westward expansion, voters found themselves attracted to one side or the other.
The Whigs and Republicans aggressively favored modernizing the economy, and supporting banks, railroads, factories, and tariffs, and promised a rich home market in the cities for farm products. The Whigs always opposed expansion, as did the Republicans until
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