The Center Cannot Hold. The 1960 Presidential Election and the Rise of Modern Conservatism.
Laura Jane Gifford
Most historians agree that, by the end of the 1960s, the conservative branch of the Republican Party had largely taken control of party direction. The "Reagan Revolution" of 1980 secured the GOP for conservatives, and while the events of the 2008 election may prompt considerable soul-searching, the party of Lincoln has maintained an undeniably conservative ideological orientation for almost 30 years. Too often, scholars have regarded the process of conservative transformation as a foregone conclusion. Historian Laura Gifford offers an innovative examination of the 1960 presidential election that restores an essential sense of contingency to the process.
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The Center Cannot Hold provides an analysis of interactions between three key party leaders—liberal Nelson Rockefeller, conservative Barry Goldwater, and moderate Richard Nixon—and six key constituencies: liberals, African Americans, conservative intellectuals, youth, Southerners, and ethnic Americans. Gifford's study of these interactions demonstrates that conservatives successfully used grassroots organizations to develop networks that could push the Republican Party in a rightward direction. Furthermore, conservative leaders responded to their supporters more effectively than did liberal and moderate leaders. Ultimately, individuals and groups possessed the means to alter the shape of the American party system.
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About Laura Jane Gifford
Reviews for The Center Cannot Hold. The 1960 Presidential Election and the Rise of Modern Conservatism.
Timothy Thurber, Virginia Commonwealth University Full of precious research gems, The Center Cannot Hold casts new light on presidential politics in 1960 and the rightward shift that was already occurring in the Republican Party at the time, setting the stage for Barry Goldwater in 1964 and Ronald Reagan in 1980.
Donald T. Critchlow, author ... Read more