The Fourth Political Party
System: 1932 - 2014
Overview
New York Times, Wednesday, 30 October 1929
ECONOMICS
Unemployment GNP Consumer Prices Manufacturing Investment Stocks
1929
1930
1931
1932
1933
1934
1935
1936
1937
1938
1939
1940
1941
a
b
c
d
3.2
8.7
15.9
23.6
24.9
21.7
20.1
16.9
14.3
19.0
17.2
14.6
9.9
104.4a
95.1
89.5
76.4
74.2
80.8
91.4
100.9
109.1
103.2
111.0
121.0
138.7
73.3b
71.4
65.0
58.4
55.3
57.2
58.7
59.3
61.4
60.3
59.4
59.9
62.9
$ Billions in 1929 Prices.
1947-49 = 100 base
Gross Private Domestic Investment ($ Billions)
Average Prices of Stocks (1941-43 = 100)
58b
48
39
30
36
39
46
55
60
46
57
66
88
16.2c
10.3
5.5
.9
1.4
2.9
6.3
8.4
11.9
6.7
9.3
13.2
18.1
260.2d
210.3
136.6
69.3
89.6
98.4
106.0
154.7
154.1
114.9
120.6
110.2
98.2
Presidential Election Results: 1932 - 2012
1932
1936
1940
1944
1948
Roosevelt
Roosevelt
Roosevelt
Roosevelt
Truman
472
523
449
432
303
22,818,740
27,750,866
27,343,218
25,612,610
24,105,810
57.4
60.8
54.7
53.4
49.5
Hoover
Landon
Willkie
Dewey
Dewey
59
8
82
99
189
1952
1956
1960
1964
1968
Stevenson
Stevenson
Kennedy
Johnson
Humphrey
89
73
303
486
191
27,314,992
26,022,752
34,226,731
43,129,566
31,275,166
44.4
42.0
49.7
61.1
42.7
Eisenhower
Eisenhower
Nixon
Goldwater
Nixon
442
457
219
52
301
1972
1976
1980
McGovern
Carter
Carter
17 29,170,383 37.5
297 40,830,763 50.1
49 35,483,883 41.0
Nixon
Ford
Reagan
520
240
489
1984
1988
1992
Mondale
Dukakis
Clinton
13 37,577,185 40.6
111 41,809,074 45.6
370 44,909,326 43.0
Reagan
Bush,HW
Bush,HW
525
426
168
1996
Clinton
379 47,402,357 49.2
Dole
159
2000
Gore
266 50,992,335 48.4
Bush
271
2004
2008
2012
Kerry
Obama
Obama
251 59,026,013 48.3
365 69,459,909 52.9
332 62,613,406 50.6
Bush
McCain
Romney
286
173
206
15,760,425 39.6
16,679,683 36.5
22,334,940 44.8
22,021,053 45.9
21,970,064 45.1
Thurmond
33,777,945 54.9
35,590,472 57.4
34,108,157 49.5
27,178,188 38.5
31,785,480 43.4
Wallace
47,169,911 60.7
39,147,793 48.0
43,904,153 50.7
Anderson
54,455,075 58.8
48,886,097 53.4
39,103,882 37.4
Perot
39,198,755 40.7
Perot
50,455,156 47.9
Nader
62,025,554 50.7
59,930,608 45.7
59,140,591 47.8
39
1,169,114
46
9,906,473 13.5
0
5,720,060
2.4
6.6
0 19,741,657 18.9
0
8,085,402
8.4
0
2,882,738
2.7
Congressional Elections: 1930 - 2012
HOUSE
SENATE
Democrat
Republican
Other
Democrat
Republican
Other
1930
220
214
1
47
48
1
1932
313
117
5
59
36
1
1934
322
103
10
69
25
2
1936
333
89
13
75
17
4
1938
262
169
4
69
23
4
1940
267
162
6
66
28
2
1942
222
209
4
57
38
1
1944
243
190
2
57
38
1
1946
188
246
1
45
51
1948
263
171
1
54
42
1950
234
199
2
48
47
1952
213
221
1
47
48
1
1954
232
203
48
47
1
1956
234
201
49
47
1958
283
154
64
34
1960
263
174
64
36
1962
258
176
1
67
33
1964
295
140
68
32
1966
248
187
64
36
1968
243
192
58
42
1970
255
180
55
45
1972
243
192
57
43
1974
291
144
61
38
1976
292
143
62
38
1978
277
158
59
41
1980
243
192
47
53
1982
269
166
46
54
1984
253
182
47
53
1986
258
177
55
45
1988
259
174
55
45
1990
267
167
1
56
44
1992
258
176
1
57
43
1994
204
230
1
47
53
1996
207
227
1
45
55
1998
211
223
1
45
55
2000
212
221
2
50
50
2002
205
229
1
48
51
1
2004
201
232
1
44
55
1
2006
233
202
50
49
1
2008
256
178
55
41
2
2010
193
242
51
47
2
2012
201
234
53
45
2
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The Democrat-Republican Political Party System,
1930 - Late 1930s: Overview
1.The Main Organizing Dimension was Economics -- The
Degree of Government Intervention in the Economy
2.The Effect of the Depression was to Shift the Entire
Distribution of Voters to the Left on the Existing
Dimension. Greater Control over the Economy and
Direct Cash Payments to Individuals Became Accepted
Policy.
3. The Democrats Became Overwhelmingly Dominate -- The Most
Lopsided Two-Party System in American History. Many
Scholars Referred to it as a One-and-a-Half
Party System.
The Democrat-Republican Political Party System,
Late 1930s - Early 1990s: Overview
1. In 1937-38 Voting on the Fair Labor Standards Act
(Minimum Wages) Opened a serious Split between Northern
and Southern Democrats. Southerners did not want Southern
Agriculture to be constrained by the minimum wage because
many of the Laborers were Black.
2. During the Second World War Voting on whether or not to
Use Federal Law as Opposed to State Law to Determine Voter
Eligibility in the Armed Forces Further Exacerbated the
Split Between Northern and Southern Democrats. Southern
Democrats did not want Blacks serving in the Armed Forces
to be able to vote in Southern elections.
3. This conflict culminated in the Passage of the 1964
Civil Rights Act, the 1965 Voting Rights Act, and the 1968
Open Housing Act. Collectively, these laws ended legal
segregation.
4. The Passage of the Civil Rights Laws triggered a slow
Realignment of the White South into the Republican Party.
Aided by President Richard Nixon's "Southern Strategy",
the Southern states began voting for Republican
Presidential candidates. Eventually Southern States began
electing Republican Senators, then Republican
Representatives, and finally state and local officials
switched to the Republican Party.
5. Economic Growth and In-migration of people and
businesses into the Right-to-Work States of the South also
had a big role in the switch to the rise of the Republican
Party.
The Democrat-Republican Political Party System,
Early 1990s - 2014: Overview
1.The Main Organizing Dimension was Economics -- The
Degree of Government Intervention in the Economy
2. The Rise of Social/Life-Style Issues
3. Increasing Political and Social Polarization