Table of Contents

Chapter 1 The American Two-Party System Part 2 From the Founding to the Civil War Chapter 3 Intention of the Founders: A Polity without Parties Chapter 4 The First Parties: Federalists and Republicans Chapter 5 One-Party Hegemony: The Jeffersonians Chapter 6 Formation of Mass Parties: Democrats and Whigs Part 7 The Republican Era Chapter 8 Party Government: The Civil War Republicans Chapter 9 Machine Politics: The Gilded Age Chapter 10 Third-Party Challenge: Populist Uprising Chapter 11 Reaction against Parties: The Progressive Era Chapter 12 The Progressive Legacy, City Machines, and the Solid South Chapter 13 The President as Party Leader: Woodrow Wilson Part 14 The New Deal Era Chapter 15 A Functioning Majority Party: The New Deal Chapter 16 Vehicles of Opposition Chapter 17 Fission of Party Coalitions Chapter 18 Decline of State and Local Machines Chapter 19 Movement Politics: The Republican Hard Right Chapter 20 Reform Politics: Amateur Democrats Part 21 Contemporary Parties Chapter 22 The New Giants: National Party Organizations Chapter 23 State Parties: Seeking New Roles Chapter 24 Local Parties: Getting Along without Patronage Chapter 25 Rebuilding the Parties

About the Author

A. James Reichley is senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute at Georgetown University.

Reviews

Good for Jim Reichley, a calm and intelligent voice in our era of political darkness. He gives a delightful short course on where political parties come from and why they are necessary. He does not dodge the difficulties of today's system but, thank God, he is not overwhelmed by despair. This is a book of hope for strong, meaningful politics, the life blood of democracy.
*Hugh Sidey, TIME MAGAZINE*

The culmination of a lifetime of reflection on American politics, The Life of the Parties carries authority not least because Reichley himself was a practitioner of the art of government. Combining a truly rare knowledge of political history, a keen eye for telling detail, and a wealth of fresh and original research, he provides us not only with a sober, judiciously argued warning about the health of American politics, but with a positive account intended to set an agenda for feasible reform.
*Richard M. Valelly, Swarthmore College, author of Radicalism in the States: The Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party and the American Political Economy*

Reichley's rich history of the party system is especially appropriate for these unhappy times, when so many are questioning the parties' worth. One cannot read Reichley's work without condcluding that the political parties—imperfect instruments though they be—have generally been and still are worthwhile and essential institutions in American life. All readers will find this exceptionally thoughtful and detailed volume as enlightening as it is intriguing.
*Larry J. Sabato, director, University of Virginia Center for Politics and author of The Kenneday Half-Century*

Praise for the original edition of The Life of the Parties It is hard to imagine a better time than now for reexamining American political parties. In The Life of the Parties, A. James Reichley shows us how parties have developed and how they have managed 'incompatible ideological traditions.' The forthcoming debates on the future of American political parties will be informed by Reichley's careful and well-written study....
*Charles O. Jones, Hawkins Professor of Political Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison*

Praise for the original edition of The Life of the Parties

It is hard to imagine a better time than now for reexamining American political parties. In The Life of the Parties, A. James Reichley shows us how parties have developed and how they have managed 'incompatible ideological traditions.' The forthcoming debates on the future of American political parties will be informed by Reichley's careful and well-written study.
*Charles O. Jones, Hawkins Professor of Political Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison*

Reichley, a former political editor of Fortune , contends that the two-party system in the U.S. still offers voters a meaningful choice. The Democratic and Republican parties, he argues, represent a natural division between competing ideological traditions going back to the conflict over ratification of the Constitution in the 1780s. While he is not likely to persuade the disaffected, this colorful, careful history of American party politics does pinpoint two distinct traditions: a liberal creed extending from antifederalists to modern Democrats, stressing economic and social equality; and a republican (or conservative) ethos, from Federalists and Whigs to Republicans, emphasizing free-market capitalism, individual rights and traditional morality. Reichley, who opposes a multi-party system, maintains that party politics, now in decline, can be reinvigorated. His recommendations to that end include free TV and radio time for candidates, outlawing of political action committees, and a new presidential convention system whereby all members of Congress and all governors would automatically become delegates, with national primaries to elect additional delegates. (Aug.)

Good for Jim Reichley, a calm and intelligent voice in our era of political darkness. He gives a delightful short course on where political parties come from and why they are necessary. He does not dodge the difficulties of today's system but, thank God, he is not overwhelmed by despair. This is a book of hope for strong, meaningful politics, the life blood of democracy. -- Hugh Sidey, TIME MAGAZINE
The culmination of a lifetime of reflection on American politics, The Life of the Parties carries authority not least because Reichley himself was a practitioner of the art of government. Combining a truly rare knowledge of political history, a keen eye for telling detail, and a wealth of fresh and original research, he provides us not only with a sober, judiciously argued warning about the health of American politics, but with a positive account intended to set an agenda for feasible reform. -- Richard M. Valelly, Swarthmore College, author of Radicalism in the States: The Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party and the American Political Economy
Reichley's rich history of the party system is especially appropriate for these unhappy times, when so many are questioning the parties' worth. One cannot read Reichley's work without condcluding that the political parties-imperfect instruments though they be-have generally been and still are worthwhile and essential institutions in American life. All readers will find this exceptionally thoughtful and detailed volume as enlightening as it is intriguing. -- Larry J. Sabato, director, University of Virginia Center for Politics and author of The Kenneday Half-Century
Praise for the original edition of The Life of the Parties It is hard to imagine a better time than now for reexamining American political parties. In The Life of the Parties, A. James Reichley shows us how parties have developed and how they have managed 'incompatible ideological traditions.' The forthcoming debates on the future of American political parties will be informed by Reichley's careful and well-written study.... -- Charles O. Jones, Hawkins Professor of Political Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Praise for the original edition of The Life of the Parties It is hard to imagine a better time than now for reexamining American political parties. In The Life of the Parties, A. James Reichley shows us how parties have developed and how they have managed 'incompatible ideological traditions.' The forthcoming debates on the future of American political parties will be informed by Reichley's careful and well-written study. -- Charles O. Jones, Hawkins Professor of Political Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison