Table of Contents

Contents 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Reviews

"Imagine a society in which parties dominate the political system. They select the candidates, articulate distinct ideologies, oversee the conduct of elections, virtually monopolize political communications, mobilize voters, organize legislatures, structure roll-call votes, and (more generally) determine the shape of public policy... For those of us familiar with the parties of the 1990s, imagining such a political order strains our creative capacities. Yet only a century ago, the United States was such a society. And Joel Silbey's book brilliantly captures and recreates that world... Each of the chapters offers a cogently argued, detailed, and richly textured picture of a bygone world in which citizens were avowedly, uncompromisingly, and proudly partisan... The fact that this book will raise questions, evoke intellectual disputes, and stimulate new research is simply another sign of its significance and importance." - American Political Science Review