El Congreso de los Estados Unidos. Un largo predominio demócrata: 1933-1981

Abstract

For nearly 50 years, from 1933 to 1981, Democrats held a majority of seats in Congress. One could argue whether that period of time should be regarded as one or several, but the fact remains that, during that time, American society experienced some profound transformations that established the foundations for that society as it is today. Until the 1930s, despite internal, partisan and ideological divides, the U.S. were profoundly conservative. All political power was in the hands of a white, male, Protestant majority, while women and ethnic and religious minorities had a very small participation. By the early 1980s, that situation had substantially changed, and Congress did not escape those changes. Also, over those 50 years, the U.S. Congress –like many other legislatures- had to deal with the unstoppable onslaught of the administrative state, boosted by the 1930s crisis –even though it had started before that date, as a result of new doctrines that demanded more state intervention in the economy. None of those circumstances, however, caused the U.S. Congress to lose continuity or institutional relevance.