The Breakdown of the Democratic Party Organization, 1940-1980

Abstract

American Democratic parties have traditionally drawn their strength from local party organizations. This book examines the origins of the spectacular collapse of these party organizations in the United States which occurred between the early 1960's and the mid 1970's. It is the first major study of organizational decay at local level. Dr. Ware draws attention to the problems faced by many local parties in America during this period, concentrating on Democratic parties in three major urban areas - New York City, which previously had strong parties; East Bay in California, which has always had weak parties; and Denver, which is an intermediate case. He argues that the collapse in the 1960's resulted form the complex interaction of various factors, and left parties ill-equipped to deal with candidate-centered compaigning and the quickening of social, economic, and political changes during the Vietnam era. 'Alan Ware's second book on American party politics ...firmly establishes him as one of the most distinguished scholars of American politics working in the UK today.' Parliamentary Affairs First-degree and graduate courses on American politics in the UK; courses on American electoral politics, and the comparative study of political parties in the US; political commentators, journalists, party activists.