550: Paper #2

Parties and ideologies: How did we get here?

Things were going along pretty well for the Liberal Democrats. Thanks to FDR's New Deal coalition, they controlled the House and the Senate and most state governments for the decades after 1932. Then it all fell apart. Nixon, Reagan, the Bushes, Trump. Control of Congress swings back and forth between Republicans and Democrats, but the House is likely to go back to Republicans after the midterms according to most analysts, and the Republicans control a majority of state governments, not to mention the US Supreme court, with a 6-3 majority. So what happened?

1. Write a history paper that identifies a key factor in the decline of the liberal New Deal coalition and the conservative ascendancy. Use primary document quotes, paraphrase from secondary.

2. What is "American populism" and what does it have to do with the decline of the New Deal coalition and the conservative ascendancy?

When I read your papers, I'm going to want to see that you understand this unit, that you have developed a reasonable understanding of why liberalism has declined, and conservatism has risen and/or the competing definitions of populism. There is not one right explanation. Even experts disagree. You just need to develop a coherent and convincing explanation that is grounded in facts and logical interpretations of those facts and that acknowledges ambiguity (PWG 4c). I like reading papers that I disagree with.

Please: Number your pages. Include a word count in the heading. Concision is a virtue, but so is evidence. Aim for 800 to 1000 words. Familiarized yourself with my Paper-Writing Guide--comments on papers are often keyed to it with the letters PWG.