Practical Considerations of the Democratic Party in the Post-War Period: Electoral Trends from 1932-1960

Abstract

In the 1960s, a Democratic President turned away from his traditional southern base and decisively shifted the party to a racially liberal position. What drove the Democrats to make such a drastic shift in positions? Was this change a response to the moral dilemma posed by the civil rights movement or recognition of their precarious electoral situation and existing trends? This paper will examine trends from the 1930s to 1960 to argue that political context was changing for the Democrats as they recognized that they were losing the formerly dependable South and facing a precarious situation in the North. This paper will also argue that states with large Electoral College delegations, small margins of victory and growing Black populations became the focus of Democratic electoral strategy as the New Deal coalition deteriorated during the post-war era. Therefore, beyond the changes brought by the civil rights movement, the political context and strategic calculations of this period made the issues of Black voters important to the Democratic Party and shifted the direction of the party for decades to come.

Keywords: American Government, Political Parties, Democratic Party