Deeply Divided: Racial Politics and Social Movements in Postwar America

by Doug McAdam, Karina Kloos

By many measures--commonsensical or statistical--the United States has not been more divided politically or economically in the last hundred years than it is now. How have we gone from the striking bipartisan cooperation and relative economic equality of the war years and post-war period to the extreme inequality and savage partisan divisions of today?

In this sweeping look at American politics from the Depression to the present, Doug McAdam and Karina Kloos argue that party politics alone is not responsible for the mess we find ourselves in. Instead, it was the ongoing interaction of social movements and parties that, over time, pushed Democrats and Republicans toward their ideological margins, undermining the post-war consensus in the process. The Civil Rights struggle and the white backlash it provoked reintroduced the centrifugal force of social movements into American politics, ushering in an especially active and sustained period of movement/party dynamism, culminating in today's tug of war between the Tea Party and Republican establishment for control of the GOP.

In Deeply Divided , McAdam and Kloos depart from established explanations of the conservative turn in the United States and trace the roots of political polarization and economic inequality back to the shifting racial geography of American politics in the 1960s. Angered by Lyndon Johnson's more aggressive embrace of civil rights reform in 1964, Southern Dixiecrats abandoned the Democrats for the first time in history, setting in motion a sustained regional realignment that would, in time, serve as the electoral foundation for a resurgent and increasingly more conservative Republican Party. This revised and updated edition features new insights into the upcoming 2016 presidential election, including data from the latest polls, as well as reflections upon the results of the 2014 midterm elections.

Genres: Politics, History, Nonfiction, Race

408 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book a slog. The authors' arguments are convincing, but the reasoning borders on the reductive. The data presentation graphic and easy to understand, but the prose grated on my nerves--too much repetition of stock transition phrases and paragraphs; not enough variation in the prose presenting the arguments. The data the authors' assemble show clearly the increasing polarization of the American electorate and society since the Reagan era and especially since the emergence of the Tea Party movement. Concurrent with these trends is the growing income or wealth inequality of the American people. OK. All this we know, if we are reading the mainstream press. The authors' layout the broad contours of contemporary American economic and political society and even get closer to earth in describing some of the mechanisims used by the Tea Party to enlarge its presence in the GOP--gerrymandering, voter suppression. But what is the effect of economic cycles, the real estate bubble; Clinton engineered economic deregulation; the missteps in the rollout of the ACA, etc. And if the authors want to analyze performance in elections and the role of money in this enterprise, then discuss the Democrat's clear advantage in the use of state of the art digital technology to win the Obama elections. Money does not always equal smarts.

Finally, I am puzzled about the authors' inclusion of several pages on the 2014 elections which occurred following the writing and publication of the book. Why did the publisher feel a need for this exercise in political punditry, not social science research? These sections were of no value to the book's argument.

Overall, the book would have been a better one if it were shorter, less wordy and more focused.

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has come up again and again in conversation. It really deepened my understanding of how and why our national law makers seem so far removed from what I experience among my peers, both those who share my political views and those with a very different perspective. While the beginning was a bit dense and it took some time for me to get through, the book was in full swing by the time the authors discussed the transformative decades of 1960-1980. Not having lived through most of this time, the authors' explanation and analysis were eye-opening. I highly recommend reading this book and starting a very time-appropriate and informed conversation about our racially-charged politics.

[Ray Lucas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A comprehensive account of how our Congress and the nation has evolved to the most dangerous level of polarization in our history, along with speculations on the tragic consequences of the selfish childish behavior displayed by the people that we would most likely to respect, but don't, now - Congress

[Sudhagar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent analysis - broad and sweeping analysis with in-depth research. The topic is timely too with the current level of hyper partisan political environment.

My only complaint is that while the analysis is outstanding and the research is impeccable, the authors are a little biased in their reading of the political situation. While the extremists on the right are rightly blamed for their role in the current state of politics, the activists on the left are no angels. As someone who lived through the last few presidents and the events happened during their presidencies, I think the authors failed to sufficiently attach the blame to the extremists from the left. Some of the actions of these activists and the Democratic presidents too contributed to the super heated situation. In my view of the situation from a neutral (non-American) perspective, each side has hardened their positions over the last decades and refusing to meet in the middle ground.

[Monique · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent political history of the US in relation to significant racial dynamics and movement groups and their effects on the political spectrum. The divide has grown ever wider in the past 5 years since this book was published.

[Erich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very prescient and insightful for a 2014 politics book.

[KMR · Rating 4 out of 5]

Must read!