Movements and Parties: Critical Connections in American Political Development (Cambridge Studies in Contentious Politics)

How do social movements intersect with the agendas of mainstream political parties? When they are integrated with parties, are they coopted? Or are they more radically transformative? Examining major episodes of contention in American politics – from the Civil War era to the women's rights and civil rights movements to the Tea Party and Trumpism today – Sidney Tarrow tackles these questions and provides a new account of how the interactions between movements and parties have been transformed over the course of American history. He shows that the relationships between movements and parties have been central to American democratization – at times expanding it and at times threatening its future. Today, movement politics have become more widespread as the parties have become weaker. The future of American democracy hangs in the balance. "Between November 3rd, 2020 and January 20th 2021, the United States experienced a combination of events that will be remembered as a tragic episode in American history. In the midst of a devastating pandemic, one President was soundly defeated and another sworn in; the first one refused to accept the results of the election while the second calmly took the reins of a government that was struggling to cope with the pandemic and the resulting economic crisis. In the midst of all this, the country was shaken by an attempted coup and by an attendant riot.1 Although it may not turn out that this political and institutional shock "changed everything," it certainly marked the peak -or the nadir - of what will surely be remembered as a "critical juncture"2 in American history. But another "critical connection" that was exposed by the events of those two months was the enduring, but ever changing, and often overlooked juncture between political parties and social movements"-- Provided by publisher "Between November 3rd, 2020 and January 20th 2021, the United States experienced a combination of events that will be remembered as a tragic episode in American history. In the midst of a devastating pandemic, one President was soundly defeated and another sworn in; the first one refused to accept the results of the election while the second calmly took the reins of a government that was struggling to cope with the pandemic and the resulting economic crisis. In the midst of all this, the country was shaken by an attempted coup and by an attendant riot.1 Although it may not turn out that this political and institutional shock "changed everything," it certainly marked the peak -or the nadir - of what will surely be remembered as a "critical juncture"2 in American history. But another "critical connection" that was exposed by the events of those two months was the enduring, but ever changing, and often overlooked juncture between political parties and social movements"-- Résumé de l'éditeur Cover Movements and Parties Dedication Contents Tables Figures Preface and Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Movements and Parties in Contentious Politics PART I. THE “PARTY PERIOD” 2. Mass Politics in the Civil War Crucible 3. The Agrarian Revolt, Populism, and the Gilded Age Party System PART II. THE TRANSITIONAL PERIOD 4. Women, War, and the Vote 5. Labor and Civil Rights from the New Deal to the War on Poverty PART III. HOLLOWING PARTIES IN A MOVEMENT SOCIETY 6. The Long New Right 7. The Hybridization of the Party System PART IV. CONTEMPORARY CONJUNCTIONS 8. Trumpism and the Movements He Made 9. Learning about America from Abroad Conclusions References Index List of tables -- List of figures and maps -- Preface and acknowledgements -- Introduction -- Movements and parties in contentious politics -- Part one: the "Party period" -- Mass politics in the civil war crucible -- The Agrarian revolt, populism, and the gilded age party system -- Part two: the transitional period -- Women, war, and the vote -- Labor and civil rights from the new deal to the war on poverty -- Part three: hollowing parties in a movement society -- The long new right -- The hybridization of the party system -- Part four: contemporary conjunctions -- Trumpism and the movements he madeH -- Learning about America from comparison -- Conclusions