The Republican Takeover of Congress

An electoral earthquake hit the American political landscape in 1994. As the Republican Party won control of the House of Representatives for the first time since 1954 and control of the Senate for the first time since 1986, the longest uninterrupted period of single party rule in the entire history of the United States Congress came to an end. The new congressional majorities were the most conservative in 50 years and immediately proceeded to dominate the political agenda in Washington. Scholars from Britain and the United States document these momentous developments, evaluating their impact on America's political institutions and political culture and their significance for the future development of American politics and government. Front Matter....Pages i-xii The Republican Takeover in Context....Pages 1-6 The Mid-Term Election of 1994: An Upheaval in Search of a Framework....Pages 7-32 Taking Power? Institutional Change in the House and Senate....Pages 33-70 Leading the Revolution: Innovation and Continuity in Congressional Party Leadership1....Pages 71-95 The Republican Policy Agenda and the Conservative Movement....Pages 96-116 Split-Party Control: Clinton On the Defensive....Pages 117-139 Minority Power? Democratic Defeat and Recovery....Pages 140-164 Republican Rule in the 80th Congress....Pages 165-184 The 104th Congress in Perspective....Pages 185-193 Back Matter....Pages 194-202

An electoral earthquake hit the American political landscape in 1994. As the Republican Party won control of the House of Representatives for the first time since 1954 and control of the Senate for the first time since 1986, the longest uninterrupted period of single party rule in the entire history of the United States Congress came to an end. The new congressional majorities were the most conservative in 50 years and immediately proceeded to dominate the political agenda in Washington. In this book, scholars from Britain and the US document these momentous developments and evaluate their significance.

In The Republican Takeover of Congress, scholars from Britain and the United States examine how the Republican Party came to dominate Congress after the 1994 elections, and look at how Bill Clinton recovered from the 'Republican revolution'