Paperback / softback | |
September 7, 1999 | |
9780801861956 | |
English | |
240 | |
9.00 Inches (US) | |
6.00 Inches (US) | |
0.51 Inches (US) | |
.7 Pounds (US) | |
$32.00 USD, £26.50 GBP | |
v2.1 Reference | |
Political Parties and Constitutional Government
Remaking American Democracy
The U.S. Constitution makes no mention of political parties, yet parties began to form shortly after its ratification. Today, American democracy would not work without them. In Political Parties and Constitutional Government, Sidney Milkis explores the uneasy relationship between the Constitution and the party system to advance a novel argument: political parties arose as part of a deliberate program of constitutional reform.
Forged on the anvil of Jeffersonian and Jacksonian democracy, parties initially formed as decentralized political associations that engaged the attention of ordinary citizens and held presidents accountable to local constituencies. But as the power of the presidency and the federal government grew, parties shifted their attention from building political support in the states and localities to vying for control over national administration and, in the process, lost their vital connection to the electorate. In the past thirty years, partisan disputes have more often than not involved confrontations between the president and Congress that have undermined the public's respect for American political institutions.
With the decline of localized parties, Milkis concludes, there has arisen an administrative politics of rights and entitlements that belittles the efforts of Democrats and Republicans alike to define a collective purpose. Ending with a discussion of possible methods of revitalization and reform, this timely book does much to explain the reasons behind Americans' disenchantment with parties and the party system.
About the Author
Sidney M. Milkis is a professor of government and senior scholar at the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia. His books include The American Presidency: Origins and Development (with Michael Nelson) and The President and the Parties: The Transformation of the American Party System since the New Deal.
Reviews
"The great contribution of this book is its historical look at how different presidents have conceived of political parties. From the founding generation of Jefferson and Madison, through the reform years of Teddy Roosevelt's third party efforts, and on up to FDR's purge campaign, Milkis displays his expertise of presidential politics."
"A fine book that deserves a large audience."
Johns Hopkins University Press | |
Interpreting American Politics | |
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From 17 | |
Paperback / softback | |
September 7, 1999 | |
9780801861956 | |
English | |
240 | |
9.00 Inches (US) | |
6.00 Inches (US) | |
0.51 Inches (US) | |
.7 Pounds (US) | |
$32.00 USD, £26.50 GBP | |
v2.1 Reference | |
Other Titles from Interpreting American Politics
The Transformation of Governance, updated edition
Bureaucracy and Self-Government, second edition
Leading Representatives
Other Titles in POLITICAL SCIENCE / American Government / General
Parliamentary America
Conservative Thought and American Constitutionalism since the New Deal
Defending the Republic
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