Nemesis Of Reform

Weed sheds new light on the Roosevelt landslide of 1936, explaining the Republican nomination of Landon and why the GOP so badly miscalculated its prospects in that election.

Columbia University Press

In The Nemesis of Reform, Clyde P. Weed takes a fresh look at the social and political upheavals of the 1930s as viewed from the perspective of the minority party during the New Deal. Contrary to dominant theories of party politics, Weed argues that the behavior of the minority party is an essential component of the broader process of partisan reform. He points out that the behavior of the Republican party during the New Deal era contradicts the dominant view that political parties act rationally to maximize vote-gathering capability. Drawing from primary source material on the internal affairs of the Republican party in the 1930s, Weed systematically demonstrates that the Republican party actually steered away from the center - indeed, away from majority opinion - during this crucial period. He sheds new light on the Roosevelt landslide of 1936, explaining the Republican nomination of Landon and why the GOP so badly miscalculated its prospects in that election. Weed goes on to elucidate the Republican reaction to New Deal politics, and to their new minority status. By demonstrating how Republican miscalculations in the 1930s played into the hands of the emerging Democratic majority, Weed points to the continuing importance of party elites in the dynamics of political change. In so doing, he offers a viable new model for studying the shifting of political currents throughout history.

Booknews

Weed examines the social and political upheavals of the 1930s as viewed from the perspective of the minority party during the New Deal, and finds that, contrary to expectation, it did not act rationally to maximize vote-getting ability, but actually steered away from the center--away from the majority opinion. He thus sheds new light on the Roosevelt landslide of 1936, explaining why the GOP so badly miscalculated its prospects in that election. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Martin Halliwell is Senior Lecturer in American Studies at the University of Leicester.

Andy Mousley is Senior Lecturer in English at De Montfort University, Leicester.