Major Shifts in the Politics of Republican and Democratic Parties

Major Shifts in the Politics of Republican and Democratic Parties The history of the Democratic Party has seen significant policy shifts since the end of the Civil War. Today, the party boasts as the sole supporter of the interests of middles class Americans, farmers, and workers.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Major Shifts in the Politics of Republican and Democratic Parties specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Throughout its 19 and 20th century history, the party held socially conservative ideologies hence drawing substantial backing from working-class white males. The party’s New Deal programs of the 1930s, which immensely shaped the country’s economic direction, received widespread support from working-class Americans. From the 1930s onwards until 1960s, the politics of the Democratic Party was primarily shaped by working-class Americans, a tremendous shift in the history of the party. This was because conservative working-class citizens supported pro-working class e conomic reforms. This coincided with the time when the party sponsored the Labor Relations Act effectively controlling labor unions. Before then, unions worked independently from the government control. In the 1960s, Democratic politics rallied against global anti-Communism and safeguarded fundamental freedoms for all American citizens. The party’s policies supported effective governance system, and disproved big government and supported civil rights movements. The Democrats promoted state rights and endeavored to use federal taxes to redistribute wealth from industrialized North to the poor Southern states. During this time, the party adopted significant policies supporting progressive labor reforms, tariff revisions, and regulation of large corporations. After WWII, there was a major shift in the Democratic manifesto as the party developed a program to safeguard civil liberties. The program outlined stringent policies to curb anti-lynching and anti-poll tax, established a p ermanent Fair Employment Practices Commission and a Commission on Civil Rights, and outlawed segregation in armed forces essentially abandoning its conservative position on State Rights. Historically, the Republican Party represented Northern interests passionately supporting capitalists and America’s wealth elites and oversaw the Reconstruction in the South. Today, the Republicans strongly refute past social injustices hence forsaking several elements, which characterized America’s liberal past, thus propelling the country to its present liberal ideals such as securing independence for labor movements.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The Republican platform espoused socio-economic changes promoting industrialization, liberalism, and capitalist systems. Since the Civil War, significant shifts in Republican politics have seen strengthened Federal government polici es, developed federalism and industrialization. Because of the party’s shift in political principles, it lost significant support in the Southern states after the Great Depression because of its persistent criticism of wealthy Southerners and big corporations. However, after World War II, the Republican Party abandoned its domestic policy and shifted its political ideals to focus on international diplomacy. In the 1990s and early 2000, the Republicans reduced the size of the government and balanced budgetary allocations thus abandoning its conservative philosophies that favored big government and favoritism in budgetary allocations. During the 19 and 20th centuries, Republicans supported economic policies, which favored investments in corporations and big businesses. Lately, the Republicans have taken up the â€Å"social agenda† historically adopted by Democrats. Interestingly, this shift in the party’s political ideals has put the party at odds with its conserv ative supporters in the South. Consequently, this shift in political philosophy has divided America’s working-class, some of whom have voted against their individual economic interests. Today, republican voters have embraced the free-market system and abandoned their traditional wealth redistribution system. Through taxations, corporations and big businesses have become the largest recipients of redistributed wealth and this has created unnecessary socio-economic and political imbalance making conservative Republicans to think that they are taxed to pay for liberal programs.