The Republican Evolution - by Kenneth Janda (Paperback)

About the Book

Kenneth Janda sheds new light on the Republican Party's transformations, drawing on a wide range of quantitative and qualitative evidence. He examines nearly three thousand planks from every Republican platform since 1856 as well as candidate statements and historical sources.

Book Synopsis

The Republican Party was founded in 1854 to oppose slavery and its spread to new territories and states. Today, under the sway of Donald Trump, it is hardly recognizable as the party of Lincoln or even the party of Eisenhower. How and why has the Republican Party changed so drastically?

Kenneth Janda sheds new light on the Republican Party's transformations, drawing on a wide range of quantitative and qualitative evidence. He examines nearly three thousand planks from every Republican platform since 1856 as well as candidate statements and historical sources, tracing the evolution of the party's positions on topics such as states' rights, trade, taxation, regulation, law and order, immigration, environmental protection, and voting rights. Janda argues that the GOP has gone through three main phases over the course of its history, transforming from a party committed to governance to one vehemently opposed to government. In its first several decades, the Republican Party emphasized national authority and economic development. By the late 1920s, Republicans had begun downplaying the role of government in favor of a new philosophy steeped in free markets. The nomination of Barry Goldwater in 1964 marked a key turning point. Since then, the party has endorsed states' rights, opposed civil rights, and become increasingly ethnocentric. Richly documented with scores of figures and tables, The Republican Evolution offers new perspective on how the GOP became an antigovernment party--and whether it can step back from the brink of authoritarianism.

Review Quotes

That today's Republican Party fundamentally differs from the party of old is something that few would venture to dispute. In this well-written, carefully researched book, Janda uses social-science tools to shed new light on the political history that nurtured that epochal change.-- "Survival"

A very useful addition to classes on party, ideology, and social movements, and it provides plenty of useful grist for discussions among undergraduate and graduate students.--Seth Masket "Presidential Studies Quarterly"

An expansive and prescriptive study of the Grand Old Party since 1860, Janda's The Republican Evolution highlights how divisive issues define but divide the modern Republican Party. Examining party platforms since 1856, Janda maps the evolution of the Republican Party on issues like trade policy, law and order, and civil rights, adeptly demonstrating how the Party moved from being the "Party of Lincoln" to an antigovernment party and diagnosing the ills of the party system along the way. This book is important for scholars of political parties and a must read for anyone concerned about American democracy.--Brandon Rottinghaus, University of Houston

Competing political parties committed to democratic values and institutions are essential ingredients of pluralist democracy. But in recent years, as the highly respected comparative politics specialist Kenneth Janda shows, the Republican Party has been undermining rather than upholding essential democratic norms. The Republican Evolution is a timely analysis of a democracy in crisis, how America got there, and what needs to be done if the United States is to serve as inspiration rather than warning.--Archie Brown, emeritus professor of politics, University of Oxford

Janda gives us the long view of changes in the Republican Party, with observations of critical points and periods of transformation well supported by close examination of historical documents and presenting statistical evidence. This is an illuminating work potentially of interest to a wide readership, with suggestions for Republicans to regain connection with and to honor their roles in forming America's heritage.--Jack Flynn, professor emeritus of history and geography, St. Catherine University

Janda stunningly combines scholarly discoveries with worrisome insights into the realities of contemporary politics. His research on Republican ideology from Lincoln to Trump is--in one word--the best study of party platforms ever published. But, sadly, his unique research also reveals the deterioration of the once Grand Old Party to an ethnocentric tribe and personality cult that threatens the future of American democracy.--Gerald Pomper, professor emeritus of political science, Rutgers University

Janda's book is the culmination of decades of research. His detailed analysis of how the Republican Party has abandoned its historical roots, going from a party of freedom to an insurgent outlier that represents an ongoing threat to our democratic institutions, is both timely and welcome.--John Kenneth White, Catholic University of America

Kenneth Janda's The Republican Evolution is a persuasive analysis of what has happened to one of our two great political parties. The GOP once governed with competence and compassion under Lincoln, TR and Eisenhower, and once was a "champion of national authority and political equality." But in the last half-century, Janda charts how it has become increasingly narrow and cramped, advocating states' rights, defending racial inequalities and--in the recent past--become dominated by corrosive tribal politics and the destructive personality cult of Donald J. Trump.--David H. Bennett, professor emeritus of history, Syracuse University

Outstanding! This book represents the definitive analysis of the Republican Party, its policy commitments, changes that have taken place over time, and how the party has evolved from its birth in 1856 to the cult of Trump in contemporary times. It stands out for the quality, originality, and comprehensiveness of its analysis. A tightly reasoned explanatory framework adds a historical perspective. The book sets the standard for the field.--William Crotty, professor emeritus of political science, Northeastern University

This fascinating study traces the Republican Party's view of the world and itself from birth to the present. Janda's scholarship provides information and insights that people of good intention can employ to save this fast-failing political institution, which in turn threatens American democracy. This book belongs on the must-read list needed to save our two-party system and our democracy.--John W. Dean, former Nixon White House counsel, author of Authoritarian Nightmare: Trump and His Followers

About the Author

Kenneth Janda is Payson S. Wild Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Northwestern University. He is the author or coauthor of numerous books, including the textbook The Challenge of Democracy: American Government in Global Politics (fifteenth edition, 2021), and he was coeditor of the journal Party Politics for two decades. Janda received the Samuel J. Eldersveld Lifetime Achievement Award for his work on political parties and the Frank J. Goodnow Award for service to the discipline, both from the American Political Science Association.