Realignment

(noun)

Realignment means the coming to power for several decades of a new coalition, replacing an old dominant coalition of the other party.

Related Terms

Examples of Realignment in the following topics:

  • Party Realignments, Dealignments, and Tipping

    • A great example of realignment came at the end of George W.
    • Political scientists and historians often disagree about which elections are realignments and what defines a realignment, and even whether realignments occur.
    • The central holding of realignment theory, first developed in the political scientist V.
    • A great example of realignment came at the end of George W.
    • A central component of realignment is the change in behavior of voting groups.

  • The New Deal

    • The New Deal produced a political realignment.
    • This realignment crystallized into the New Deal Coalition that dominated most presidential elections into the 1960s, while the opposition Conservative Coalition largely controlled Congress from 1937 to 1963.
    • This realignment represented a significant shift in politics and domestic policy.

  • The Shifting Boundary between Federal and State Authority

    • More recently, the issue of states' rights has come to a head when the Base Realignment Closure Commission (BRAC) recommended that Congress and the Department of Defense implement sweeping changes to the National Guard by consolidating some Guard installations and closing others.
    • These recommendations in 2005 drew strong criticism from many states, and several states sued the federal government on the basis that Congress and the Pentagon would be violating states' rights should they force the realignment and closure of Guard bases without the prior approval of the governors from the affected states.

  • The Great Depression and the New Deal

    • The New Deal produced a political realignment, making the Democratic Party the majority (as well as the party that held the White House for seven out of nine Presidential terms from 1933 to 1969).
    • The realignment crystallized into the New Deal Coalition that dominated most presidential elections into the 1960s, while the opposing Conservative Coalition largely controlled Congress from 1937 to 1963.

  • Major Life and Political Events

    • Conceding that major "shocks" such as the Great Depression could realign or dealign partisanship, some scholars reasoned that a series of smaller shocks over time could also dramatically influence the direction and strength of partisanship.

  • Party Identification

    • Party ID changes can occur in times of party coalition change, or realignment.

  • The Republican Party

    • Prior to the formation of the conservative coalition, which helped realign the Democratic and Republican Party ideologies in the mid-1960s, the party historically advocated classical liberalism, paleo-conservatism, and progressivism.