
Engines of Change
Party Factions in American Politics, 1868-2010
Daniel DiSalvo(Author)
Oxford University Press Inc
Published on 31. May 2012
Book
Hardback
264 pages
978-0-19-989170-2 (ISBN)
Description
In Engines of Change, which is part the Oxford Studies in Postwar American Political Development series, Daniel DiSalvo provides the first full account of the role of these national intra-party "factions" in American politics. A faction, as defined here, is a party sub-unit that has enough ideological consistency, organizational capacity, and temporal durability to sustain intra-party conflict. Drawing from the last 150 years of American political history, DiSalvo explains how factions have shaped the parties' ideologies, impacted presidential nominations, structured patterns of presidential governance, and impacted the development of the American state. He demonstrates that factions can acquire the power to shape the parties' ideologies, impact presidential nominations, structure the patterns of presidential governance, and impact the development of the American state. Indeed, factions are often just as or more important than the parties themselves in driving political change. Sweeping in scope, Engines of Change promises to reshape our understanding of the forces most responsible for driving political change in modern American history.
Reviews / Votes
Reaching back a century and a half, this work is chock full of interesting information about U.S. party factions. Yes, parties taken alone may be the main game, DiSalvo argues, but we make an analytic mistake by not dwelling enough on the Tea Party, the New Democrats, the Dixiecrats and other eruptions of that sort. Party factions can set policy agendas, throw their weight around in Congress and in presidential nominating, and otherwise make a difference. * David Mayhew, Sterling Professor of Political Science, Yale University *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
605 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-989170-2 (9780199891702)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
06/2012
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€39.49
Available for download
Person
Assistant Professor of Political Science, City College of New York (CUNY)
Author
Assistant Professor of Political ScienceAssistant Professor of Political Science, City College of New York
Content
Preface: Parties and Factions in American Politics ; I. Introduction: Four Questions about American Party Factions ; II. Factions and the Study of American Political Parties ; III. Conveyor Belts of Ideas: Factions and Party Ideology ; IV. Selecting a Party Leader: Factions and Presidential Nominations ; V. Breaking up the Party: Factions and Splinter Parties ; VI. Power Distributors: Factions in Congress ; VII. Shaping the Situation: Factions and the President ; VIII. Factions and American State Building ; IX. Factions, Party Responsibility, and American Institutions