The Republicans: A History Of The Grand Old Party - Softcover

With acute insight, Lewis Gould traces the evolution of the GOP from the party of nationalism and activism in its early years to the party of limited government and states' rights in the post-World War II era. He brilliantly demonstrates that the central constant running throughout that long history is the Republicans' tendency to view themselves as the legitimate defenders of American values while demonizing their Democratic opponents as threats to the republic itself. This superb book goes a long way toward explaining the current deranged condition of American politics. (Charles W. Calhoun, author of From Bloody Shirt to Full Dinner Pail)

Lewis Gould's magisterial work takes the reader on an epic journey from the Republican Party's creation in the white-hot crucible of national politics in the 1850s to the bitter partisan and ideological rivalries of the present day. This is not only the best and most comprehensive study of the Grand Old Party, it is also a thoughtful, insightful, and often surprising meditation on America and the unhealed wounds of history. (Geoffrey Kabaservice, author of Rule and Ruin: The Downfall of Moderation and the Destruction of the Republican Party, From Eisenhower to the Tea Party)

Think that the idea Washington is broken or that Republicans are divided is new? Read this book! It is at once judicious, graceful, shrewd, and sprightly. (Laura Kalman, University of California, Santa Barbara)

Gould nimbly portrays the almost 180-degree shifts in GOP policy through the decades, making it possible to understand how the Republican platform of 2000 could so closely mirror the Democrats' platform of a century ago. Although the book gives serious weight to issues such as race, especially in shaping the party's antebellum origins, greater emphasis is placed on personalities, especially those of the presidents..... It's very instructive to see how recent figures such as Newt Gingrich stand in relation to their predecessors-and how the current administration both shares and rejects the party's historical principles. (Publishers Weekly)

Gould, an emeritus University of Texas at Austin professor, has researched U.S. political parties throughout his career. He establishes the 1850s context in which the new party arose, examines Lincoln's wartime policies (including an activist federal government) that were pursued by the Republican administrations that dominated the rest of the century, and then analyzes the Progressive-era debate over regulating industrial society in which the GOP shifted to the small-government, low-tax, laissez faire approach it has now championed for nearly a century. Gould's political history blends historical disciplines, exploring, for example, the interaction of demographics and ideology as the party's vision and tactics have changed over the years. (Booklist)

The Republicans is a revised and updated edition of Lewis L. Gould's 2003 history of the Republican party. The book retains the features that made the first edition a success―a fast-paced account of Republican fortunes, a deep knowledge of the evolution of national political history, and an acute feel for the interplay of personalities and ideology. All the main players in the Republican story are captured in penetrating sketches and deft analysis. Gould brings to life such forgotten Republican leaders as James G. Blaine, Mark Hanna, Wendell Willkie, and Robert A. Taft. He also does full justice to such contemporary figures as Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin, and John McCain.

The Republicans contains a new chapter on the George W. Bush presidency, the election of 2008, and the response of the Grand Old Party to Barack Obama. Gould argues that the historic Republican skepticism about the legitimacy of the Democratic party has shaped American politics since the Civil War. In his view, that persistent flaw in the relations between the two parties has led the nation to the current crisis of stalemate and partisan bitterness.

The Republicans won praise for its even-handed, incisive analysis of Republican history a decade ago. Gould's extension of the story through 2008 makes The Republicans an even more useful volume for students and general readers alike. No other account of Republican history is as up-to-date, crammed with fascinating information, and ready to serve as an informed guide to today's partisan warfare. Political junkies and readers seeking the best first book on Republican history will find what they are looking for in Gould's comprehensive volume.