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Dissertation Information for Laura Jane Gifford

NAME:
- Laura Jane Gifford

DEGREE:
- Ph.D.

DISCIPLINE:
- History

SCHOOL:
- University of California, Los Angeles (USA) (2006)

ADVISORS:
- Jessica Wang

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
- Robert A. Hill
- Scott C. James

MPACT Status: Fully Complete

Title: The center cannot hold: The 1960 presidential election and the rise of modern conservatism

Abstract: This dissertation uses the 1960 presidential election as a tool to examine fundamental shifts in the Republican Party toward a more conservative alignment in the late twentieth century. As late as 1960, the GOP could have taken its agenda from a number of sources, and proceeded in a number of directions. By the end of the 1960 campaign, however, Republican liberals had lost the battle over the party's future; henceforth, conservatives would take a leading role in formulating GOP policy. This initial establishment of control over the party's future direction marked the first step in a multi-step process, culminating in Ronald Reagan's election in 1980.

To explore the dynamics at work in a presidential election, this dissertation analyzes interactions between three key party leaders---liberal Nelson Rockefeller, conservative Barry Goldwater, and moderate Richard Nixon---and six key constituencies: liberals, African Americans, conservative intellectuals, youth, Southerners and ethnic Americans. Study of these interactions demonstrates that conservatives made far more effective use of grassroots organization to develop networks that could push the Republican Party in a rightward direction. Vital developments in these grassroots organizations took place over the course of the 1960 election. Furthermore, conservatives like Goldwater responded to their supporters more effectively than did liberal and moderate leaders like Rockefeller and Nixon. The 1960 election demonstrates the agency individuals and groups do possess within a highly structured political framework like the American party system.

Most historians agree that by the end of the 1960s, the conservative branch of the Republican Party had largely taken control of party direction. Many scholars have written on the rise of conservatism in the United States, but the process is generally analyzed from the perspective that such a transition was a foregone conclusion. This project restores a sense of contingency to the process. It is important to realize that at the beginning of the year 1960, liberals and conservatives were equally optimistic about their futures in the Republican Party. By December 1960, however, a fundamental shift in power had taken place. Liberals might score individual victories, but the first steps of future trends were established.

MPACT Scores for Laura Jane Gifford

A = 0
C = 0
A+C = 0
T = 0
G = 0
W = 0
TD = 0
TA = 0
calculated 2008-08-09 08:50:47

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Students under Laura Jane Gifford

ADVISEES:
- None

COMMITTEESHIPS:
- None