Rightward: The Transformation of the Republican Party, 1960-2000

At critical moments in US history, our political parties go through dramatic (sometimes

traumatic) transformations when tried and tested political ties and principles … shift! In

the last half century, America has gone through one of these periods as the Republican

Party has moved from a broad party made up of moderates and conservatives, religious

and non-religious institutionalists, and foreign policy hawks committed to an

international order anchored by the US. Since 2000, the party has shifted to a much

more populist orientation linked to religious fundamentalism, Isolationism, and

economic nationalism. The legacies of leaders of the past such as Nixon, Ford and

Reagan have been pushed aside for a new generation of more angry, confrontational,

emotional, identity-based politicians. In this course, we will examine WHY the party

has changed and how technology, social change, the rise of new media, and several

crises of legitimacy by established institutions have converged.