(Thread) How the Republican Party morphed from the pro-slavery strong-federal-government party of Lincoln to the party of the KKK and Koch Brothers.
Part II: 1920-1950.
Part I is here:
Part II: 1920-1950.
Part I is here:
1/ We left off at 1920. The Democratic platform was pro-labor & in favor of a strong federal government, while the Republicans had abandoned their equal rights platform & embraced the interests of business, which by then preferred fewer regulations and a smaller executive branch.
2/ In 1920, Harding (a Republican) won the White House and immediately deregulated business and repealed taxes. More money poured into the hands of the wealthy. Banks freely lent too much money. The gap between the wealthy and the laborers widened further.
3/ Only the wealthy could attend college, etc. Then, in 1929, the market crashed & the Depression hit. Republican President Hoover felt the best solution was to do nothing on the grounds that government control was socialist and anti-American.
4/ When Republican policies failed to work, Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt promised a New Deal: Protective legislation for laborers. He drew Northern blacks into the Democratic coalition, many of whom liked his pro-labor stance. They called themselves Roosevelt Democrats.
5/ FDR gave us social security, welfare relief, minimum wage, a 40 hour workweek, etc. Republicans fought against the New Deal and calling it socialism and creating a welfare state. The economy grew strong under FDR.
Dems say it was because of FDR's economic policies.
Dems say it was because of FDR's economic policies.
6/ Dems say unregulated business & banks created the depression, while FDR's government programs got us out. Republicans say no, it was WWII that got us out. (The catch: WWII got us out of the depression because of the dramatically increased spending caused by the war.)
7/ Republicans have been trying to dismantle government spending & repeal the New Deal ever since.
FDR's coalition allowed Dems to dominate national politics until the Civil Rights movement and cultural changes of the 1960s—when everything changed again.
Part III coming soon.
FDR's coalition allowed Dems to dominate national politics until the Civil Rights movement and cultural changes of the 1960s—when everything changed again.
Part III coming soon.
8/ Let's see if I do this right. Part III is here:
Notice there is a mistake in Tweet #1. Lincoln was the ANTI-Slavery Party (duh)
Notice there is a mistake in Tweet #1. Lincoln was the ANTI-Slavery Party (duh)
