Date of Award
Spring 2020
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Historical & Political Studies; College of Arts & Sciences
First Advisor
Geoffrey Haywood
Abstract
1968 was a year of upheaval in America--especially in politics. The year featured a presidential election between Richard Nixon (R), Hubert Humphrey (D), and third-party candidate George Wallace. This election was one of the closest in American history. It marks a significant transition, coming four years after a Democratic landslide, and four years before Richard Nixon's landslide re-election. The 1968 election uniquely captures four important trends in U.S. Politics. The American public had grown increasingly dissatisfied with President Johnson and the war in Vietnam, illustrated by Eugene McCarthy’s campaign. The South, a longtime bastion of Democratic support, accelerated its transition to the Republican Party. White working-class voters in the Northeast and Midwest voiced their frustration with the establishment and the counterculture, through the campaigns of Wallace and Nixon. Finally, the Democratic Party grappled with its nominating process, turning over significant power to the people through primaries and significantly more democratic delegations. The current American political landscape reflects these long-term trends collectively, which began to transform American politics beginning in 1968.
Recommended Citation
Costigan, Michael J., "A Treacherous Transformation: 1968 and the Collapse of the Liberal Consensus" (2020). Capstone Showcase. 2.
https://scholarworks.arcadia.edu/showcase/2020/hist_pol_studies/2
A Treacherous Transformation: 1968 and the Collapse of the Liberal Consensus
1968 was a year of upheaval in America--especially in politics. The year featured a presidential election between Richard Nixon (R), Hubert Humphrey (D), and third-party candidate George Wallace. This election was one of the closest in American history. It marks a significant transition, coming four years after a Democratic landslide, and four years before Richard Nixon's landslide re-election. The 1968 election uniquely captures four important trends in U.S. Politics. The American public had grown increasingly dissatisfied with President Johnson and the war in Vietnam, illustrated by Eugene McCarthy’s campaign. The South, a longtime bastion of Democratic support, accelerated its transition to the Republican Party. White working-class voters in the Northeast and Midwest voiced their frustration with the establishment and the counterculture, through the campaigns of Wallace and Nixon. Finally, the Democratic Party grappled with its nominating process, turning over significant power to the people through primaries and significantly more democratic delegations. The current American political landscape reflects these long-term trends collectively, which began to transform American politics beginning in 1968.