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  3. The American Direct Primary
  • Cited by 83
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    • Publisher:
      Cambridge University Press
      Publication date:
      16 July 2009
      14 October 2002
      ISBN:
      9780511509933
      9780521814928
      9780521109727
      DOI:
      https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511509933
      Dimensions:
      (228 x 152 mm)
      Weight & Pages:
      0.533kg, 288 Pages
      Dimensions:
      (229 x 152 mm)
      Weight & Pages:
      0.43kg, 288 Pages
      • Subjects:
      American History: General Interest, Area Studies, American Studies, American Government, Politics and Policy, History, Politics and International Relations
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    Subjects:
    American History: General Interest, Area Studies, American Studies, American Government, Politics and Policy, History, Politics and International Relations
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    Book description

    This book rejects conventional accounts of how American political parties differ from those in other democracies. It focuses on the introduction of the direct primary and argues that primaries resulted from a process of party institutionalization initiated by party elites. It overturns the widely accepted view that, between 1902 and 1915, direct primaries were imposed on the parties by anti-party reformers intent on weakening them. An examination of particular northern states shows that often the direct primary was not controversial, and only occasionally did it involve confrontation between party 'regulars' and their opponents. Rather, the impetus for direct nominations came from attempts within the parties to subject informal procedures to formal rules. However, it proved impossible to reform the older caucus-convention system effectively, and party elites then turned to the direct primary - a device that already had become more common in rural counties in the late nineteenth century.

    Reviews

    "...a very important book...a nuanced, informative study that should be read by all those interested in American political parties, American political development, the Progressive era, and comparative parties." Political Science Quarterly

    "A must-read for those interested in American parties and elections. Essential." Choice

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