Keyword – Barry Goldwater

Pajor, Szabolcs:

The Beginnings of Today’s Republican Party in the 1930s and its Developement until the 1960s

Over the past 100 years, the two major political parties of the United States, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, have swapped places in the political and ideological fields. There used to be both progressives and conservatives in both parties, but to date we find almost only conservatives in the Republican Party. This study briefly presents the conservative development of the Republican Party. The roots of the party’s current identity, rhetoric, and political narrative can be found in the state of California during the Great Depression. In 1934, before a governoral election, Republicans entrusted their campaign to political advisers for the first time. During the election of the governor, the importance of media politics, professionalisation, campaign communication, and political narratives rose to a higher level. The Republican Party developed a new narrative resulting in a broad, motivated and committed voting base that continues to thrive to this day. This paper also shows how the trend that had started in California expanded and developed up until the 1960s, including President Richard Nixon himself and the infamous Southern strategy.

Keywords: American conservatism, Barry Goldwater, Southern Strategy, Frank Merriam, New Deal, political communication, Republican Party, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Whitaker and Baxter