Politics and Society in the South / Edition 1

by Earl Black, Merle Black

Overview

This wide-ranging examination of the “newest” South is a leading candidate to replace the classic work by V. O. Key, now two generations old. Politics and Society in the South is a systematic interpretation of the most important national and state tendencies in southern politics since 1920. The authors begin by describing the salient features of the old southern politics, against which they then depict the emergence of the new South: the changing composition of the population, the growth of industry and cities, economic diversification, and the rise of an urban middle class. A major component of the greatest southern transformation since the Civil War is the altered status of blacks from a disfranchised underclass to a franchised citizenry, a change that the authors discuss in all its ramifications. The decline of the Democratic Party is charted and related to the rise of the black vote and the transitional attitudes of white southerners. Finally, regional trends in presidential, senatorial, and gubernatorial politics are set forth, and the overall political directions that are still reshaping southern politics and creating a two-party system for the first time are defined.

The authors contend that, notable improvements in race relations notwithstanding, the central tendencies in southern politics are primarily established by the values, beliefs, and objectives of the expanding white urban middle class. This is the crucible for a more competitive two-party politics that is emerging in the South.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780674689596
Publisher:	Harvard University Press
Publication date:	03/15/1989
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	384
Product dimensions:	(w) x (h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Earl Black is Herbert S. Autrey Professor of Political Science at Rice University.

Merle Black is Asa G. Candler Professor of Politics and Government at Emory University.

Table of Contents

I. The Changing South

1. Old Politics, New People

2. Industrialization and Urbanization

3. The Rise of Middle-Class Society

II. The Transformation of Southern Race Relations

4. The Old Order

5. Penetrating the Outer Color Line

6. The Limited Leverage of a Franchised Minority

7. Confronting the Intermediate Color Line

III. The Southern Electorate

8. The Changing Electorate

9. Contemporary Racial Attitudes

10. The Conservative Advantage in Public Opinion

11. The Decline of Southern "Democracy"

IV. The Revival of Party Competition

12. The Republican Advantage in Presidential Politics

13. Partisan Competition for Senator and Governor

14. The Reshaping of Southern Politics

Notes

Index

Editorial Reviews

A fine and insightful synthesis of a wealth of information. It draws a balanced and convincing portrait of the region’s politics, with historical depth, and the presentation is clear, well organized, and thoroughly documented.

James L. Sundquist

A revealing and timely book… If the outcome of the election of 1988 depends heavily on the ability of the Democrats to carry the southern states, this book will be of more help in understanding the course of events than any other on the subject.

New York Review of Books - C. Vann Woodward

The most significant and comprehensive study of the politics of the South since V. O. Key [’s Southern Politics in State and Nation, 1949]… A major contribution to the understanding of the South, the most volatile region in the nation.

Thomas B. Edsall National Weekly Edition

Within the next few years, Politics and Society in the South will be cited by every author who writes about southern politics… Readers interested in the rise of the middle class, the in-migration of northerners, the enfranchisement of blacks, and the consequences of electoral competitiveness will be fascinated by this marvelous book.

Social Science Quarterly - Charles S. Bullock III

The most significant and comprehensive study of the politics of the South since V. O. Key [’s Southern Politics in State and Nation, 1949]… A major contribution to the understanding of the South, the most volatile region in the nation.

Washington Post National Weekly Edition - Thomas B. Edsall

A fine and insightful synthesis of a wealth of information. It draws a balanced and convincing portrait of the region's politics, with historical depth, and the presentation is clear, well organized, and thoroughly documented.
— James L. Sundquist

The Brookings Institution