Democratic Party Divisions in the United States

Democratic Party Party Divisions (1890-1912)

Introduction to Democratic Party Divisions

Factionalism had always existed among Democrats, as different regional, social, and economic groups maneuvered to define the party’s stance and candidates; sometimes, as in the realignment of the 1850s, such factionalism cost the party dearly. Late in the 19th century, however, it got entirely out of hand, as three groups fought for control in an increasingly harsh atmosphere. One bloc comprised the traditional Democrats behind New York’s Grover Cleveland, who was president from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Strong in their memories of Jackson and the Civil War, they still espoused the conventional policies of limited government activities. A second group consisted of the urban political machines, which won the support of immigrants by helping them adjust to conditions in a new country. A third faction was made up of restive groups in the South and West, reacting against the new industrial and centralized economy. Angry farmers and small-town entrepreneurs, feeling badly squeezed by the new economic forces, wanted a shift of Democratic policies toward more vigorous government intervention in their behalf. They were strongly resisted by the traditionalists who ignored, were complacent about, or sometimes cooperated with the new forces the agrarians detested. The urban political machines remained at arm’s length from both, feeling estranged from their values and outlook.

In the 1890s the storm broke. The cautious and traditional reaction of Cleveland’s second administration to the depression after 1893, its hostility to unions and strikes, and its harsh attitudes toward the machines on behalf of civil service reform provoked a revolt by Democratic voters in the South and West. They found in William Jennings Bryan a presidential candidate who overthrew the Cleveland wing in 1896 and dominated the party for a decade afterward. It did them little good, however. Bryan, although supported by the dissident People’s Party, was abandoned by many traditional and urban Democrats, who opposed his program and stance, and he was defeated by the Republican William McKinley.” (1)

Resources

Notes and References

• Information about Democratic Party Divisions in the Encarta Online Encyclopedia

Guide to Democratic Party Divisions

In this Section

Democratic Party, Jacksonian Party, History of the Democratic Party (in the North-South Conflict period), Democratic Party in the Lincon Administration, Democratic Party Divisions, Wilsonian Era, New Deal, Democratic Party After Eisenhower, Democratic Party in the Carter Administration, Democratic Party in the Reagan Administration, Democratic Party in the Clinton Administration, Al Gore, Democratic Party in the Bush Administration, Barack Obama.