"All the signs point to a major realignment of the American electorate... The Negro revolution and its impact on the white suburbs and industrial heartland is the major single factor in the destruction of the New Deal coalition... The national Democratic Party has become the party of the black population, the liberal establishment, and the young, leaving the great middle-class majority to find a new home in the Republican Party."
—Adapted from Kevin Phillips, political strategist, *The Emerging Republican Majority*, 1969
Which of the following developments in the late 1960s and 1970s most directly contributed to the political realignment described in the excerpt?
- The Republican Party's use of the 'Southern Strategy' to appeal to white voters disaffected by civil rights reforms.Answer
- BThe consensus among civil rights organizations to align exclusively with the Republican Party to achieve integration.
- CThe Nixon administration's adoption of supply-side economic policies to curb high inflation and unemployment.
- DThe broad expansion of New Deal-style federal programs during the 1970s to completely eliminate the national debt.
Answer
The Republican Party's use of the 'Southern Strategy' to appeal to white voters disaffected by civil rights reforms.
The correct answer is correct because the 'Southern Strategy' was a deliberate Republican effort during the late 1960s and 1970s to gain political support in the South by appealing to white voters' opposition to federal civil rights legislation and integration, leading to a major political realignment in the region.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Political Realignment and the Southern Strategy
Estimated Time:1m 0s