New History of the Democratic Party

 

Hilton, Adam. True Blues: The Contentious Transformation of the Democratic Party. Pennsylvania, 2021. 280p bibl index ISBN 9780812252996, $55.00; ISBN 9780812297966.

In this imaginative, lively book on the history of the Democratic Party, Hilton (Mount Holyoke College) offers a challenge to existing scholarship on the evolution of the Democratic Party since the end of the New Deal. Instead of affirming the role of party leaders and officeholders as the main force in shaping the party’s direction, this book argues that "conflict between extra-party groups" (p. 2) controlled political changes. Over time, a different type of political party was created—an advocacy party—that diminished older sources of political authority. The advocacy party is the result of several developments: the rise of political entrepreneurs, reform movements that sought to overcome the limitations of the old party structure, and persistent conflict among factions to define the party’s focus and electoral strategies. The second half of the book provides exemplary case studies of group activity related to the overall theme of the volume. This study allows for a greater understanding of the change that has taken and continues to take place in the Democratic Party.

--H. L. Cheek Jr., East Georgia State College

(Forthcoming, Choice, November 2022, Vol. 60 No. 3)