Nelson Polsby argues that among other things, from the 50s to the 90s, Congress evolved. In short, Polsby argues that air conditioning altered the demography of the Southern States, which in turn changed the political parties of the South, which transformed the composition and in due course the performance of the US House of Representatives.

Preface Introduction I: The House in Sam Rayburn's Time II: Toward Liberalization III: Causes of Liberalization IV: Consequences: Toward a More Responsible Two-Party System? V: Overview: How Congress Evolves Appendix: Methods and Sources Notes

"A new work on Congress by one of the most prominent scholars of American government in the past half century is a major event.... How Congress Evolves is an intelligent, eminently readable and accessible study that accurately summarizes how Congress has changed in the last half century and the reasons behind that change.... Nelson Polsby has produced another valuable addition to his considerable corpus of scholarship on American government that will assist congressional experts, undergraduate and graduate students, and the politically aware general reader in understanding the contemporary Congress."--Perspectives on Politics "Polsby's How Congress Evolves is crisply written and argued, moving logically toward an explanation of how Congress changes over time. It should be read by anyone serious about the subject of how political institutions evolve."--The Weekly Standard "Nelson Polsby always offers a fresh and insightful perspective on Congress. Few observers pull together the historical perspective, and original analysis and trenchant observations as well as Nelson Polsby does." Congressman Lamar Smith (R. Texas) "Nelson Polsby has been studying, reading about and hanging around the U.S. House of Representatives for more than 40 years. In How Congress Evolves, he provides the definitive--and often witty-account of how the House has changed over time, and why." Michael Barone, U.S. News & World Report, co-author,The Almanac of American Politics "Nelson Polsby has given several generations of political scientists and historians a better understanding of that complex body the Congress of the United States. His new book shows us how the House of Representatives has responded to the enormous changes in American life over the past half century. Like its author, it is lively, engaging, and wise." Morton Keller, History Department, Brandeis University "Combining historical breadth and intimate detail, Nelson Polsby explains how and why the U.S. Congress came to change both its ideological makeup and its internal decision-making processes at mid century. An important book by a gifted storyteller, How Congress Evolves is a treatise in its sweep and a memoir in its depth. No other political scientist could have delivered this combination of strengths." Richard Fenno, author of Home Style: House Members in their Districts "How Congress Evolves is Nelson Polsby's magnum opus. Polsby is an institution among congressional scholars and this book will be a classic work on Congress along with the writings of Woodrow Wilson and Richard Fenno. Polsby's wonderful observations from his interviews and deft use of data about stability and change in Congress combined with his humor make the book hard to put down once you start reading it." James A. Thurber, Professor and Director, Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies American University "Elegant.... his overarching argument is demographic and focuses on the rise of the Republican Party in the South and the myriad consequences of that regional realignment for the House as an institution."--The American Prospect "Elegant.... captures.... the interplay between the rise of the right and the growth of congresional partisanship--and the ways in which liberal institutional reform hastened both developments."--The American Prospect "Polsby's How Congress Evolves is crisply written and argued, moving logically toward an explanation of how Congress changes over time. It should be read by anyone serious about the subject of how political institutions evolve."--The Weekly Standard "A new work on Congress by one of the most prominent scholars of American government in the past half century is a major event.... How Congress Evolves is an intelligent, eminently readable and accessible study that accurately summarizes how Congress has changed in the last half century and the reasons behind that change.... Nelson Polsby has produced another valuable addition to his considerable corpus of scholarship on American government that will assist congressional experts, undergraduate and graduate students, and the politically aware general reader in understanding the contemporary Congress."--Perspectives on Politics "Nelson Polsby always offers a fresh and insightful perspective on Congress. Few observers pull together the historical perspective, and original analysis and trenchant observations as well as Nelson Polsby does."--Congressman Lamar Smith (R. Texas) "Nelson Polsby has been studying, reading about and hanging around the U.S. House of Representatives for more than 40 years. In How Congress Evolves, he provides the definitive--and often witty-account of how the House has changed over time, and why." Michael Barone, U.S. News & World Report, co-author,The Almanac of American Politics "Nelson Polsby has given several generations of political scientists and historians a better understanding of that complex body the Congress of the United States. His new book shows us how the House of Representatives has responded to the enormous changes in American life over the past half century. Like its author, it is lively, engaging, and wise." Morton Keller, History Department, Brandeis University "Combining historical breadth and intimate detail, Nelson Polsby explains how and why the U.S. Congress came to change both its ideological makeup and its internal decision-making processes at mid century. An important book by a gifted storyteller, How Congress Evolves is a treatise in its sweep and a memoir in its depth. No other political scientist could have delivered this combination of strengths." Richard Fenno, author of Home Style: House Members in their Districts "How Congress Evolves is Nelson Polsby's magnum opus. Polsby is an institution among congressional scholars and this book will be a classic work on Congress along with the writings of Woodrow Wilson and Richard Fenno. Polsby's wonderful observations from his interviews and deft use of data about stability and change in Congress combined with his humor make the book hard to put down once you start reading it." James A. Thurber, Professor and Director, Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies American University "How Congress Evolves is elegantly written, cogently argued and politically astute. Nelson Polsby gives his readers the benefit of four decades and more of immersion in and observation of Congress, along with his penetrating insights into politics, people and institutions and a writing style that is at once accessible and sophisticated. Novices and experts, students and practitioners, scholars and journalists, all will learn immensely about how the House of Representatives works and how it changes."-- Norman Ornstein, American Enterprise Institute