This is a new edition of the best history of the Republican party in half a century with coverage through the presidential election of 2008. It treats Republican suspicion of Democratic legitimacy as a key element in American political history.

Introduction ; 1. The Party of Lincoln, 1854-1865 ; 2. Republicans and Reconstruction, 1865-1877 ; 3. Republicans in the Gilded Age, 1877-1893 ; 4. McKinley to Roosevelt, 1893-1904 ; 5. The Taft-Roosevelt Split, 1905-1912 ; 6. Republicans during the Wilson Years, 1913-1921 ; 7. The Age of Republican Dominance ; 8. The Republicans in the Age of the New Deal ; 9. From "Had Enough" to Modern Republicanism, 1945-1961 ; 10. From Goldwater to Watergate, 1961-1974 ; 11. Republicans in the Reagan Era, 1974-1988 ; 12. From Bush to Gingrich to Bush, 1988-2000 ; 13. Republicans and the George W. Bush Presidency, 2001-2009 ; Conclusion The Republican Party and Its Future ; Acknowledgments ; Notes ; Suggestions for Further Reading ; Index

With acute insight, Lewis Gould traces the evolution of the GOP from the party of nationalism and activism in its early years to the party of limited government and states' rights in the post-World War II era. He brilliantly demonstrates that the central constant running throughout that long history is the Republicans' tendency to view themselves as the legitimate defenders of American values while demonizing their Democratic opponents as threats to the republic itself. This superb book goes a long way toward explaining the current deranged condition of American politics.

"With acute insight, Lewis Gould traces the evolution of the GOP from the party of nationalism and activism in its early years to the party of limited government and states' rights in the post-World War II era. He brilliantly demonstrates that the central constant running throughout that long history is the Republicans' tendency to view themselves as the legitimate defenders of American values while demonizing their Democratic opponents as threats to the republic itself. This superb book goes a long way toward explaining the current deranged condition of American politics." --Charles W. Calhoun, author of From Bloody Shirt to Full Dinner Pail "Lewis Gould's magisterial work takes the reader on an epic journey from the Republican Party's creation in the white-hot crucible of national politics in the 1850s to the bitter partisan and ideological rivalries of the present day. This is not only the best and most comprehensive study of the Grand Old Party, it is also a thoughtful, insightful, and often surprising meditation on America and the unhealed wounds of history." --Geoffrey Kabaservice, author of Rule and Ruin: The Downfall of Moderation and the Destruction of the Republican Party, From Eisenhower to the Tea Party "Think that the idea Washington is broken or that Republicans are divided is new? Read this book! It is at once judicious, graceful, shrewd, and sprightly." --Laura Kalman, University of California, Santa Barbara Review of original edition: "Gould nimbly portrays the almost 180-degree shifts in GOP policy through the decades, making it possible to understand how the Republican platform of 2000 could so closely mirror the Democrats' platform of a century ago. Although the book gives serious weight to issues such as race, especially in shaping the party's antebellum origins, greater emphasis is placed on personalities, especially those of the presidents..... It's very instructive to see how recent figures such as Newt Gingrich stand in relation to their predecessors-and how the current administration both shares and rejects the party's historical principles." --Publishers Weekly Review of original edition: "Gould, an emeritus University of Texas at Austin professor, has researched U.S. political parties throughout his career. He establishes the 1850s context in which the new party arose, examines Lincoln's wartime policies (including an activist federal government) that were pursued by the Republican administrations that dominated the rest of the century, and then analyzes the Progressive-era debate over regulating industrial society in which the GOP shifted to the small-government, low-tax, laissez faire approach it has now championed for nearly a century. Gould's political history blends historical disciplines, exploring, for example, the interaction of demographics and ideology as the party's vision and tactics have changed over the years." --Booklist

Selling point: Provides complete coverage of Republican history from 1854 through the present state of partisan gridlock. Selling point: Features a new introduction and a new chapter covering the George W. Bush presidency and the election of Barack Obama, plus revisions throughout. Selling point: Details the roots of Republican skepticism about the commitment of Democrats to core American values

Lewis L. Gould is Eugene C. Barker Centennial Professor Emeritus in American History at the University of Texas at Austin and currently a Visiting Distinguished Professor at Monmouth College. He is the author of many political history books, including Theodore Roosevelt and The Modern American Presidency.

Selling point: Provides complete coverage of Republican history from 1854 through the present state of partisan gridlock. Selling point: Features a new introduction and a new chapter covering the George W. Bush presidency and the election of Barack Obama, plus revisions throughout. Selling point: Details the roots of Republican skepticism about the commitment of Democrats to core American values