Sixth Party System in United States politics

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The Sixth Party System in United States politics is a proposed era of partisan realignment, beginning in the late 20th century, characterized by intensified ideological polarization, shifting regional bases of the major parties, and the solidification of the modern Democratic–Republican divide.

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Statements (44)

Predicate Object
instanceOf party system
proposed political era
associatedWith culture wars
decline of conservative Democrats
decline of liberal Republicans
growing partisan sorting by education level
growing partisan sorting by urban–rural residence
increased straight-ticket voting
racial realignment of party coalitions
religious polarization between parties
characterizedBy ideological polarization
modern Democratic–Republican divide
partisan realignment
shifting regional party bases
country United States of America
surface form: United States
follows Fifth Party System in United States politics
hasDebatedStartDate 1970s
1980s
1990s
late 1960s
hasFeature decline of conservative–liberal overlap between parties
high party-line voting in Congress
issue-based polarization on economic policy
issue-based polarization on foreign policy
issue-based polarization on social issues
stable two-party competition
hasMajorParty Democratic Party
surface form: Democratic Party (United States)

Republican Party
surface form: Republican Party (United States)
ideologicalTrend increased liberal–conservative polarization
linkedTo Southern Strategy
civil rights realignment
growth of partisan media
ideologically sorted party elites
increased minority support for the Democratic Party
nationalization of elections
rise of evangelical Christians in Republican coalition
precedes potential Seventh Party System in United States politics
regionalRealignment Democratic strength in large cities
Democratic strength in the Northeast
Democratic strength on the West Coast
Republican strength in rural areas
Republican strength in the American South
scholarlyStatus contested periodization among political scientists
startTime late 20th century

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Fifth Party System in United States politics followedBy Sixth Party System in United States politics