{"product_id":"the-great-melding-glenn-feldman-9780817318666","title":"The Great Melding: War, the Dixiecrat Rebellion, and the Southern Model for America's New Conservatism","description":"\u003cb\u003e2016 \u003ci\u003eChoice \u003c\/i\u003eOutstanding Academic Title\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Audacious in its scope, subtle in its analysis, and persuasive in its arguments, \u003ci\u003eThe Great Melding\u003c\/i\u003e is the second book in Glenn Feldman's magisterial recounting of the South's transformation from a Reconstruction-era citadel of Democratic Party inertia to a cauldron of GOP agitation. In this pioneering study, Feldman shows how the transitional years after World War II, the Dixiecrat episode, and the early 1950s formed a pivotal sequence of events that altered America's political landscape in profound, fundamental, and unexpected ways. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Feldman's landmark work \u003ci\u003eThe Irony of the Solid South\u003c\/i\u003e dismantled the myth of the New Deal consensus, proving it to be only a fleeting alliance of fissiparous factions; \u003ci\u003eThe Great Melding\u003c\/i\u003e further examines how the South broke away from that consensus. Exploring issues of race and white supremacy, Feldman documents and explains the roles of economics, religion, and emotive appeals to patriotism in southern voting patterns. His probing and original analysis includes a discussion of the limits of southern liberalism and a fresh examination of the Dixiecrat Revolt of 1948. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Feldman convincingly argues that the Dixiecrats--often dismissed as a transitory footnote in American politics--served as a template for the modern conservative movement. Now a predictable Republican stronghold, Alabama at the time was viewed by national political strategists as a battleground and bellwether. Masterfully synthesizing a vast range of sources, Feldman shows that Alabama was then one of the few states where voters made unpredictable choices between the competing ideologies of the Democrats, Republicans, and Dixiecrats. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Writing in his lively and provocative style, Feldman demonstrates that the events he recounts in Alabama between 1942 and Dwight Eisenhower's 1952 election encapsulate a rare moment of fluidity in American politics, one in which the New Deal consensus shattered and the Democratic and Republican parties fought off a third-party revolt only to find themselves irrevocably altered by their success. \u003ci\u003eThe Great Melding\u003c\/i\u003e will fascinate historians, political scientists, political strategists, and readers of political nonfiction.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Glenn Feldman\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0817318666\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780817318666\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University Alabama Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 08\/31\/2015\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 400\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.00lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.10h x 6.00w x 0.80d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 02\/01\/2016","brand":"Glenn Feldman","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":48086957228287,"sku":"9780817318666","price":59.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_4db68b9e-7d8c-452b-a01c-b9f498f35e76.jpg?v=1769097476","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-great-melding-glenn-feldman-9780817318666","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}