Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Date of Degree
6-2025
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Program
Political Science
Advisor
Peter Beinart
Subject Categories
American Politics | Political Science | Political Theory
Keywords
realignment, social movements, labor unions, civil rights
Abstract
The fields of social movement studies and political realignment theory do not often overlap in political science. But by conceiving of realignment as a strategy of social movements, this paper reveals terrain in the political struggle that conventional scholarship can miss. I draw from two historical case studies – the industrial labor movement in the 1930s and the civil rights movement in Mississippi the 1960s – to explore how social movement strategists fought to shape the contours of emerging political orders to achieve their goals. I find that the labor movement pursued a reciprocal strategy of alignment with the Democratic Party during the Roosevelt era in an attempt to strengthen the gains of the industrial workforce, while the civil rights movement pursued a purification strategy of realigning the Democratic Party away from its white supremacist Dixiecrat faction to overcome the Southern veto on voting rights legislation. I conclude that social movements can be vital actors in – even drivers of – tectonic shifts in the electorate that lead to political earthquakes.
Recommended Citation
Goodrich, Matthew Miles, "Agents of Alignment: Political Realignment as Social Movement Strategy" (2025). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/6251
