Political Parties and American Empire Since 1945

• In Event: Political Organizations and Parties in Historical Context

Abstract

Both democratic and imperial ideals are central to American political history. Yet, the role of political parties, the organs of democratic politics, in the expansion and institutionalization of American empire since 1945 is not well understood. In order to better understand the extent to which territorial issues map onto partisan disagreement, we collect and analyze data from party platforms and congressional roll call votes ranging from 1945-2020. From the expansion of the Office of Insular Affairs to the addition of new non-voting Congressional delegates, we argue that parties have institutionalized empire to serve their own, partisan purposes. In the vein of work on the endogenous development of party ideologies, our analyses examine the influence that party control of legislative and government institutions has on the formation, articulation, and implementation of party positions on the territories. Our paper adds to understanding of the place of parties, the means by which democracy is actualized, in the development of American empire since 1945.

Authors

• Austin Bussing, Sam Houston State University

• Elliot Mamet, Duke University