TOD A. BAKER is Professor of Political Science at The Citadel.
CHARLES D. HADLEY is Professor of Political Science at The Citadel.
ROBERT P. STEED is Professor of Political Science at The Citadel.
LAURENCE W. MORELAND is is Professor Political Science at The Citadel.

Preface: The Comparative State Party Activist Survey
Introduction: The Study of Southern Party Elites
Party Reform and Party Systems
Party Reform, the Nationalization of American Politics, and Party Change in the South
Party Reform and Southern Convention Delegates
Blacks, the Biracial Coalition, and Political Change
Civil Rights Activists: Contributions to Party Transformation
The Changing Roles of Women in Southern State Party Politics
Southern State Party Convention Delegates: The Role of Age
Cultural Changes in Southern Party Coalitions
The Ideological and Issue Bases of Southern Parties
The Emergence of the Religious Right and the Development of the Two-Party System in the South
The Impact of Urbanization on Party Coalitions
The Impact of Immigration on the Composition of Party Coalitions
Party Systems in Transition
Realignment among Southern Poliotical Party Activists
A 1988 Postscript: Continuing Coalitional Diversity
Conclusion: Southern Party Coalitions
Appendix
uelected Bibliography
Index

Political Parties in the Southern States traces the changes presently taking place in the South and identifies their broader consequences. The South is undergoing a political revolution--from issueless politics to one of the most issue-oriented sets of party coalitions and policy alternatives in the nation. These studies, based on a 1984 survey of state convention delegates, explores fundamental aspects of the changing system. Concerns include the role of elite studies in interpreting trends in mass politics; the increasing institutionalization of American politics, particularly as effected by 1970 nominating reforms; and the realignment of southern politics, its present condition, and the continuing consequences for political positions, concerns, and clientele group support. Editors conclude their volume with projections of future consequences for southern and national politics.
Researching political views and personal attributes of delegates to the 1984 national nominating convention, these editors choose six states as representative of the South. They then analyze characteristics that represent the standard subgroups of national interest. Emerging studies are organized under the following three sections: Party Reform and Party Systems introduces party reform, nationalization of American politics, and party change in the South. Party Reform and Southern Convention Delegates places emphasis on the roles of blacks, civil rights activists, women, and various age groups. Cultural Changes in Southern Party Coalitions covers topics such as the development of the two-party system, the impact of urbanization, and immigration. The volume concludes with a discussion of southern party coalitions.