Instructions: At the time of the exam on March 17th, you will be given two questions randomly selected from the following list. You will then answer one of these two. Please remember that your essay will be graded for organization, content, and clarity (see rubric). You may not use any notes or books when writing the essay in class.
 

1. The Formation of Partisan Regimes. Explain the theory of partisan regime formation and examine whether the theory adequately accounts for the emergence of any two of the following regimes: the Federalists, the Jeffersonian Democrats, the Jacksonian Democrats, the Civil War Republicans, and the post-1896 Republicans.
 

2. The Democratic Party in the Mass Party Era. Explain the emergence of the Democratic party in the late 1820s and early 1830s (with special attention to the role played by Martin van Buren), discuss how the party sustained itself as an organization over succeeding decades, and identify its core ideological commitments from its early days until the late 19th century.
 

3. The Republican Party and the Civil War. Explain the rise of the Republican party and the role it played during the Civil War.
 

4. Preserving Regime Power. After 1874, the Republican party no longer exercised complete control over the policy-making branches of the national government. Discuss carefully the principal policy goals of the Republicans after Reconstruction and explain the steps they took to preserve and extend their policy accomplishments in the face of strong Democratic counterattacks.