The more conservative of the two major political parties, the Republican Party is generally identi fied with small government and laissez-faire economics. Republicans usually support tax cuts, reduction or elimination of welfare for the poor and privatization of many government programs, such as Social Security. They also take positions on a variety of social, as well as fiscal, issues, usually opposing abortion, gun control, and extending to protection against prejudice for gays and lesbians and advocating the adoption of prayer in public schools.

The Republican Party has not always been considered the more conservative of the two parties. Formed in 1854 around a diverse group of opponents of slavery it elected Abraham Lincoln to the presidency in 1860. Its reputation as the more conservative party in America was cemented during the 1930s, when the party’s failure to deal with the severe economic depression led to the election of Franklin D. Roosevelt, a Democrat, and consequently to the creation of the American welfare state.

Lincoln’s opposition to slavery and his actions to keep the South from seceding from the nation have meant that until recently Republicans have not enjoyed much support in this region of the country, even though Southern voters are considered rather conservative. This has changed in the aftermath of the Civil Rights movement, with which the Democratic Party was identified. In addition, the emergence since the late 1980s of the Christian Right and the Christian Coalition as serious political forces has been a major factor in the party’s ability to attract Southern voters; the involvement of these groups has also moved the Republican Party to a more conservative position ideologically. The Christian Right has focused its energy on supporting socially conservative causes, such as opposition to abortion and support for school prayer.

The involvement of these new organizations and the party’s new attractiveness to Southern voters helped the Republicans gain control of the House and Senate in 1994, the first time in forty years they had controlled both branches of Congress. This election brought a number of new, more conservative Republicans to the House. The House Freshman of 1994 were known for their energy, inexperience and their strong attachment to Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, whom they felt was responsible for their collective victory This has created some tension within the party as older, less socially conservative Republicans have responded to the influx of new blood.

There has been a considerable debate about the Republicans’ ability to retain their newfound dominance. The Republicans’ new source of strength in the South looks as though it may endure, but outside this region and in presidential races the party has faced difficulties attracting less socially conservative voters.