ABSTRACT
The mid-1960s marked a major transition point in American politics. Prior to this period, American politics had been dominated by a relative handful of political organizations. Political parties still retained the vitality of their earlier history, and the traditional powerful lobbies--business, labor, agriculture, and the profession~perated relatively unchallenged within the corridors of government. Responding to the problems of the 1960s, a great proliferation of political groups occurred that has continued unabated into the 1990s. Citizens met and organized in response to urban, racial, environmental, and foreign problems; these groups were joined by newly organized groups representing sectors of the population previously unmobilized. Women, minorities, and a wide range of social and moral issue activists became politically vocal. This proliferation was facilitated by the restructuring of our political institutions during the reform movements of the 1970s. Federal programs encouraged many previously unorganized groups to organize for political participation. New groups were encouraged to become involved in the drafting or implementation of new legislation. Internal congressional reforms resulted in a multiplicity of new access points, further encouraging groups to organize to influence Congress. Changes in federal campaign finance laws resulted in the establishment of thousands of political action committees that act as the financial muscle of special interests in election campaigns. Finally, the vacuum left with the termination of the Vietnam War and the civil rights movement has been filled largely by a strong commitment to a new range of environmental and social issues.
