| Whig Party | |
|---|---|
| Founder | Robert E. Lee |
| Founded | 1866 |
| Dissolved | 1936 |
| Ideology | Modernisation, Industrialization, Federalism |
| Political Position | Center to Center-Right |
| Official colours | Orange, Yellow |
The Whig Party was a Confederate Political Party that existed between 1866 and 1936. Considered on the left of the confederate political spectrum, its main power base was on the West Coast States, particularly in Virginia and Florida. It was eventually superceded by the Reform Party.
History[]
When the Confederacy was formed in 1861 its politics was dominated by former Democrats, it was only after the 1862 and 1864 midterm elections that non Democrats gained representation, although officially there was no party system. Under the Presidencies of Woodrow Wilson and William Gibbs McAdoo the party began to advocate progressive social reforms, and increased relations between organised labor and employers.
Many progressive social reforms were introduced during Woodrow Wilson's Presidency
During the 1920's the party went into decline, and in the 1933 Presidential Election placed a distand third. In 1936 the party finally disbanded, with the majority of former Whigs joining the Reform Party.
Policies[]
The essential founding principle of the party was the Industrialization of the confederate economy, as an incentive to end slavery through manumission. However the party faced limited success in this, due to the fact that the Whigs never controlled both houses of the confederate congress at the same time.
Another key principle was that of federalism as an essential way to unite the confederacy. This was bitterly opposed by the Dixiecrats, who saw states rights as a founding idea of the confederacy.
Although the Whig Party was never officially in favour of the abolishion of slavery, under Wilson and McAdoo the number of slaves held in the CSA decreased dramaitcally. Wilson himself was in favour of a system of segregation rather than abolishion. and began the process of ending slavery.