Introduction
The "irrational" North-South coalition after the Civil War
The ethnic and religious character of parties in the North
The making of "the whites" and party change : changing ideas of race
The making of "the whites" and party change : the transformation of race
The institutional base for realignment
The origins of the Republican red-state strategy
The origins of the Democrats' blue-state strategy
The red state-blue state polarization and the issue of nationalism
Conclusion.