8-
9:                The Generational Rhythm of American Politics
10-
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126-     All these studies have provided basic data for the development of a
127:     comprehensive theory of the generational rhythm of politics. Most of
128-     their authors have not attempted to formulate such a theory and
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296-     mid-1960s? The answer to these questions lie in a proper
297:     understanding of the temporal rhythm of political life in the United
298:     States. (Rhythm in the sense used here refers to the structured flow
299-     of time and events.)
300-
301:     The American political system, like all others, has a rhythm of its
302:     own, which, in turn, is linked with the overall rhythm of human
303-     time. By tracing those links, we can begin to lay out a discernible
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306-     happen) when they do.^25 The historical pattern of political events
307:     in the United States follows a generational rhythm which flows in
308-     cycles ranging from 25 to 40 years each, approximately the
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310-     life. The sequence and impact of discrete political events is
311:     substantially shaped by the rhythm of the generations, even though
312-     the events themselves may seem random. Thomas Jefferson noted this
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379-     appear to move in sufficiently precise generational units to account
380:     for the rhythm of social and political action. If we look closely
381-     and carefully, we can map the internal structure of each generation
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983-     history, the crucial points of demarcation are very much in tune
984:     with the generational rhythm of events. They are of two kinds;
985-     first, the critical elections that determine who shall govern in a
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1253-
1254:     To suggest that a generational rhythm is clearly apparent in
1255-     American politics is not to suggest that events move in any
1256:     lock-step, that the rhythm of every generation is exactly the same
1257-     as that of every other, or that there are no exceptions to the
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1264-
1265:     Chapter 2 has focused in detail on the generational rhythm of
1266-     American politics. Ultimately derived from the biblical
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1272-     theory. A more systematic biostatistical basis for the generation
1273:     rhythm was provided by Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson points the way to
1274:     understanding that the rhythm of generations is based upon human
1275-     social rhythms generally.
1276-
1277:     Political events follow the rhythm of the generations, both in their
1278:     internal rhythm and on an intergenerational basis. Centuries
1279-     represent three generations and also have a certain pattern to them.
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1398-     25. The discussion to be advanced in the following pages was first
1399:     presented in Daniel J. Elazar, "Generational Rhythm of American
1400-     Politics," American Political Quarterly (January 1978) vol. 6, no.