When did the conservative realignment begin?

[Scam of God]

I incline to suggest that 1968 represented the final squeeze that totally ruptured the New Deal coalition, and 1972 cemented the political order that catapulted Reagan to power in the 80s.

[dead0man]

When the Dems realized they weren't the party of racists anymore.  Still lots of racists out there wanted to vote and many of them didn't have the balls to vote for Wallace (and many of them did vote for Wallace), Nixon let them in.  Reagan told them they weren't racists, they were CHRISTIANS!  W took that ball and ran with it.  He ran the party into a freshly dug grave.

So my answer is between '68 and '72.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

When the hard right actually found a reliable close to home demon in the late 60s as well as discovering the way one can be racist without saying it out loud. Before civil rights and student protests what did the hard right have other than OMG TEH KOMUNISTS!!!!!!111?

[paul718]

When the hard right actually found a reliable close to home demon in the late 60s as well as discovering the way one can be racist without saying it out loud. Before civil rights and student protests what did the hard right have other than OMG TEH KOMUNISTS!!!!!!111?

But what about the fiscals? 

I'd say that fiscals, socials, and war-hawks came together under the GOP around 1980.

[YRABNNRM]

I'd say that fiscals, socials, and war-hawks came together under the GOP around 1980.

That is a very accurate statement.

Nixon put the strategy in place in '68 and '72 but it wasn't until 1980 that it was used to the full affect and the grand coalition of big business and Christian conservatives was created.

[Magic 8-Ball]

So my answer is between '68 and '72.

That's my answer, too. 

I am somewhat perplexed, though, as to why 1964 was left out.  While Goldwater didn't have a "Southern Strategy" per se, his campaign did prove that the South was winnable for Republicans and still influences the party.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

When the hard right actually found a reliable close to home demon in the late 60s as well as discovering the way one can be racist without saying it out loud. Before civil rights and student protests what did the hard right have other than OMG TEH KOMUNISTS!!!!!!111?

But what about the fiscals? 

I'd say that fiscals, socials, and war-hawks came together under the GOP around 1980.

I don't think that is precisely what Einzige was referring to. Plus the Goldwater campaign seems to strongly suggest that anti-statism and nationalistic-conservatism were strongly linked, this probably goes back to FDR (at least).

[Antonio the Sixth]

1968 was the beginning of the implosion of democratic coalition. The realignment was completed in 1980 with Reagan.

[Rob]

While Goldwater didn't have a "Southern Strategy" per se, his campaign did prove that the South was winnable for Republicans

So did Warren G. Harding. And Herbert Hoover, and Dwight Eisenhower, and Nixon in 1960...

[Mint]

Other: 1964. It mobilized conservatives and marked a real departure from the more moderate (even liberal) approach taken by people like Dewey, Eisenhower and Nixon. And of course if it wasn't for the disaster that was the Great Society and our involvement under Vietnam liberalism would never have seen the steep declines it did. If Johnson's opposition was stronger then there's a decent chance a lot of that would not have happened and Liberalism would have at least limped on longer.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Other: 1964. It mobilized conservatives and marked a real departure from the more moderate (even liberal) approach taken by people like Dewey, Eisenhower and Nixon. And of course if it wasn't for the disaster that was the Great Society and our involvement under Vietnam liberalism would never have seen the steep declines it did. If Johnson's opposition was stronger then there's a decent chance a lot of that would not have happened and Liberalism would have at least limped on longer.

Vietnam was a terrible error, but not only Johnson commmitted it. I think it's unfair to give Johnson the entire responsibility of what happened. Johnson was a great president, he definitely ended segregation and the Great Society was a formidable program.

[Lief 🗽]

1968 was the beginning of the implosion of democratic coalition. The realignment was completed in 1980 with Reagan.

I would agree with that. 1968 broke the dominant Democratic coalition and in 1980 Bonzo picked up the pieces and built a new one.

[dead0man]

Vietnam was a terrible error, but not only Johnson commmitted it. I think it's unfair to give Johnson the entire responsibility of what happened. Johnson was a great president, he definitely ended segregation and the Great Society was a formidable program.

You are correct.  JFK and the French deserve quite a bit of blame for that mess too.

[Ban my account ffs!]

I believe it began in 1948 with Hubert Humphrey's call to make civil rights for blacks a key plank of the Democratic party platform.

There was a period after of normalcy during the 1950s where things reverted back to their pre-depression norms, at least on the presidential level... but then it really began in 1960, festered through the early 60s, really jumped in 1964 and culminated in the complete rejection by southern racists of the Democratic party in 1968 and 1972.  1976 was a fluke only because Carter was an evangelical christian from Georgia.

[Magic 8-Ball]

While Goldwater didn't have a "Southern Strategy" per se, his campaign did prove that the South was winnable for Republicans

So did Warren G. Harding. And Herbert Hoover, and Dwight Eisenhower, and Nixon in 1960...

They won Georgia and Mississippi?

[Scam of God]

I think people give Reagan far too much credit. I doubt he could have won in 1980 if the President between 1968-1973 had been Hubert Humphrey. Reagan needed Nixon to implement the white populist backlash that masquerades as conservatism today.

[Antonio the Sixth]

I think people give Reagan far too much credit. I doubt he could have won in 1980 if the President between 1968-1973 had been Hubert Humphrey. Reagan needed Nixon to implement the white populist backlash that masquerades as conservatism today.

Yes, but Reagan ended what Nixon began.