Uniting Around a Common Enemy

In the 1950’s, one of the greatest concerns of American political scientists was that the two major political parties were too similar. They worried that because there was so little ideological distinction between Democrats and Republicans, the country’s voters were being deprived of real options when selecting candidates.

That was obviously a much different time, and in today’s hyper-partisan and intensely polarized political environment, such fears sound almost ludicrous. But the middle of the 20th century represented a unique time in our nation’s history, and so recognizing the unusual circumstances that created such a nonpartisan atmosphere might provide us with some useful clues as to how we can bring the U.S. back from the balkanized, angry and deeply divided condition in which we now find ourselves. 

The most effective way of unifying a group of people with a disparate set of goals is to identify a common enemy, which is a truism not just of politics but of human nature. Think of science fiction movies where the nations of the world put aside their differences in order to defend the earth against alien invaders, or when residents of a particular locality decide to overlook their disagreements to start a neighborhood watch or community cleanup program. 

The same dynamic exists in national politics, where foreign aggression can bring us together to protect ourselves against that threat. We are currently witnessing that exact situation in Ukraine, where that country’s people have rallied behind the leadership of a former television comedian. And the most relevant example in modern American history would certainly be the post-World War II era, when the shared sacrifices of the Great Depression, the coordinated effort required to defeat the Axis powers, and early Cold War tensions with the Soviet Union produced a political realignment in which common goals at least temporarily outweighed differences. 

That’s not to suggest that the 1950’s were a perfectly idyllic time in this country. Women, minorities, and other underrepresented communities suffered from great amounts of discrimination, and the fight to overcome those inequities ultimately shattered the national comity and led to the factitiousness that characterized the subsequent decades. While the United States has certainly faced no shortage of adversity over the last half century, with the possible — and fleeting — exception of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, none of these challenges rose to a level that unified the country to the degree that the Depression, WWII or the Cold War had accomplished. 

No one would suggest that the devastation caused by an economic catastrophe or global military conflict would be worth creating a new era of partisan harmony. But we can ask ourselves if there is a potential danger looming on the world stage that could recreate such a unifying sentiment. It’s clear that the war in Ukraine is too much of an abstraction for most Americans to play that role. Also, Russia’s increasing failures in that conflict suggest that Vladimir Putin is unlikely to present that type of threat in the foreseeable future. And the tumultuous geopolitics of the Middle East have become such a partisan wedge issue in this country that the likelihood of that volatile region having much impact on our domestic politics is difficult to imagine.

That leaves China.

Public opinion polling shows that in recent years, Americans’ concern about potential Chinese aggression has risen dramatically, to the point where that country is now seen as the greatest potential international danger to us. Both of the last two presidents have become more confrontational rhetorically and substantively, and last weekend, President Biden committed to sending U.S. troops to Taiwan if China invaded. Bipartisan legislation strengthening the U.S.-Taiwan relationship passed Congress last week, and it appears that closer military, economic and diplomatic ties are now on the horizon.

Lessons from the last superpower standoff of this magnitude suggest that a byproduct of these brewing international hostilities with China could be the potential for renewed domestic unity.

It’s too early to tell whether the United States and China are heading toward another Cold War. But lessons from the last superpower standoff of this magnitude suggest that a byproduct of these brewing international hostilities with China could be the potential for renewed domestic unity.

Dan Schnur is a Professor at the University of California – Berkeley, USC and Pepperdine. Join Dan for his weekly webinar “Politics in the Time of Coronavirus” (www/lawac.org) on Tuesdays at 5 PM.