18524. THE REPUBLICAN PARTY AND RECONSTRUCTION. This paper argues that the Republican Party sought to create a permanent power base in the South during the post-Civil War period of Reconstruction. However, after 1868, this power declined in the face of Southern whites using violence and intimidation to prevent African Americans from exercising their rights. The failure of the Republican Party is regarded as a tragic shame, because it resulted in a setback for Southern blacks that persisted for nearly another century. KEYWORDS: history politics African Americans Reconstruction Republicans. APA Style. 6 pages, 13 footnotes, 5 bibliographic sources. 1,360 words.