By the autumn of 1868 the Civil War had been over for some three and a half years, yet its effects remained quite real throughout the nation and were reflected in the presidential election that year. The early years following the war witnessed a struggle for control between President Andrew Johnson and Congress, each seeking to impose a particular version of the requirements for restoration of the former Confederate states. The impasse between the two was largely concluded when the Republicans who controlled Congress won an overwhelming victory at the polls in the fall of 1866, gaining a veto-proof majority of over two-thirds in both the Senate and House of Representatives. Still, Reconstruction continued to play a major role in national politics. It was kept alive by the ongoing occupation of portions of the South by the federal army, the continuing and frequently violent efforts to prevent enforcement of civil rights legislation in the South, and the historic national dialogue accompanying the impeachment trial of President Johnson.