POLITICAL PARTIES
LEARNING OBJECTIVE
• I can define a political party and describe their
major functions
POLITICAL PARTY
• Definition
• Group of persons who seek to control government through the
winning of elections and the holding of public office
• 2 Major Parties
• Republican
• Democrat
• 3 separate but related elements
• Party Organization
• Leaders, activists
• People who give time, money and skill to party
• Party in Government
• Party’s elected or appointed officials in executive, legislative or judicial at
federal, state, or local level
• Party in the Electorate
• Millions of people who identify with Republican or Democrats and vote in
elections for candidates
WHAT PARTIES DO
• Nominate Candidates
• Choose candidates then present to voters
• Party then tries to help win election
• Inform and Activate Supporters
• Campaign for their candidates
• Criticize opponents
• Take stands on critical issues
• Chooses side many will support and few will detract
• Uses many mediums to distribute info to electorate
• Create Cohesiveness
• Chooses candidates of good character and qualified
• Tries to get candidates to do good while in office
• Failure will hurt candidate and party in the future
WHAT PARTIES DO (CONT.)
• Govern
• Party runs government
• Candidates decide, vote and appoint based on party
• Partisan politics
• Government based on party ideas and principles
• Watchdog
• Particularly party OUT OF POWER
• Keeps close watch over what government is doing
• Used to help win voters in next election
LEARNING OBJECTIVE
• I can identify why the United States has a 2 party
system
REASONS THE U.S. IS A TWO-PARTY
SYSTEM
• Historical reason
• Framers hoped to create system in which politics does not play
a role
• No mention of political parties in Constitution
• Failed – Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists
• Traditional reason
• America has been two-party from its beginnings
• Minor parties have little chance at success
REASONS (CONT)
• Electoral System encourages 2 parties
• Single member districts
• Usually only 2 candidates emerge because only 1 can win
• Discourages minor parties from running candidates
• Once in office GOP and Dems do not change what got
them there
• American Ideological Consensus
• Ideological – relating to or concerned with ideas
• American public is relatively homogeneous
• Share many of same ideas and principles
• Does not mean we are the SAME on ALL issues
• Republican and Democrats
• But most are moderate, middle of the road
LEARNING OBJECTIVE
• I understand how a multiparty and one-party
system is different and how those differences
affects the way in which the State functions
MULTIPARTY SYSTEM
• Parties based on a particular interest
• Economic class, religious belief, political ideology, etc.
• Supporters Claim
• Better represents people
• Gives better choices on importance
• Critics
• Cannot get a majority to govern
• Forced to form coalition
• Temporary alliance of several groups
• Dissolve quickly and drastic change occurs
• Found???
• Canada, Western Europe
ONE-PARTY SYSTEM
• State that only one party is permitted to exist
• Party makes all political decision
• MOST OFTEN FOUND IN DICTATORSHIPS!!!
• North Korea, Cuba, Former Soviet Union
• Modified one party system
• Created when one party dominates election for long
period of time
• Southern States from 1870s until 1960s
• Texas Today