Chapter 5
Political Parties
Section 1
Parties and what they
do
A political party is a
group of persons who
seek to control
government by winning
elections and holding
office.
The two major parties in USA
politics are the Republican
Party…
and Democratic party.
Parties can be principleoriented, issue-oriented,
or election-oriented.
The American parties
are election-oriented.
In the US, the Parties
are not made up of
people who agree on
every issue…each
party is a broadly
based coalition.
A Coalition is a union of
many person of diverse
interests
Our parties tend to
reduce and moderate
political conflict by
forcing groups to agree
to compromise solutions
What Do Parties Do?
Parties perform 5 major
functions:
1.Nominate:name candidates
for office.
2.Watchdog: party out of
power polices party
in office.
2. Informer-Stimulator:
get the public involved
3. “Seal of Approval”:
backs candidates
4. Governmental: operate
on a partisan basis
Partisan basis:Devoted
to or biased in support
of a party, group, or
cause
Bi-Partisan basis:
support both parties.