Political Parties
Study Guide
Terms to know:
Party competition
Political party
Linkage institution
Party image
Party identification
Ticket-splitting
Party machines
Patronage
Closed primaries
Other Terms:
Divided Government
Name: ______________________
Open primaries
Blanket primaries
National convention
National committee
National chairperson
Coalition
Party eras
Critical election (Realigning)
Party realignment
Madison’s Factions
Know the difference between:
Political party and linkage institution
Party identification and ticket-splitting
Party machines and patronage
Closed primaries, open primaries, and blanket
primaries
Ntnl convention, ntnl committee, ntnl chairperson
Per ____
New Deal Coalition
Party dealignment
Party neutrality
Third parties
Proportional representation
Coalition government
Rational-choice theory
Winner-take-all system
Responsible party model
Bipartisanship
Party eras and critical election
Party realignment and party dealignment
Party realignment and New Deal Coalition
Party dealignment and party neutrality
Winter-take-all and proportional representation
STUDENTS! To be of greatest benefit, use the questions to record both specific concrete details and general
summarizations of the material! Describe and Explain require more than listing!
IN THIS CHAPTER YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO:
Objective 1. Identify the functions that political parties perform in American democracy.
A. What exactly is a “political party?” Then, explain how a party can be seen as a “three-headed political giant,”
by giving an example for each of the three heads.
B. Edwards, Lineberry and Wattenberg (the authors) list tasks parties should perform to be an effective linkage
institution. Rank the tasks in order of importance. Explain your ranking. Which seem to be most significant
tasks for the party to carry out in their role as linkage institution?
C. Describe Down’s Rational-Choice Theory and what that means for our political parties.
Objective 2. Determine the significance of party identification in America today.
A. What has been the most prominent trend in party identification in recent years?
B. What is meant by “ticket-splitting”? Why would it make sense to see an increase in ticket-splitting in recent
years?
Objective 3. Describe how political parties are organized in the United States.
A. Describe the organization of American political parties. How do party politics at the local, state, and national
level differ?
B. Compare the advantages/disadvantages of a closed primary vs an open primary for a political party.
C. What is the function of each of the following national party organizations? (National convention; National
Committee; National Chairperson)
Objective 4. Evaluate how well parties generally do in carrying out their promises.
Objective 5. Differentiate the various party eras in American history.
A. How are critical elections related to coalitions and party realignment?
B. Complete the following table on party eras.
Party Era
Major Party
Major Party
Important
Issues/Coalition
partners
1796-1824
1828-1856
1860-1896
1896-1928
1932-1964
Minor Party
Minor Party
Important
Issues/Coalition
partners
Reason for
realignment?
C. What about Nixon’s election changed the political landscape leading all the way up to the present?
D. Describe the challenges each of the following had with divided government:
Richard Nixon, Reagan, Bush –
Bill Clinton –
George W. Bush –
E. Write your own definition for “divided government.” Then, how does divided government relate to “party
dealignment”?
Objective 6. Assess both the impact of third parties on American politics and their limitations.
A. What are the three basic varieties of third parties?
B. Describe two ways in which third parties can have an impact on American politics.
C. What is the most important consequence of two-party governance in the United States?
D. After reading “America in Perspective,” do you think your political views would end up being better
represented if we had proportional representation and there were more viable parties to choose from on Election
day? If so, how?
Objective 7. Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of responsible party government.
A. Why doesn’t the responsible party model work in our democracy? What factors detract from the responsible
party model?
B. Do you think a stronger party system would remedy the individualism dominant in our democratic system?
C. How does the American party system affect the scope of government (ie: how much government can do/have
control over)?