Name:
6.2 History and Formation of the Two Party System
Advantages, Disadvantages, and Alternatives to the Two Party System
Advantages of the Two Party System
What are the 2 main advantages of having two
main political parties in a country?
The main pro of a two party system is that neither side is
split up. When you have a set of parties representing either
the left side or the right side, it tends to split those sides up.
Meaning, there's going to be no unity and barely any
consolidation. In politics in general, you need
consolidation. Government politics and party politics are by
no means an exception to that fact. If the left or the right is
so split up, hardly anything on either sides will get
accomplished. Basically, the biggest pro of two partypolitics is that both parties are unified.
It's pretty much obvious what happens with just a one-party
system. One party system is automatic tyranny. We need
the other party keep keep the party that holds office in
check. The other pro of a two-party system is balance. It'll
act as an equalibrium of sorts. In politics, we need a
balance of sorts.
http://www.helium.com/items/339121-the-pros-and-consof-two-party-systems
Disadvantages of the Two Party System
But two-party systems aren't without its cons of course.
There really isn't much diversity because there are two
parties. You're either voting for one party or the other. So it
really doesn't give you much choice in the matter when
you're out at the polling areas casting your vote. Diversity
is lacking when there's just a two-party system though the
parties tend to "represent" all sorts of viewpoints, they tend
to go with the popular ones along party lines.
Depending on how the government is structured, there
could be a major con because both parties could go at it for
months refusing to work with each other. That's going to
waste so much time let alone not get anything
accomplished while it's in office.
http://www.helium.com/items/339121-the-pros-and-consof-two-party-systems
What are the 2 main disadvantages of having two
main political parties in a country?
One-party system: a one-party system cannot
produce a political system as we would identify it in
Britain. One party cannot produce any other system
other than autocratic/dictatorial power. A state where
one party rules would include the remaining
communist states of the world (Cuba, North Korea
and China), and Iraq (where the ruling party is the
Ba’ath Party). The old Soviet union was a one party
state. One of the more common features of a oneparty state is that the position of the ruling party is
guaranteed in a constitution and all forms of political
opposition are banned by law. The ruling party
controls all aspects of life within that state. The belief
that a ruling party is all important to a state came from
Lenin who believed that only one party - the
Communists - could take the workers to their ultimate
destiny and that the involvement of other parties
would hinder this progress.
What kinds of countries have a one party system?
Examples:
Think on your own…
Advantage-
Disadvantage-
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/party_systems.htm
Why a multi-party system is better
Restricting choice to two parties limits the number of ideas on
every issue and reduces each voter's choice. Each of the two
parties has fixed views on various topics. A voter who supports
the view of one party on a topic but supports the view of the
other party on another topic is forced to compromise one of his
views. A multi-party system, on the other hand, allows each
citizen to vote for the party that best fits their beliefs and
represents their ideology.
Explain 3 of the advantages listed.
1.
2.
Countries like the US and India are known for the diversity of
their population. Two parties are not enough to represent this
diversity.
A multi-party system is more responsive to a change or shift in
public opinion. Two-party systems are not as flexible because
they have a more or less rigid set of opinions on every issue.
To win an election, each party in a two-party system is forced to
moderate its views. Thus, each party represents the radically
moderate, and not the conservative and liberal wings. As is
evident in India, the multi-party system also caters to people with
extreme views.
Since the two parties have completely opposing views on
issues, they tend to reverse the policies of the previous
government when voted into power. This does not benefit the
state in the long run.
A multi-party system prevents the leadership of a single party
from setting policy without challenge.
http://testfunda.com/ExamPrep/CatCentre/Article/a-comparisonof-political-systems-multiparty-vstwoparty.htm?AssetID=1795070b-fc2b-4260-9fc7-bee9f05064ad
3.
Would you prefer a multi-party system in
America? Why or why not?