1. OBJECTIVES:
1.DEFINE A POLITICAL PARTY
2.DESCRIBE THE FUNCTIONS OF A PARTY
3.IDENTIFY THE REASONS WHY THE U.S. HAS A TWO-PARTY SYSTEM
4.UNDERSTAND MULTIPARTY SYSTEMS AND HOW THEY AFFECT THE
FUNCTIONING OF A POLITICAL SYSTEM
Political Parties & What They
Do
2. What is a party?
Political Party=Group of persons who seek to control
government through winning elections & holding
public office
Some political parties are centered on principles, others on
elections
U.S. parties are election-oriented
3. Elements that make up a party:
1. The Party Organization
People who give time, money, effort to party
Leaders, organizers, activists
2. The Party in Government
Candidates & officeholders
3. The Party in the Electorate
The voters
4. What parties do:
Link between government & the people
Best way for the “will of the people” to be known
Power brokers, compromisers, limit impact of
extremists at both ends of political spectrum
5. What parties do:
Nominating Candidates—Select candidates &
present them to voters
Informing & Activating Supporters—Campaigning
for candidates, taking stands on current issues, &
criticizing opponents
Attempt to form positions that will win the most
voters, but also offend as few as possible
The Bonding Agent Function—Act as “bonding
agent” to ensure candidates are qualified and of good
character; prompts officeholders to perform well
6. What parties do:
Governing—Many ways government by party
Officeholders often chosen on basis of party
Congress & state legislatures organized along party lines
Positions associated with party==Speaker of the House,
Majority Leader, Minority Leaders, Whips
Most appointments to executive office are based on party
7. What parties do:
Watchdog Function—Watch over the conduct of the
public’s business
Especially true of party out of power
Loyal opposition
Work to regain positions
Work to make party in power look bad
8. The two-party system:
Democrats & Republicans
Typically only these two parties have a reasonable
chance of winning public office
9. Why does the U.S. a two-party system?
Historical basis—started with Federalists & Anti-
Federalists
Many Founders opposed “factions” or parties; main reason
parties are not mentioned in Constitution
10. Why does the U.S. a two-party system?
The Force of Tradition—Most people accept the two-
party system b/c there has always been one
3rd
party challengers have made little headway
The Electoral System—Shape & details of election
process work against minor parties
Winner-take-all elections, winner receives a plurality (largest
number of votes)
Many look at vote for minor party candidate as “wasted vote”
Often times minor party candidates struggle to get name on
ballots
11. Why does the U.S. a two-party system?
The American Ideological Consensus—Most
Americans have a general agreement on
fundamental matters. Conditions that would spark
several strong rival parties do not exist in the
United States.
Free of long-standing, bitter disputes; both parties tend to be
moderate
12. Multi-party systems
Feature of most European democracies and now
many other democracies around the world, including
Canada (see pie chart on p. 128)
Parties are often based on a particular interest, like
economic class or religious belief
This system tends to produce a broader, more
diverse representation of the electorate
Leads to coalitions, a temporary alliance of several
groups
14. Types of one-party systems
One Party
Systems where
only one party is
allowed.
Example:
Dictatorships such as
Stalinist Russia
Example:
Republican North and
Democratic South until the
1950s.
Modified One-Party
Systems where one
party regularly wins
most elections
16. Critical thinking
Do you think political parties are a valid source of
information about candidates and their views? Why
or why not?
Explain why a person might consider a vote for a
minor-party candidate even knowing that the
candidate is not likely to win?
