Chapter Objectives

Evaluate how political parties both contribute to and detract from democratic politics

Trace the history of political parties in the U.S. and assess the contemporary system

Compare and contrast the American Two-party system with the more prevalent multiparty system

Evaluate the relationship between political parties and interest groups

Assess whether political parties are experiencing a decline or revival

How do parties contribute to democratic politics?

Parties are a way for different levels of government (national, state, and local) and the different branches of government (legislative, executive, and judicial) to coordinate their efforts

Parties are a way of holding politicians accountable collectively for government policies

Parties identify problems, publicize them, and identify possible solutions

Parties educate voters

Parties Contribute (Continued)

Parties are always on the lookout for promising candidates

Parties maintain quality by weeding out the weak

Parties narrow down the candidates for elections, simplifying the choices for the voters

How parties detract from democratic politics

Capturing governments and dictating what they do

Confusing responsibility – taking credit for things they weren't responsible for, or blaming opponents for things their opponents are not responsible for

Suppression of the issues (for example, Republicans avoiding immigration reform, or democrats avoiding social security reform)

Dividing Society

Parties Detract (Continued)

Recruiting candidates for the wrong reasons (celebrities, for instance, who may or may not be qualified)

Oversimplifying the electoral system

First Party System - Jeffersonian

Between the Federalists and Democrat-Republicans and Democrat-Republicans

Federalists (located mostly in New England) supported commercial interests and favored an expansive national government

Democrat-Republicans (mostly located in the South and West) supported agricultural interests

Second Party System – Jacksonian Democracy

Andrew Jackson, elected in 1828, may have been the first 'people's president'

Voter participation saw a tremendous increase in 1828

Jackson supporters were called Democrats

Dominant issues were economical and territorial (national bank, tariffs, slavery, and expansion of the union

By the early 1850's sectionalism and slavery resulted in the rise of a new party, Republican

Third Party System – Civil War and Reconstruction

The most competitive electoral era in American history

Democrats were strong in the House, Republicans controlled the Senate

Party organization reached its highest point, often called machines

Populist party fused with Democrats in this period in a farmer-worker alliance, Republicans aligned with modern industrialists

Fourth Party System – Industrial Republicanism (1896-1932)

The 1896 presidential election introduced a period of Republican dominance

Only one democrat was elected president during this era

This era is noted for its political reforms (advanced primarily by progressives), including the direct primary, secret ballot, civil service, and recall elections

Fifth Party System – The New Deal

The critical elections of 1932 and 1936 established the fifth party system

Class-based party alignment with Democrats becoming the party of the common people (farmers, blue-collar workers, housewives and minorities) while Republicans became the party of business and the affluent

Democrats dominated this era, with only Eisenhower winning the presidency during this period (major issues included the Great Depression, World War II, and the Cold War

The Contemporary Party System

What characterizes this system is the amount of ticket-splitting, with voters supporting presidential and congressional candidates from different parties in the same election

Beginning in 1964, Republicans made deep inroads in the Democrats' southern base

The racial issue resulted in many blue-collar and urban whites abandoning the Democratic party

Vietnam and social issues also divided Democrats

Most agree that the new deal era is over, but there is little agreement on what has replaced it

Multi-party Systems

• Many countries use proportional representation in their electoral systems

• Proportional representation gives rise to multi-party systems

• Party majorities are often not present, therefore governments often rule by coalition

• Example: if Democrats receive 30% of the vote, Republicans receive 33%, the Green Party receives 21% and the Tea party received 16%, Dems would get 30% of the seats in Congress, Tea Party 16% etc – a coalition government would involve one of the top two joining up with one or more of the bottom two in order to gain a majority

Two-party system

• A two-party system is also determined by electoral rules

• Our electoral system takes place in districts rather than nationally, it is a winner-take-all where only a plurality of votes is needed to win a seat in government

• This ‘first-past-the-post’ (FPTP) system discourages the development of third parties

Pros and cons of the Two-Party system

Pros:

• Two-party system promotes centrism

• Encourages parties to find common positions that appeal to large chunks of the electorate

• Appealing to the middle promotes stability and, as a result, economic growth

• Since it discourages radical parties, politics are more harmonious, simpler to govern

Pros and cons continued

Cons:

• Alternative views are downplayed

• Elections are less competitive

• Voter apathy is encouraged

• Debate is dampened

• There is more pressure to control government rather than compromise and make deals

• NOTE: Most democracies, particularly newly formed democracies, have adopted proportional representation rather than the American system