PARTY SYSTEMSRyan D. Williamson

31 March 2015

Agenda

• Attendance• Return Exams • Lecture on parties• Reading for Thursday

Questions?

Objective

• Describe the structure and function of political parties.

• Describe how historical events shaped party institutions.

What are Parties?

• Parties are groups who organize to win offices.• Parties are ubiquitous in democracies with strong legislatures.

• Parties organize political conflict.• Parties are complex political organizations.

Party in Government

• In most democracies, parties run the national government

• Legislation coalition are often not stable in the absence of parties• Policy cycles without parties

• Parties prevent cycling by agreeing to work together on legislation

Party as Organizations

• Parties as organizations work to elect candidates• Candidate selection through primaries• Fundraising• Mobilization of voters

Party Organization

• Democrats and Republicans have similar organizational structure• National committees• House and Senate committees• State, county, and city party organizations

• All have different roles, but same goal: electing party candidates

Party in the Electorate

• Both Democrats and Republicans have millions of followers who claim to be party members• Stable, psychological attachment to a party• Information shortcut for voters• “Running tally” of party leader performance

• Party is a powerful voting cue: especially straight ticket voting

First Party System: 1796-1824

• Federalists (strong national government, Britain) vs. Democratic-Republicans (states’ rights, France)

• Federalists fall away due to lack of voter mobilization as population increased

Second Party System: 1832-1860

• Whigs emerge in 1830s to compete with Democratic-Republicans

• Split in Democratic-Republican party• Nationwide mobilization developed by Democratic-Republicans

• Ends in 1860, Whigs collapse due to division over slavery

Third Party System: 1860-1896

• Republicans emerge under Abraham Lincoln• Democrats survive Civil War and emerge with strong Southern base

• Republicans control Northeast and Midwest• Machine politics develops

Fourth Party System: 1896-1932

• 1896 election decisive victory for McKinley and Republicans

• Republicans dominate national politics in decades following 1896

• Progressive party emerges as the strongest “minor” party in history

Fifth Party System: 1932-1980

• New Deal party system emerges with Democrats and Franklin Roosevelt

• United large, disparate groups of voters under the Democratic label

• Dominate for many decades, frays as Southern whites move to Republican party

Sixth Party System: 1980-present

• South has switched to Republican• Urban areas and coasts Democratic• Strengthening of national parties• Parties have increasing polarization on major issues of the day

Questions?

For next time…

• Read chapter 11 of Bullock and Gaddie