1. CHAPTER 5 QUESTIONS

2. Question #1 What is a political party? A group of persons who seek to control government through the winning of elections and the holding of public

3. Question #2 Political parties are coalitions, what does this mean? A temporary alliance of several groups who come together to form a working majority and so to control a government.

4. Question #3 Political parties have five functions, list and describe each function. 1. Nominate candidates: the parties select candidates to serve in particular offices, present them to the people, and then campaign for their success in elections. 2. Informing and activating supporters: parties inform the people and inspire and activate their interesting public affairs. They inspire voters by campaigning for a candidate, taking stands on issues, and criticizing the candidates and positions of their opponents. 3. Bonding agent: they ensure the good performance of their candidates by choosing qualified candidates of good character. 4. Governing: Public officeholders are regularly chosen on the basis of party 5. Act as watchdog: watches and criticizes the policies and actions of the party in power

5. Question #4 There are several reasons for our two party systems, explain why in terms of: Historical Basis The two party system was around over the very establishment of the Constitution (Federalists and Anti-Federalists) Tradition Human institutions are self-perpetuating (most Americans accept the two-party system on the basis that there has always been one) Electoral System The prevalence of single-member districts (winner-take-all elections) and the need for only a plurality to win causes a two- party system (Duverger’s Law) Ideological Consensus A general agreement among various groups on fundamental matters. Americans are more alike than they are different on most matters.

6. Question # 5 What is a multiparty system? A system in which several major and many lesser parties exist, seriously compete for, and actually win public office.

7. Question #6 Describe a One-Party system. In almost all dictatorships today (Cuba, North Korea, Syria) The party of the ruling clique is all that is allowed. Communist Party in the Soviet Union Ba’ath Party in Iraq under Saddam Hussein and in Syria under Bashar Assad) Nazi Party in Germany under Hitler. Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) in Zimbabwe under Robert Mugabe

8. Question #7 Look at the chart on page 124. Which of the minor parties shown in the table has the most specific platform? Prohibition National Committee (advocates a nationwide prohibition of the manufacture, distribution, and sale of alcoholic beverages)

9. Question #8 Describe why the first political parties were created in the U.S. The battle over the ratification of the Constitution (national power vs. states’ rights). Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists

10. Question #9 What is meant by divided government? The Congress (legislature) is controlled by one party and the Presidency (Executive) is controlled by another (this is the case today at the national level)

11. Question #10 There are four distinct types of minor parties. List and describe each type. Ideological parties: based on a particular set of beliefs—a comprehensive view of social, economic, and political matters. Single-issue parties: concentrate on only one public policy matter (their names usually bear their concern (Free Soil, American Party or “Know Nothings,” Right to Life, Prohibition National Committee) Economic protest parties: rooted in periods of economic discontent (Greenback Party in 1870s and Populist Party in 1890s) Splinter parties: a party that has split from one of the major parties (Bull Moose split from Republicans in 1912 and the Dixiecrats split from the Democrats in 1948).

12. Question #11 What key role do minor parties play in our political system? Unlike the major parties, the minor parties are ready, willing, and able to take quite clear-cut stands on controversial issues.

13. Question #12 Political parties are decentralized in our country, explain why? They are highly decentralized, fragmented, disjointed, and often beset by factions and internal squabbling. This is reflective of our federalist system and the varying interests of different regions and different local electorates. Any organizations that big can only exist if they allow the flexibility enabled by a federalist-like system.