1. Political Parties Chapter 5
Its a party !!
Political Parties
Chapter 5

2. What do you know about political parties?
What are the two major political parties in the US?
What are political parties and what do they do?
Do other countries have political parties?

3. Political Party = a group of persons, usually joined by common principles who attempt to control or influence public policy by winning elections and holding public office

4. What do political parties do? What is their function?
Informing and Activating Voters
giving voters a coherent public expression on public policy issues.
generating a community of like-minded people from a diverse community.
defining the public issues, creating a “public agenda”
Providing candidates
recruiting people to run for office
formally nominating them to the ballot
conducting election campaigns
providing info to voters about candidates and policy

5. What do political parties do? What is their function?
Acting as a link between government and public.
Governing
provide a means of organizing government
formulate legislative programs
provide a system for legislators to advance their goals
provide members with “belonging & solidarity”
provide practical assistance to legislators
control the executive branch through the election of president and his appointment of staff
partisanship: strong support of party and its “platform” (stand on issues)

6. Types of Political Parties
“membership” parties
tightly organized
members may carry membership cards
ideological
possibly single-issue
may provide other social benefits
broad-based parties
loosely organized
representing basic political ideas to which highly diverse elements of society may be attracted
Communist
Party
Democratic and Republican Parties

7. Party Systems 1-Party Multi-party or Parliamentary
Communist Party
not a democratic system
Multi-party or Parliamentary
strongly ideological
party “discipline” necessary for governance
Usually proportional representation
2 –Party or “Shared Powers”
strong, broad-based but loosely organized
party “discipline” not needed for governance
Usually (in the US) single-member districts requiring a plurality of votes for election

8. Why do we have a 2 party system?
tradition Federalists vs. Anti-federalists
electoral system
ballot access restrictions
ideological consensus surrounding basic ideals of government
electoral system: single member districts, winner-take-all, bipartisan writing of election laws to hamstring minority parties

9. Minor Parties A variety through history ideological parties
Libertarian
Socialist/Communist
single-issue parties
Free Soil Party (anti-slavery) 1840s-1850s
“Know-Nothings” nativists 1840s-1850s
Prohibition Party
Right to Life Party
economic protest parties
Greenback Party
Populists
splinter Parties
“Bull Moose” Progressives
States’ Rights (Dixiecrats)
American Independent Party (Wallace 1968)

11. Tea Party Today Green Party Libertarians Constitution Party
2004
3rd parties vied in 765 of the 5,795 state legislative elections.
8 won.
Green Party
Libertarians
Constitution Party
America First
Americans Elect
Democratic Socialists of America
in California
Natural Law Party
Peace and Freedom
Tea Party
Perot, anti-Nafta, term limits, balanced budget
America 1ststrict Construction and Christianity

12. Research your assigned party
What is their platform?
How is the party structured?
Who are their major candidates?
What successes have they enjoyed?
Where are they most successful?
Who is their targeted constituency?
What type of people might vote for them?
8x11 mini-poster
informative
visually appealing
carefully constructed/detailed

13. Which sports teams have tended to dominate in the last decade?
Historically, a particular political party has tended to dominate for years before a major event brings about a change. What events in US history may have provoked a change?

14. Read 5.3 p.126-131 “The 2-party System in US History” Create a timeline
Label it with the 4 eras and the event that established the era.
Then complete #1-5, page 131.

15. History of 2 Party System 4 major eras
Era of “Democrats”
ends with Civil War
Era of Republicans
ends with Great Depression
Era of Democrats
ends with Vietnam, social upheaval/”Big Government
1968-Present Era of Divided Government

16. 1800-1860 Era of “Democrats” 1800-1825 “Era of Good Feelings”
no organized opposition
Jacksonian Democrats
small farmers, debtors, frontiersmen, slaveholders
universal, white, male suffrage
“spoils system”
Opposition: “Whigs” (National Republican Party)
bankers, merchants, industrialists, plantation owners

17. Era of Republicans
Abraham Lincoln – 1st Republican President
Generally support the issues of the North
laissez-faire
limited government (rise of Big Business)
gold standard
anti-slavery but not pro-civil rights
unresponsive to labor issues, small farmers
Democratic Party fractured by the Civil War
Populist Party, Socialists

18. Thomas Nast

19. 1932-1968 Era of Democrats FDR and the New Deal
government can solve problems
incorporates Progressivism
“social safety net”
coalition of minorities, the poor, labor, farmers
African-Americans switched parties
culminates with LBJ’s “Great Society”

20. 1968-Present: Era of Divided Government executive branch/legislative branch
Republicans dominate the executive
Nixon
Ford
Reagan
Bush I
Bush II
Carter
Clinton
Obama
Democrats have usually controlled Congress
exception: 1996 – 2007
2010-
Note divergence w/outline divided gov , not divided