2. American Political Parties… What’s the Purpose? 1. bring people together to achieve control of the government 2. develop policies favorable to their interests or to the groups that support them 3. organize…persuade voters to elect their candidates to office 4. represent their constituents 5. attempt to put philosophy into practice through legislation

3. Political Party Organization national state local

4. Party Systems one-party system the party captures control of the government and does not allow other parties to form; most one-party systems allow elections, but they are not competitive because only that party’s candidates appear on the ballot--China, Cuba, Iran, No. Korea two-party system where two major political parties compete for control of the government; different parties might control local, state, and national government--United States multiparty system many parties compete for control over the legislative branch of government (the head of the government is the leader of one of the major parties in the legislature); these systems usually arise in countries with a strong parliamentary system-- Germany, Italy, France, Israel, Japan

5. The Role of Minor Parties A third party or minor party is any party other than the two major parties. Their common thread is that they believe that neither party is meeting certain needs. A third party runs a candidate to propose a remedy to the situation and/or to draw attention to their specific issue(s) or ideology. single-issue party focuses exclusively on one major economic, social, or moral issue ex: Free Soilers, Prohibition Party, Women’s Suffrage Party, Right to Life Party ideological party focuses on overall change in society rather than on one single issue ex: Communist Party, Socialist Party, Libertarian Party splinter party splits away from one of the two major parties because of some disagreement ex: Progressive (Bull Moose) Party, Dixiecrats, Green Party

6. Era of the Democrats Era of the Republicans Era of the Democrats Era of Divided Govt 1800 - 1860 1860 - 1932 1932 - 1968 1968 - Today Divided Government Since 1968, neither Republicans nor Democrats have consistently held the presidency and the Congress is often controlled by the opposing party.

7. The Political Spectrum Most politicians don’t stay in one spot… they move around on the spectrum based on the issue being discussed Left Center Right Socialist Liberal Moderate Conservative New Right

8. Party Platform abortion health care gun controlsocial security foreign policy tax cuts Political Party Platform A party platform is made up of planks that explain where the party stands on issues of importance. gay marriageeducation