How do parties contribute to democratic politics?

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1 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

2 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

3 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

4 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

5 Parties Detract (Continued) Recruiting candidates for the wrong reasons (celebrities, for instance, who may or may not be qualified) Oversimplifying the electoral system

6 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

7 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

8 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

9 Fourth Party System Industrial Republicanism ( ) 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

10 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

11 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

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14 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

15 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

16 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

17 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