Read this article and watch the video to do essay 1-2

Lecture Summary:

Political parties are organizations which seek to influence government by electing their members, organizing government, and advancing their policies. The Framers of the Constitution saw parties as divisive and self-serving. George Washington saw them as “the bane of humanity”. Whatever concerns and fears the Framers may have had, the leaders of the Second Republic soon found they needed parties. The pro and anti-Constitutional forces soon coalesced into a two party system. This two party system has persisted in American politics.

The course of American political party history is one of periodic dominance by one party. Roughly every thirty years in American politics, one dominant political party alignment has been displaced by another. These changes are called critical electoral realignments. The new party alignment in this process gains control of both the White House and both Houses of Congress. There have been five of these periods in U.S. history, 1800, 1828, 1860, 1896, 1932, and 1968. Electoral periods since 1968 has produced divided government with the White House controlled by one party and Congress by the opposition party.

Third parties tend not to be successful. They tend to be issue oriented, short on funding, short-lived, and a victim of the single member district system. Their ideas are frequently absorbed by one of the major parties. The tradition of the two party system also works against their existence as well. The last truly successful third party is the Republican Party which replaced the defunct Whig Party in 1860. Other third parties of note include the Progressive Party. The Progressive movement swept America between 1890 and 1920. The Progressive brought such reforms as the Australian (secret) ballot, the primary election, referendum/initiative process, recall of elected officials, and in California, non-partisan local elections.

The political parties in America tend to reflect federalism. There are national, state and local party organizations. Although political organizations share the same name- Republican or Democratic, these tend to mean different things in different areas of the country. What makes a Republican a Republican in Vermont is a much different than, say a Republican in Nevada. Their political issues are not always the same. Their political philosophies may vary widely on issues such as abortion, civil unions for homosexuals, and land use. They may agree on gun control and fiscal restraint at the same time.

Each party is active raising money, recruiting candidates, and providing candidate support. Candidate support may include polling, professional fund raisers campaign managers, phone banks, and candidate schools.

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Answer question below

Do political parties serve a purpose in the American political system, and if so what is it? If not, why do they not serve a purpose?

Essay 1-

Question:

1. Describe the factors that have contributed to the overall weakening of political parties in America. How are parties weaker? How do they remain important? What are the advantages of a political system with weak political parties? What are the disadvantages?

Essay 2-

Question:

2. Historically, third parties have developed in American history when certain issues or constituencies have been ignored by the existing parties. Considering the similarities and differences between the Republican and Democratic parties, where might a budding third party find a constituency? What issues might it adopt? Finally, what structural and ideological obstacles might the third party face?

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