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US Politics - final > Chapter 5 - 5/5 - Comparing US and UK democracy > Flashcards

Chapter 5 - 5/5 - Comparing US and UK democracy Flashcards

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U.S. Geography flashcards
1
Q

What sort of party system is the US?

A

Two-party system

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2
Q

What sort of party system is the UK?

A

Multi-party system

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3
Q

When did the UK have a two-party system?

A

Much of the 1900s

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4
Q

How many parties were there in the House of Commons in the 1955 general election?

A

4

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5
Q

How many parties were there in the 2015 general election?

A

11

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6
Q

How much of the vote did Labour and the Conservatives win combined in 1955?

A

96%

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7
Q

How much of the vote did Labour and the Conservatives win in 2015 combined?

A

67% - compare that to 1955

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8
Q

What has caused the UK party system from a two-party to a multi-party system?

A

The increase in nationalism and devolution in the closing decades of the twentieth century.

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9
Q

How many seats did the Liberal Democrats win in 2010?

A

57

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10
Q

How many seats did the Liberal Democrats win in 2019?

A

12

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11
Q

What can cause the development of party factions?

A
  • An era (Reaganites or Thatcherites)
  • Ideology (neo-conservatives, one-nation, third way)
  • Traditionalists v modernists (Old v New Labour)
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12
Q

On what issues does the Republican Party and the Conservative Party agree?

A
  • Both dislike ‘big government’.
  • Both favour low taxation.
  • Both talk of being strong on law and order.
  • Both support high levels of defence spending.
  • Both favour equality of opportunity over outcome.
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13
Q

In what areas does the Democratic Party and the Labour Party agree?

A
  • Both want social justice (rights of minorities).
  • Both stress the rights of the working class.
  • Both favour environmental protection.
  • Both want equality of opportunity.
  • Both favour high levels of government spending on health, welfare, and education.
  • Both want to tax the rich.
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14
Q

In what areas does the Republican Party and the Conservative Party disagree?

A
  • Conservatives oppose the death penalty - Republicans do not.
  • Same-sex marriage
  • Nationalised healthcare
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15
Q

What did the chief executive of the Electoral Reform Society say about party funding in the UK?

A

“it is…rich donors - not voters - whose opinions count”

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16
Q

When did the chief executive make his comments on party funding in the UK?

A

2012

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17
Q

What forms of state party funding have both the USA and UK tried?

A

USA have tried federal matching funds.

UK have tried Short money and Cranbourne money.

18
Q

Which houses of Congress are directly elected in the USA?

A

Both - only one in the UK

19
Q

How often are elections held in the USA?

A

Every two years - every 5 for the House of Commons and the UK executive.

20
Q

Why is electioneering more prominent in the USA than UK?

A

There are simply more elected posts and more frequent elections.

21
Q

Why do interest groups in the US lobby state and federal courts but their UK counterparts do not?

A

Because the courts in the US have a significant ability to determine state and federal law - more so than the UK Supreme Court.

22
Q

What is the CULTURAL difference between the USA and UK that explains the differing party system?

A

There has been no rise in nationalism in the USA like there has in the different regions on the UK and therefore no corresponding development in the growth of third parties or Euroscepticism - the USA parties and people are all devoutly nationalist already.

23
Q

What is the motto of the USA printed on every $1 bill?

A

‘E pluribus unum’ - ‘Out of the many, one’.

24
Q

What STRUCTURE difference between the USA and UK has led to a difference in party systems?

A

Where FPTP is used in both countries there is a dominance of two parties - however in the devolved regions, where different electoral systems are used, more parties have gained a foothold in the UK.

25
Q

Why does the federalism STRUCTURE not make a difference to the two-party system in the USA?

A

The state legislatures are also elected via a majoritarian, FPTP system, promoting a two-party system.

26
Q

Why do primaries encourage a two-party system in the USA?

A

They give ordinary voters a say in the candidates within and between parties, removing the incentive to run as an independent when one can run as part of a faction of the two main parties.

27
Q

Why are party factions RATIONALLY sensible to have within parties?

A

Because while divided parties do not win elections, neither do ideologically pure ones - accommodating a wide range of views appeals to a wide range of voters.

28
Q

Other than attracting a wide range of voters, why else is it RATIONAL to have factions in parties?

A

It allows for a wide range of candidates seeking to achieve office - otherwise they would set up their own parties.

29
Q

How an party faction be explained CULTURALLY?

A

There have always been tensions and differences within parties over civil rights in America for example or the EU in the Conservative Party.

30
Q

How does the STRUCTURE of US politics encourage party factions?

A

Each candidate in each state must raise their own funding and run their own individual campaigns, trying to appeal to their constituents’ needs as they - and not the party - are who decide whether or not they are they candidate and if they are returned to Congress.

31
Q

How does STRUCTURE impact UK party factions?

A

UK parties are much more centralised than in the US, but in Labour and the Liberal Democrats where there is internal democracy for candidate selection, factions can arise - New Labour or Corbynites for example.

32
Q

What is the CULTURAL difference between the Democratic Party and the Labour Party?

A

The Labour Party grew out of the trade union movement and has been associated with socialist ideas; the Democratic Party has never been even remotely socialist and socialist ideas have never had any traction in the USA.

33
Q

How does the STRUCTURE of US political parties explain the difference in policies?

A

The decentralised nature of US parties means individual candidates can develop their own policies that may not match to the national platform, and is reinforced by the use of primaries and caucuses. The centralised nature of UK parties means dissenting views are not heard.

34
Q

What is the RATIONAL approach to party funding?

A

Individuals and organisations will donate to the parties most sympathetic to their interests to gain favour and influence - trade unions do not fund the Conservative Party for example.

35
Q

What is the RATIONAL reason for favouring state funding of parties?

A

It is favoured by those parties that do not receive the large individual donations that the two main parties do - Liberal Democrats, Greens, US Libertarian Party.

36
Q

What STRUCTURAL features of the USA makes regulating party finance difficult?

A

The dominance of two parties that benefit from the current system, and the First Amendment.

37
Q

What is the RATIONAL approach to interest groups and lobbyists?

A

It is rational for them to employ former politicians and for former politicians to seek well-paid jobs in interest groups after they leave politics. It is also rational for the public to join interests groups if they feel passionate about their cause.

38
Q

Why are interest groups CULTURALLY more important in the USA?

A

The First Amendment provides for unlimited campaign finance and individual expression.

39
Q

What is the STRUCTURAL difference to the influence of interest groups in the USA and the UK?

A

There are many more access points for interest groups to influence decision making in the USA because of federalism and 2 elected chambers.

40
Q

What STRUCTURAL development in the UK had increased access points for interest groups?

A

Devolution

US Politics - final (29 decks)

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