flashcards_lecture_political_parties
What is a political party?
A group of persons organized to acquire and exercise political power.
What is the goal of political parties?
To control the government by getting their members in office to carry out the party’s program.
Why do political parties form?
To facilitate collective action in the electoral process, resolve collective choice in policy-making, and regulate individual ambition.
What are the main functions of political parties?
Recruiting candidates, nominating candidates, getting out the vote, facilitating electoral choice by offering brands, and influencing the national government.
What are the differences between US and NL political party systems?
US has single-member elections with a role for money in nominations and more voter research, while NL has list elections, no primaries, and less partisan voter research.
What are key factions within the Democratic Party?
Progressive Democrats (pro-government intervention), Democratic Socialists (AOC, Tlaib), Liberal Democrats (pro civil rights, equality), New Democrats (moderate, Clinton/Gore), Conservative Democrats, Christian Left, Libertarian Democrats.
What are key factions within the Republican Party?
Trumpists, Anti-Trumpists, Fiscal Conservatives, Social Conservatives, Christian Right, Libertarians, Neoconservatives, Paleoconservatives, Moderates, Traditionalists.
How do political parties influence Congress?
The Speaker is a party appointee, parties organize committees, and party cohesion influences legislative coalitions.
What was the First Party System?
Federalists (Northern merchants, pro-tariffs, national bank) vs. Democratic-Republicans (Southern planters, pro-free trade, agrarian interests), 1792-1824.
What was the Second Party System?
Democrats (grassroots under Andrew Jackson) vs. Whigs (opposed to Jackson), 1828-1852.
What was the Third Party System?
Republicans (North, anti-slavery) vs. Democrats (South, pro-slavery), party machines dominated politics, 1860-1896.
What was the Fourth Party System?
Dominated by Republicans, Democrats aligned with the Populist Party, Woodrow Wilson was the only Democratic president, 1896-1932.
What was the Fifth Party System?
The New Deal Coalition under FDR, uniting workers, southern farmers, African Americans, Jews, and Catholics, 1932-1968.
What was the Sixth Party System?
Realignment, with Republicans adopting conservative values (Goldwater) and Democrats becoming more progressive, starting from the 1960s onward.
What caused polarization in modern US politics?
Confrontational politics, rise of the Tea Party and MAGA, and increasing ideological homogeneity within parties.
