Party Systems

Question 1

Who developed the idea of a party system?

Answer 1

Giovanni Sartori

Question 2

What are the two types of party that Sartori defined?

Answer 2

Effective parties and actual parties

Question 3

What is an actual party?

Answer 3

A party that exists and stands in some elections, but does not have a realistic chance of coming to power.

Question 4

What is an effective party?

Answer 4

A party that has a realistic chance of forming the executive.

Question 5

What is a Two Party System?

Answer 5

A party system in which there are only two effective parties - between whom the power regularly shifts.

Question 6

What country is a prime example of a One Party System?

Answer 6

The USA

Question 7

What are the names of the two effective parties in the USA?

Answer 7

The Republicans and the Democrats.

Question 8

What are two ways in which a Two Party System is desirable?

Answer 8

1) It encourages consensus politics as the two parties need to appeal to as many people as possible if they want to win.
2) It is in the interests of the parties to reach out to “floating voters.”

Question 9

What are two disadvantages of a Two Party System?

Answer 9

1) Two Party Systems can create polarising politics as the two parties become more left or right to separate themselves from each other.
2) There are often random and expensive policy reversals between governments.

Question 10

In America, what policy has Donald Trump pledged to reverse if he becomes president?

Answer 10

Obama Care

Question 11

What is the “post-Thatcherite consensus”?

Answer 11

The idea that both Labour and the Conservatives agreed that Privatisation isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Question 12

What is a Multi Party System?

Answer 12

A system in which there are more than two effective parties.

Question 13

What type of government is popular in Multi Party Systems? Why?

Answer 13

Coalition governments as it is extremely unlikely that one party will gain enough votes to form a single party government due to the number of options available to the electorate.

Question 14

What country is a prime example of a Multi Party System?

Answer 14

Sweden - in which there are around 8 or 9 effective parties.

Question 15

What are two benefits of a Multi Party System?

Answer 15

1) National government is more representative of the people.

2) Extremist governments are much less likely as a general consensus between parties has to be met on most issues.

Question 16

What are two ways in which a Multi Party System is not as good as a Two Party System?

Answer 16

1) The increase in the number of coalition governments blurs the lines of accountability.
2) Instability from coalition breakdowns can cause a change to the government which the people do not want.

Question 17

What is a one party system?

Answer 17

A system in which there is only one effective party in the country, although it may sometimes have to go into coalition with an actual party.

Question 18

What country is a prime example of a one-party system?

Answer 18

China

Question 19

What is a Three Party System?

Answer 19

A system in which there are three effective parties.

Question 20

What country is a prime example of a Three Party System?

Answer 20

Canada

Question 21

What is a Two-And-A-Half Party System?

Answer 21

A system in which there are two main effective parties, however they may require on a third party to help them gain power.

Question 22

What country is an example of a Two-And-A-Half Party System?

Answer 22

Australia

Question 23

In what way is the UK a two party system?

Answer 23

Since 1945, 18 of our 19 governments have been either Labour or Conservative.

Question 24

In what ways is the UK becoming less of a Two Party System?

Answer 24

1) Support for the two “effective parties” has gone down from 90% to 65%
2) After the 2010 election, some political experts argued that a Two-And-A-Half Party System had been instated, although the Lib Dems all but disappeared in 2015.
3) At a local level there is much more political diversity such as the rise of the SNP in Scotland and Plaîd Cymru in Wales.