Political Parties Flashcards
political party
a group of people with broad, shared interests
why do political parties use symbols
to make things less confusing
why did Americans split into different political parties
because people had different ideas about what the government should do
which political candidate believed that people should be protected from a large national government system
Jefferson
Which party grew from the idea that a strong central government would encourage a strong economy
Federalist party
What was Jefferson’s reasoning behind favoring a strong state government rather than a strong national government
the state was closer to the people
Why was the Republican Party so successful following the Civil War but less so after the Great Depression
because they were strongly against slavery
how did the issue of slavery influence the formation of political parties
because people who had the same view on slavery formed different political parties
why do third parties usually not last very long in the American two-party system
because the issue that they are promoting usually loses importance or is adopted by a larger party
what is a disadvantage of a multi-party system
one party rarely wins enough support to control the government
national committee
representatives from the 50 state party organizations who run a political party
caucus
a meeting of political party members to conduct party business
precinct
a geographic area that contains a specific number of voters
Political machine
a strong party organization that can control political appointments and deliver votes
direct primary
an election in which voters choose candidates to represent each political party in a general election
closed primary
an election in which only the declared members of a political party in a general election
open primary
an election in which voters need not to declare their party preference
plurality
the most votes among all those running for a political office
majority
a number that is more than 50 percent of the total
what is the purpose of a presidential primary
to nominate, or choose, candidates for office
what is the relationship between a political machine and a political party
a regular party welcomes anyone who wants to belong and they do all they can to attract members. A political machine is a very strong form of a political party
how did political machine at one time aid citizens
it provided jobs to the people who voted for them
why are political machines thought to be harmful
because if it is in power too long then it could start to ignore the people’s needs
what is the purpose of primary elections
to allow people to vote on whichever party that they want
what is a closed primary
an election in which only party members can vote
what is an open primary
an election in which any registered voter is allowed to vote
what is the difference between a plurality and a majority
plurality is getting the most votes in a primary but majority is getting more than 50% of the votes
what is the most basic function of a political party
to elect candidates to office
list some examples of grassroot movements
people wanting to ban alcohol or people wanted to ban firearms
why is it important of political parties to act as watchdogs
to keep the party in power in check and to help the people voice their opinion
