Political Parties: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
Warm Up Think of a time when you had a disagreement with someone. Was it a friend? If so, did you remain friends after the disagreement? Were you able to talk out the issue and solve the problem? If so, how? If not, why not?
Political Parties… What are they? Political Party – a group of people with common interests who organize together in order to influence government policies How? Through elections, control of government, influencing media, public opinion, and more The US, at its founding, was a one-party system George Washington, at his farewell address warned of the problems caused by factions Of course, after his presidency, the political parties were born. Listened to him, didn’t they?
Different types of Political Party Systems One-Party System – One party is the gov’t and they set the gov’t policy Usually found in authoritarian gov’ts or theocracies China, Korea, Vatican City, Formerly US Two-Party System – Two major parties compete for power Only about a dozen in the world have this system US, Japan, Nicaragua, Honduras, Malta Multiparty System – Multiple parties vie for power This is actually the most common political party system France (5), Italy (10)
What do we need parties for? Nominate candidates and pick one person to run for office Organize voters by encouraging them to vote, calling, emailing, etc. Label – voters more easily recognize the party name rather than an individual’s name Provide information to the public Watchdog – each party watches the other and publicly announce their problems and scandals to keep each other informed. Govern – Make decisions for us
Two-Party System in US Republicans: typically religious, economically conservative, Cuban, veterans Democrats: typically blue collar workers, urban, women, Latinos, African Am., environmentalists Left (Liberal) Middle (Moderate) Right (Conservative)
History of Political Parties in the US On your warm-up sheets, answer these questions concerning the doc: What were the reasons for these splits? Which party has seemed more stable throughout its history? In what ways do minor parties influence elections? Why did the Whig Party split up in 1853? Why did the Democratic Party split up in 1857? About how many times did the Democratic Party split up? Republican Party? Why did the Know-Nothing Party organize? Why were they called the Know-Nothings? Why was the Free-Soil Party organized? What seems to be the causes and effects of a party splitting?
Check on Learning (Warm Up Sheet) How many types of party systems are there? What are they? Name at least 3 reasons as to why we need parties. Name 2 groups of people which typically vote Republican. Name 2 groups of people which typically vote Democrat.