PARTY SYSTEMS Ryan D. Williamson 31 March 2015

Agenda Attendance Return Exams Lecture on parties Reading for Thursday

Questions?

Objective Describe the structure and function of political parties. Describe how historical events shaped party institutions.

What are Parties? Parties are groups who organize to win offices. Parties are ubiquitous in democracies with strong legislatures. Parties organize political conflict. Parties are complex political organizations.

Party in Government In most democracies, parties run the national government Legislation coalition are often not stable in the absence of parties Policy cycles without parties Parties prevent cycling by agreeing to work together on legislation

Party as Organizations Parties as organizations work to elect candidates Candidate selection through primaries Fundraising Mobilization of voters

Party Organization Democrats and Republicans have similar organizational structure National committees House and Senate committees State, county, and city party organizations All have different roles, but same goal: electing party candidates

Party in the Electorate Both Democrats and Republicans have millions of followers who claim to be party members Stable, psychological attachment to a party Information shortcut for voters “Running tally” of party leader performance Party is a powerful voting cue: especially straight ticket voting

First Party System: Federalists (strong national government, Britain) vs. Democratic-Republicans (states’ rights, France) Federalists fall away due to lack of voter mobilization as population increased

Second Party System: Whigs emerge in 1830s to compete with Democratic-Republicans Split in Democratic-Republican party Nationwide mobilization developed by Democratic-Republicans Ends in 1860, Whigs collapse due to division over slavery

Third Party System: Republicans emerge under Abraham Lincoln Democrats survive Civil War and emerge with strong Southern base Republicans control Northeast and Midwest Machine politics develops

Fourth Party System: election decisive victory for McKinley and Republicans Republicans dominate national politics in decades following 1896 Progressive party emerges as the strongest “minor” party in history

Fifth Party System: New Deal party system emerges with Democrats and Franklin Roosevelt United large, disparate groups of voters under the Democratic label Dominate for many decades, frays as Southern whites move to Republican party

Sixth Party System: 1980-present South has switched to Republican Urban areas and coasts Democratic Strengthening of national parties Parties have increasing polarization on major issues of the day

Questions?

For next time… Read chapter 11 of Bullock and Gaddie