1. What do these animals represent?

2. Kinds of Party Systems
Main Idea: What are the differences between the types of party systems and what are their strengths and weakness.

3. Political Belief: As a nation we need a national ice cream flavor.

4. What flavor should it be?

5. What is a Political Party?
Political Party: An organization of people who share similar ideas on how the government should be run.
Candidate: A person from each party seeking an elected office

6. How do we elect our government officials?

7. As citizen in a Democratic-Republic we need to be educated on government policy and protocol in order to vote effectively.

8. Two Party System
Two Party System: two main political parties dominate the election of government officials

9. Two Part System In America we have two major political parties
Names and views of the parties have changed over time.
What are the main political parties of today?
Republicans and Democrats

10. Two Party System
Parties have similar beliefs on political and social issues
Free education, personal rights and freedoms, right to a decent living, protection, preserve the environment, and help citizens
DIFEREANCE: disagree on how to achieve these

11. Are there other parties in a two party system?

12. Other parties in a Two Party System
Other parties exist but generally have little impact.
What problem might only having two parties cause?

13. Weaknesses of Two Party System
Stifles the views of minority groups
Must be taken on by one of the major political parties
Example: Civil Rights and Women’s Rights
Major parties receive most of the media’s attention
Political Campaign Ads

14. If there are weaknesses why do we use the two party system?

15. Strengths of Two Party System
Two party system is a stabilizing force
Both parties stay near the center on a wide range of political opinions
Most Americans do not support extreme political ideas.
Policies designed to fit many Americans
Both parties have experienced leaders

16. Which Flavor Would You Choose?
Two Party System
Which Flavor Would You Choose?

17. Election Time!

18. Who won?

19. Washington, D.C. – July 23,  Vanilla wins the popular vote among Americans as the favorite ice cream flavor for a second year in a row.

20. Multiparty Systems
Multiparty System: Three or more parties compete for government control.
Commonly found in Europe

21. Multiparty System
Provide votes with a broad range of choice when it comes to political ideologies
What difficulty might this cause?
With votes, divided among so many different parties it is hard to for one party to gain enough votes in the government.
Strength
Weakness

22. Election Results in the UK

24. Plurality vs. Majority Wins more seats or votes than any other party
Wins more than half the votes or seats
Tends to automatically happen in Two Party Systems
Plurality
Majority

25. Must hold a majority in order to form a government.

26. Coalitions
Coalition: An alliance with another party to get the majority of the vote.
Parties have different ideas on how to run a government – unable to establish or run an effective government.

27. Election Time!

28. One Party System
One Party System: The party and government are basically the same thing because only one party is allowed to exist.

29. One Party System Party and Government are the same
China
Only one party is allowed to exist
Only candidates are allowed to run
Head of party is head of government.
Member requite new members, and member receive government benefits
Small percent of population actually belongs to the party.

30. Vanilla or French Vanilla?

31. Election Time!

32. Please take out a piece a paper and write which party system you like best and WHY?