A political party is a grouping of individuals who come together to compete in elections and hold authority in the government. Often, political parties agree on specific policies and programs that are intended to enhancing the collective common good of their supporters. Despite the fact that there are many international commonalities in the organization of political parties, there are a lot of differences concerning the ideological cores. In modern democracies, the political parties are elected by the citizens to form a government. Many nations in the world have various party systems. For instance, China has a one-party system while the United States embraces the two-party system. The two most powerful parties in the US are the Democratic and the Republican parties.
According to Hans, a political party offers the aspirant to the public. The party sets out a position on issues ranging from taxes, education, human rights, and foreign policies. When citizens in a democratic society disagree with the government on what should be done, the person expresses their views by voting the aspirant that closely reflects their views (3). The parties provide an opportunity for the electorates to identify easily the position of the candidate on issues affecting them.
Development of political parties
Political parties began to develop in the 1600s in the ancient Greek. The Greeks who are known to pioneer the development of the democracy did not have organized political parties in the modern sense. For instance, the Senate in the ancient Roman comprised of two groups that represented individuals with different interests. The plebians and the patricians. The plebeians represented the interests of the middle class and wealthy merchants while the patricians represented the views of the noble families. Although the two factions often mingled, the voted along party lines when it came to pertinent issues affecting each group.
After the collapse of the Roman Empire in (476 AD), many people in Europe had little voice when it comes to political matters. There were no true political parties, factions of the population supported noble families. However, things changed when representative assemblies gained prominence among people in Europe.
In1678, there was a rumor in England that the Roman Catholics were plotting to kill assassinate King Charles II and pass the throne to his brother James, Duke of York, who was a staunch Catholic. As noted by Aldrich there was no real popish plot. Nonetheless, an alarmed parliament barred all Catholics from accessing public offices and tried to take away the rights of the Duke of York to inherit the throne. However, King Charles II dissolved the parliament since it seemed to be challenging the royal authority (20).
People in England were divided into two factions. The petitioners urged King Charles II to call a new parliament while the Abhorrers supported the actions of the King. After sometimes, the petitioners represented a group of Protestants who used to undermine the Kings government while the Abhorrers who changed their name to the Tories were the Catholics who suffered under the Protestants rule.
The primary difference between the Tories and the Whigs was their view on the mandate of the government and how strong it should be. The Whigs were the idea that power should be vested in the ordinary people while the Tories advocated for a powerful king.
Political parties in the United States
The pioneers of the American Revolution did not like the idea of political battles. Upon his retirement, George Washington in 1796 warned Americans against political factions. However, James Madison held a different opinion by asserting that parties were necessary though he did not approve them. In 1789, Thomas Jefferson supported the party system in the US.
The Americans who were advocating for a strong central government under the leadership of Hamilton called themselves Federalists while those who held the opposite view coalesced around Thomas Jefferson to form Democratic-Republicans. The business people and wealthy merchants supported Federalists. This is because the Federalists party ideologies were centered on a strong trade and industrial development. Conversely, the Democratic-Republicans drew their supports from artisans and farmers in the south (Hans 30).
John Adam, who was a Federalist, lost the control of the Government to Jefferson in 1800.The Federalist lost its popularity and lingered on as a minority party. The American politics changed in 1820 during the civil war. The farmers in the South differed with the business merchants in the North.
The election of the Andrew Jackson, a Democratic-Republic president in 1828 changed the political landscape in the US. Jackson received great support from the south and decided to change the party name to Democrats. Individuals who were against the idea of changing the party name merged with the Federalists to form the National Republican Party.
The Democrat and the Republican Party
For many years, the Republicans were the dominant party in the US. The party favored the interest of the businessmen and high tariffs on the imports so as to protect the American industries. The Democrats, on the other hand, believed in social equality.Thet advocated for free trade. The Democrats championed for the interest of the farmers and the immigrants who came to the country during the Civil war.
The Democrats and the Republican Party were not so much divided until the Great Depression that struck America in the 1930s.The election of Franklin Roosevelt who a Democrat brought in the New Deal. Roosevelt suggested that the federal government should help who were affected by the Great Depression. His administration passed economic relief interventions to help in cautioning the citizens. The Republicans on the other part believed that government was taking too much power and that Roosevelt was moving the US towards a welfare state.
Although the Two parties agree in general on issues like unemployment insurance, social security, and foreign policy, the both differ when it comes to the strategies that can be used to keep the economy growing. The Democrats hold views that the government should act for the common good of the citizens while the Republicans tends to be against the government as a solution to the national problems.
The campaign process in the US
Elections form the foundations of the modern democracies. Campaigns usually precede the election process. Candidates use this process to convince electorates to support them. The campaign process in the US undergoes the following process;
Before the election, various parties conduct primaries so as to nominate popular candidates for the office. Here, registered party members are given a chance to nominate their preferred candidate. After the primaries; the party activists plans for the party conventions where the candidate is nominated officially. The debates for presidential elections which are always held in October have become an integral part of the US political campaigns (Hoadley 65).
Election process in the US
The Presidential Election in the US is an indirect process in which eligible voters cast ballots for specific members of the Electoral College. According to Hoadley, the elected members of the US Electoral College are the ones with the responsibility of casting a direct vote to elect the president and the vice president. The presidential candidate with an absolute majority of the electors’ votes is crown as the winner (50). However, if a majority of the Electors fails to vote for the president, the House of Representatives is tasked with the responsibility of choosing the president.
The presidential election in the US occurs after every four years. Since 1845, the Election Day has always been the Tuesday after first Monday in November. Also, the presidential election coincides with the election of other state and federal positions.
The American election process is often governed by both federal and the state legislations. Each state is located a specific number of Electors depending on the number of representatives and senators in the US Congress. Besides, the Columbia District is allocated the number of electors equal to the state with the least population while the US territories do not have a representative in the Electoral College.
The US constitution has empowered every state legislator to determine how the electors are chosen. Therefore, the popular vote on the day of the election is conducted by different states and not by the federal government (Hans 78).The electors once elected can choose to vote for any presidential candidate, and their votes are certified by the US Congress, who acts as the final judge in the election process. The presidential candidate who wins the election begins his term on the day of inauguration.
Factors that shape public opinion
A public opinion is a collective attitude of the citizenry on government actions and political matters. The political opinion is of the great significance of any democracy. For instance, the political action of the citizens and the voting patterns are greatly determined by the public opinion. Secondly, the public opinion is critical in shaping the behavior of the aspirants and the political parties (Belenky 92). Also, the politicians use the public opinion to the needs of the public and how to best include the views of the citizens in their manifestos.
There are some factors in the society that help in the shaping of the public opinion. They are;
Socialization
Research by Hans notes that many political opinionates greatly influenced with what they learned from their family members, schools, and the community. Among the adults, the media and the peer groups are influential in shaping the political opinion. Older American populations rely on the news and newspapers while the younger generation relies on the internet (100)
Events
Electorates can reverse their opinion in response to what is currently happening around them. A political realignment is a good example of how an event can change the public opinion of a population. For example, world events like the 9/11 and the Hurricane Katrina shaped the public opinion in the US.
Group identity
Social groups like gender, the level of education and race may influence an individual’s opinion. Many political parties develop their ideologies with a view of targeting a specific group of the population. Many people tend to vote for candidates who have their interest at heart.
Political ideologies
A study by Belenky indicates that many voters are influenced by their political ideologies in shaping their opinion. The liberals are always people who believe in change are likely to support a candidate that is championing for change. On the other hand, the conservatives tend to favor the preservation of traditional values (72).
Works Cited
Aldrich, John. Why parties? A second look. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2012.Print.
Belenky, Alexander.Understanding the fundamentals of the U.S.presidential Election system. New York: Spring Science & Business Media, 2012.Print.
Hans, Noel. Political ideologies and political parties in America. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014.Print.
Hoadley, John.Origins of American political parties: 1789-1903.University Press of Kentucky, 2015.Print.
