Study guide 293What are political parties
and where did today’s parties
come from?
Define political parties and show how American political
parties and party systems have evolved over time.
(Pages 264–268)Summary
Political parties are organizations that run candidates for political
office and coordinate the actions of officials elected under the party
banner. Here in the United States, parties are relatively decentralized,
putting forth a loose configuration of candidates who share a party
label but don’t necessarily work together. The parties are composed
of three semiautonomous units: the party organization, the party in
government, and the party in the electorate. Political parties are a
central feature of American politics, although they look and act very
differently today than they have in the past. Political scientists use the
term “party system” to refer to a period of party stability; in all, there
have been six different party systems in the country’s history. Party
systems are broken up by realignments, which occur when some of the
defining factors of the party system are changed or specified and rifts
in the group develop because of these changes.Practice Quiz Questions
- Which statement best characterizes the American
political parties?
a Parties in the electorate pay dues to the party organization;
leaders in the party organization tell elected officials what to do.
b Candidates run as representatives of the party; leaders have no
influence on how candidates campaign or govern.
c Candidates are generally autonomous of the party organization,
although they do receive support from the party organization.
d Parties help candidates only after they are elected.
e Parties handle 90 percent of fund-raising for candidates.
Key terms
party organization (p. 264)
party in government (p. 264)
party in the electorate (p. 264)
party system (p. 265)party principle (p. 266)
spoils system (p. 266)
realignment (p. 267)- Which were the first well-known parties in the United States?
a Federalists and Democratic-Republicans
b Democrats and Republicans
c Whigs and Federalists
d Democrats and Whigs
e Whigs and Republicans - The idea that a party is not just a group but an organization
that exists apart from its candidate is called the.
a party system
b spoils system
c conditional party government
d party ID
e party principle
American political
parties today
Describe the main characteristics of American parties as
organizations, in the government, and in the electorate.
(Pages 268–277)Summary
The modern party is composed of three parts. The party organization
is a loosely defined group of individuals and organizations that are
focused on supporting political candidates when they share the same
policy goals. The party in government consists of elected officials
who are the members of a particular party. The party in the electorate
consists of citizens who identify with a particular political party.Practice Quiz Questions
- The Democratic and Republican party organizations
hierarchical; they are to force state and local
parties to share their positions on issues.
a are not; able
b are not; unable
c are; able
d are; unable
e are; sometimes able
Key terms
national committee (p. 268)
political action committee
(PAC) (p. 269)
527 organization (p. 269)
issue ownership (p. 270)
caucus (congressional) (p. 271)conference (p. 272)
party identification
(party ID) (p. 272)
party coalitions (p. 276)Study Guide
Full_09_APT_64431_ch08_262-295.indd 293 16/11/18 1:41 PM