POLI 210 Feb 26th Lecture

Political Parties and Their Dynamics

• Political parties play a crucial role in democracies, defined as systems where parties can lose elections and there is a turnover of power.

• The discussion will focus on:

  • Motivation and movement of parties (left, right, and various positions)

  • Origins of political parties

  • Social cleavages influencing party formation.

Historical Perspectives on Parties

• When the U.S. was founded, some founders opposed the idea of political parties, viewing checks and balances as mechanisms between government branches rather than among parties.

• Most countries, including the U.S. and Canada, are multiparty systems. Even single-party systems channel significant energy through the party.

Types of Political Parties

Various Party Relationships

• Discussion of the nature of party relationships with their constituents, rather than a simple liberal-conservative dichotomy.

• Analysis of party systems:

  • Reasons for more or fewer parties in a system.

  • Different methods of participation in elections.

Recent Developments: The German Election

• The German election saw the rise of new leadership within the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) under Merz, a shift rightward from the previous centrist Merkel.

• Merz's government has disregarded coalition with the far-right AFD, opting instead for a grand coalition with the center-left Social Democrats and possibly the Green Party.

• The election reflects persistent East-West divides due to historical context:

  • Maps show voting patterns illustrating the strong support for AFD in East Germany.

Socioeconomic Pressures and Voter Dynamics

• Persistent socioeconomic divide: East Germany faces economic stagnation with closed mines and factories.

• The rise of the AFD has significant overlap with economic dissatisfaction in Eastern Germany.

• A notable demographic trend shows young men increasingly supporting AFD, while young women lean towards the left-wing Linke party.

Political Party Definitions and Types

Definition of Political Parties

• Institutions aiming to manage governance and articulate shared viewpoints of their supporters.

Types of Parties:

• Revolutionary Parties: Focus on larger systemic change; examples include the Bolshevik Party in Russia.

• Mass Parties: Mobilize large numbers and have members outside of legislature, like traditional labor parties.

• Catch-All Parties: Attempt to encompass a broad array of political stances; exemplified by the changing nature of established parties like the SPD in Germany.

Emergence of Social Movement Parties

• Social movement parties, like the Green Party, emerge from distinct social movements. They typically focus on one primary issue but face challenges as they broaden their platforms in legislative contexts.

Authoritarian Regimes and Political Parties

• Even authoritarian regimes can contain political parties, though their roles differ.

  • Russia: United Russia is deemed weak; the power is more centralized around Putin.

  • China: The Chinese Communist Party maintains a strong centralized structure, illustrating the institutional differences between authoritarian regimes.

Party Systems

Different Patterns of Party Politics

• Single Party Systems: Like North Korea and China, where one party dominates and prohibits competition.

• Dominant Party Systems: Countries like South Africa (ANC) and Japan (Liberal Democratic Party) where one party remains popular and wins regularly without undemocratic practices.

• Two-party Systems: Highlighted by the U.S., where usually two major parties dominate the political landscape.

• Multi-party Systems: As seen in Germany, characterized by many significant parties, a benefit of proportional representation.

Effective Number of Parties

• The effective number of parties considers seat allocation rather than just counting parties, which reflects their political influence and offers better insight into party systems.

Factors Influencing Party Formation

• Historical contexts, ideological divisions, and voter distributions shape party systems and their competitiveness.

• The emergence and persistence of social cleavages impact party alignment and voter loyalty over time.