The United States' Two-Party System

525 Words2 Pages

A two-party system is a political system in which only two parties have a realistic opportunity to compete effectively for control. As a result, all, or nearly all, elected officials end up being a member in one of the two major parties. In a two-party system, one of the parties usually holds a majority in the legislature hence, being referred to as the majority party while the other party is the minority party. The United States of America is considered to be a two-party system. A two-party system emerged early in the history of the new Republic. Beginning with the Federalists and the Jeffersonian Republicans in the late 1780s, two major parties have dominated national politics, although which particular two parties has changed with the times and issues. During the nineteenth century, the Democrats and Republicans emerged as the two dominant parties in American politics. As the American party system evolved, many third parties emerged, but few of them remained in existence for very long. Today the Democrats and Republican still remain as the dominant parties. These two parties hav...

Show More
Related

  • The Day The 60's Died Analysis

    1788 Words  | 4 Pages

    American democracy is fluid; it is constantly evolving and changing. The earliest divide in American politics stems from the very establishment of the government. Regardless of the hope the American founders possessed, political parties began to form almost immediately as the country began to take shape. Today, the two main parties are the Democrats and the Republicans, however each party was not always the same at their start as they are currently.

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Political Party Power

    1392 Words  | 3 Pages

    There has been much speculation whether political parties have become too strong in American politics and if that is a good or bad thing. My belief is that political party power in the United States is just about right where I believe that there are some instances where political parties have been in situations where they have too much power and instances where it is moderate. First off, political parties are crucial to our democratic government because it is composed of a group of people that the constituents elect to represent their issues or achieve a common goal. Being part of a group that shares your common interests or goals is more powerful than tackling an issue by your self. It gives you more voice and power in government. Also, political

    Read More

  • The Inevitable Two-Party System in the U.S.

    1535 Words  | 4 Pages

    Was the formation of a two-party system in America inevitable? Despite George Washington’s warnings of the drawbacks in his farewell address, America continued on its path, and the system was established anyway. The emergence of a two-party system was inevitable in the United States for many reasons. One reason for the two party systems that formed were simply common issues of the day. This included the issue of federal power versus state power, which dominated American politics during the 1700s. America was also quite polar, meaning different regions tended to have different views and opinions from the others. Political parties often appealed to specific regions. Matters of the day were very influential on the types of political parties present in America, who tended to form around issues, rather than issues being assigned to them like in present day politics.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Federalist And Democratic-Republicans

    492 Words  | 1 Pages

    The first two parties were created in the later 1700’s, and these parties were made for two different purposes. The Federalist & Democratic-Republicans had some similar and opposing aspects, but mostly opposing.

    Read More

  • Political Parties In The 1790s

    1746 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the 1790s, soon after the ratification of the Constitution, political parties were nonexistent in the USA because President Washington feared they would drive the country apart. However, Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton, with their rivalling mental models, could not help but spark the division of the United States into the Democratic-Republican and Federalist parties. These parties, the Democratic-Republican wanting a small, local government system and the Federalist wanting a strong, powerful government system, turned citizens against one another and eventually led to the inimical Democratic and Republican parties of today. Hence, the formation of the original political parties in the United States is very significant. Political

    Read More

  • The Two-Party System

    1627 Words  | 4 Pages

    system produces conflicts between the Congress and the President and promotes very outdated beliefs that stem from the Constitution. A vast majority of the American population has the stern belief that the Constitution does not need to be changed in any way, shape, or form. This belief, however, is keeping the country from progressing along with other countries around the world. These single parties are holding control of multiple branches of government at once and monopolizing the power during their respective terms. The government “faces an incapacity to govern since each party works as a majority party” and believes there is no reason for innovation (Dulio & Thurber, 2000). The two parties are seemingly always clashing about one thing or the other, making it difficult for things to get accomplished, and proves the thesis correct that the two-party system is ineffective for a growing country.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Democratic Party And The Republican Party

    1153 Words  | 3 Pages

    The United States, comprised of much political diversity, has only two major political parties, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. The Republican Party was founded by anti-slavery activists on March 20th, 1854, and is represented by its mascot, the elephant. Often referred to as the “Grand Old Party”, or GOP, Republicans favor customs that exude traditional Christian values with a platform based on American Conservatism. As a Christian myself, the values I share with Republican ideals are a main reason I side with the Republican Party.

    Read More

  • The Second Party System

    718 Words  | 2 Pages

    The breakdown of the second party system was also a reason for the outbreak of the Civil War. In the early 1850’s the Whig party disintegrated, the second party system collapsed and the Republican Party emerged to challenge the Democrats. Southern Revisionists have argued that the collapse of the Union had been preceded by the collapse of the 2nd party system and that the Whig disappeared only to re-emerge as the new Republican party in 1854 supported by nativist Know-Nothing votes. They have also argued that politicians created this tension on purpose to advance their careers, but by doing so they made the 2nd party system collapse. However recent historians, such as Hugh Tulloch, contradict this view by arguing that there is no one single

    Read More

  • Democrats vs. Republicans

    1262 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the United States there are only two main political parties to choose from. The two main parties are the Democrats and the Republicans. There are also many other political parties to choose from which are called third parties. Third parties may include political parties such as the Socialist Equality Party and the Peace and Equality party. People can choose to be a part of any party they want but most go with the common two main parties the Democrats and Republicans. Democrats and Republicans have many similarities and differences. These mainly occur in international, social, economic, and domestic issues.

    Read More

  • The Two Party System of UK

    715 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Two Party System of UK It has often been said that the United Kingdom possesses a two party political system. However, any balanced argument on this issue must take into account both the differing perspectives from which this subject can be viewed and the time period which is being evaluated. The two party theory is not universally accepted and many people argue that the UK can best be described as a multi party, dominant party or even a two and a half or three party system, depending on how the subject is approached. The most commonly held view is that Britain is a two party system.

    Read More

  • The First Political Parties

    2273 Words  | 5 Pages

    Today, political parties can be seen throughout everyday life, prevalent in various activities such as watching television, or seeing signs beside the road while driving. These everyday occurrences make the knowledge of political parties commonly known, especially as the two opposing political parties: the Republicans and the Democrats. Republican and Democrats have existed for numerous years, predominantly due to pure tradition, and the comfort of the ideas each party presents. For years, the existence of two political parties has dominated the elections of the president, and lower offices such as mayor, or the House of Representatives. Fundamentally, this tradition continues from the very emergence of political parties during the election of 1796, principally between Federalist John Adams and Anti-federalist Thomas Jefferson. Prior to this election people unanimously conformed to the ideas of one man, George Washington, and therefore did not require the need for political parties.1 However, following his presidency the public was divided with opposing opinions, each arguing the best methods to regulate the country. Ultimately, the emergence of different opinions regarding the future of the United States involving the economy, foreign relations, ‘the masses,’ and the interpretation of the Constitution, led to the two political parties of the 1790s and the critical election of 1800.

    Read More

  • Two And Half Party System Essay

    409 Words  | 1 Pages

    The chosen article is the“Two-and-a-half-party System and the Comparative Role of the Half”, which was written by Alan Siaroff, an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Lethbridge in Canada, this article published in the Party Politics in 2003.

    Read More

  • Dismantling The Two Party System

    1471 Words  | 3 Pages

    The two party political system has long been a tradition amongst the American people, however, it is not the most efficient nor is an effective way to display and gauge american feelings about topics. The two party system fails to represent the majority of americans, because the parties are represented by extremist. These extremists take their ideology so far that it becomes disagreeable, and distasteful to the broad population. As well as the parties representing extreme ideals, the system consolidates all of the power within just two parties, basically wiping out the ability to have independents, or third party candidates to ever succeed in an election. Without these differing candidates ever being in office,

    Read More

  • A Comparison of UK and US Political Parties

    959 Words  | 2 Pages

    The US has a two party system in which two parties dominate in the US

    Read More

  • Two-Party Vs Two Party System

    550 Words  | 2 Pages

    The United States’ political policy is dominated by the two party system, a structure where there are two, and only two, major political parties. This makes it close to impossible for third party candidates to win any major elections. In other countries such as France, there are multiple political parties, which, in the long run, is more effective than the two-party system. In a two-party system, the extremists refuse to work and or agree with the other party, most acts of violence is shown as a debate between the two opposing sides, and since there are only two parties every political problem has two and only two solutions.

    Read More

More about The United States' Two-Party System

Open Document