UNIT 7 – PARTY SYSTEMS
1. POLITICAL PARTY: MEANING
A political party is an organized group of people who come together to contest
elections, gain political power, form government and implement policies based
on a common ideology, programme or set of interests.
Political parties perform the function of representation by connecting citizens
and government. They aggregate public demands, formulate policies and
attempt to implement them through government institutions.
Basic Formula
Political Party =
People + Ideology + Organization + Elections + Power
2. COMPONENTS OF A POLITICAL PARTY
According to SOL, every political party requires three essential components.
A. Leader
Provides vision and direction.
Articulates ideology and policies.
Connects party with masses.
Often determines electoral success.
Thinker
Max Weber
Charismatic leadership.
Personal appeal can shape political success.
Examples
Narendra Modi
Jawaharlal Nehru
Indira Gandhi
Nelson Mandela
B. Active Members
Party workers and organizers.
Spread ideology.
Mobilize voters.
Strengthen party organization.
Example
BJP cadre workers
Communist Party cadres
C. Followers
Ordinary supporters and voters.
Believe in party ideology.
Provide electoral support.
3. FUNCTIONS OF POLITICAL PARTIES
A. Contest Elections
Field candidates.
Seek political power.
Form government.
B. Candidate Selection
USA
Candidates selected through primaries.
India
Candidates generally selected by party leadership.
C. Policy Formulation
Political parties formulate:
Manifestos
Programmes
Policies
Legislative agendas
D. Ideological Direction
Parties organize politics around ideas.
Examples:
Socialism
Conservatism
Liberalism
Communism
E. Form Government
Winning party or coalition forms government.
F. Form Opposition
Losing parties become opposition.
Functions:
Criticize government.
Ensure accountability.
Offer alternatives.
G. Shape Public Opinion
Parties:
Educate voters.
Conduct campaigns.
Raise awareness.
H. Mobilize Citizens
Organize movements.
Create pressure on government.
Aggregate interests.
I. Link Between Citizens and Government
Most important function.
Political parties act as a bridge between:
Citizens ↔ Government
4. EVOLUTION OF POLITICAL PARTIES
Political parties emerged as different social groups demanded political
representation.
A. Liberal Parties
Historical Origin
Enlightenment
Democratic Revolutions
Rise of Middle Class
Core Principles
Representative Democracy
Constitutionalism
Individual Rights
Civil Liberties
Private Property
Social Base
Middle Class
Example
Free Democratic Party (Germany)
Key Idea
Freedom
B. Conservative Parties
Origin
Reaction against liberal parties.
Core Principles
Tradition
Religion
Social Stability
Historical Continuity
Private Property
Social Base
Landowners, traditional elites.
Example
Conservative Party (UK)
Key Idea
Stability and gradual change.
C. Socialist Parties
Origin
Industrial Revolution and workers' movements.
Core Principles
Equality
Welfare
Workers' Rights
State Intervention
Social Base
Working class and trade unions.
Example
French Socialist Party
Key Idea
Economic Justice
D. Communist Parties
Origin
Marxist influence.
Core Principles
Classless Society
Workers' Rights
State-Controlled Economy
Revolution
Examples
Communist Party of Soviet Union
Communist Party of China
Key Idea
Revolutionary transformation.
E. Christian Democratic Parties
Origin
Reaction against secularism and anti-religious legislation.
Core Principles
Religious Values
Democracy
Social Welfare
Moral Issues
Position
Centre politics.
Key Idea
Religion + Democracy
F. Agrarian Parties
Social Base
Farmers and rural communities.
Main Goal
Protection of agricultural interests.
Examples
Scandinavian Agrarian Parties
G. Regional and Ethnic Parties
Purpose
Representation of regional and ethnic identities.
Examples
Scottish National Party
Basque Nationalist Party
Indian Examples
DMK
TMC
Shiv Sena
Key Idea
Identity Politics
H. Ecological (Green) Parties
Origin
Late twentieth century.
Main Issues
Environment
Human Rights
Nuclear Energy
Sustainability
Key Idea
Post-materialist politics
Example
Green Parties in Europe
5. TYPES OF POLITICAL PARTIES
A. CADRE PARTIES
Meaning
Small, disciplined and ideologically committed membership.
Features
Elite membership
Political training
Strong discipline
Ideological purity
Examples
Communist Party of China
Communist Party of Soviet Union
Nazi Party
Fascist Party
Key Idea
Quality over quantity.
B. MASS PARTIES
Meaning
Parties seeking broad membership and electoral support.
Features
Large membership
Broad appeal
Recruitment-oriented
Less ideological rigidity
Examples
Labour Party (UK)
German SPD
Key Idea
Quantity over quality.
Catch-All Parties (Kirchheimer)
Parties seeking support from all sections.
Examples
CDU (Germany)
Democrats (USA)
Republicans (USA)
C. REPRESENTATIVE PARTIES
Meaning
Parties that reflect public opinion.
Features
Election-oriented
Pragmatic
Vote-seeking
Key Idea
Reflect society.
D. INTEGRATIVE PARTIES
Meaning
Parties that shape public opinion.
Features
Ideological
Educational
Mobilizing
Key Idea
Transform society.
E. CONSTITUTIONAL PARTIES
Meaning
Parties operating within constitutional rules.
Features
Respect elections
Respect opposition
Respect judiciary and institutions
Accept democratic competition
Key Idea
Work within the system.
F. REVOLUTIONARY PARTIES
Meaning
Anti-system parties seeking radical transformation.
Features
Anti-constitutional
Revolutionary
Radical change
Examples
Nazis
Fascists
Revolutionary Communists
Key Idea
Change the system itself.
G. LEFT-WING PARTIES
Core Values
Equality
Welfare
Reform
Redistribution
Support Base
Workers and disadvantaged groups.
Examples
Socialist Parties
Communist Parties
Labour Parties
Key Idea
Change
H. RIGHT-WING PARTIES
Core Values
Tradition
Continuity
Stability
Private Property
Support Base
Business groups and middle classes.
Examples
Conservative Parties
Fascist Parties (far-right)
Key Idea
Order
6. PARTY SYSTEMS
A party system refers to the pattern of interaction among political parties within
a state.
Thinker
Giovanni Sartori
Most influential scholar of party system classification.
7. ONE-PARTY SYSTEM
Meaning
Only one party controls political power.
Opposition is absent or severely restricted.
Examples
China
Cuba
Soviet Union
Basis
A. Marxism-Leninism
Communist Party represents people.
B. Nationalism
Example:
Nazi Germany
Fascist Italy
C. Anti-Colonial Movements
Liberation parties become dominant.
Advantages
Stability
Quick decision-making
Policy continuity
Lower election costs
Disadvantages
Lack of participation
No real choice
Minority exclusion
Weak accountability
Authoritarian tendencies
8. TWO-PARTY SYSTEM
Meaning
Two dominant parties compete for power.
One forms government, the other opposition.
Examples
USA
UK (traditional)
Canada
Australia
Maurice Duverger
Duverger's Law
FPTP tends to produce Two-Party Systems.
Advantages
Stability
Strong opposition
Clear choices
Effective governance
Centrist politics
Disadvantages
Limited voter choice
Marginalization of third parties
Polarization
Underrepresentation
9. MULTI-PARTY SYSTEM
Meaning
More than two parties compete effectively.
Examples
India
Germany
Israel
Netherlands
New Zealand
Electoral Link
PR systems encourage multiparty politics.
Features
Coalition governments
Multiple identities represented
Greater inclusiveness
Broader representation
Advantages
Democratic
Inclusive
Greater representation
Prevents authoritarianism
Responsive to public opinion
Disadvantages
Coalition instability
Hung parliament
Policy delays
Fragmentation
Regionalism
10. ONE-PARTY DOMINANT SYSTEM
Meaning
Several parties compete.
Elections remain democratic.
One party repeatedly wins.
Examples
Congress Party (India)
Liberal Democratic Party (Japan)
African National Congress (South Africa)
Rajni Kothari
Congress System
Competition often occurred within Congress rather than between parties.
Main Feature
Shift from:
Inter-party competition
to
Intra-party factional competition.
Advantages
Stability
Predictability
Policy continuity
Disadvantages
Weak opposition
Corruption
Complacency
Blurring of party and state
11. ADVANCED MULTIPARTY CLASSIFICATION (SARTORI)
A. TWO-AND-A-HALF PARTY SYSTEM
Meaning
Two major parties and one smaller but influential party.
Example
Germany
(CDU + SPD + FDP)
B. MODERATE PLURALISM
Features
Small ideological differences
Coalition-friendly
Consensus politics
Stable
Example
Germany
C. POLARIZED PLURALISM
Features
Large ideological differences
Anti-system parties
Coalition difficulties
Instability
Example
Italy (historically)
12. DECLINE OF POLITICAL PARTIES
A contemporary debate questioning whether parties are losing relevance.
Reasons
A. Decline in Representation
Citizens increasingly use:
NGOs
Civil society
Social movements
B. Declining Membership
Party membership has fallen in many democracies.
C. Partisan Dealignment
People no longer maintain lifelong party loyalties.
Definition
Weakening of long-term attachment to political parties.
D. Oligarchical Character
Leadership concentrated in a small elite.
E. Corruption and Careerism
Parties associated with power and personal ambition.
F. Failure to Deliver
Governments struggle to solve complex modern problems.
Result:
Cynicism
Disillusionment
Distrust
13. ANTI-POLITICS
Meaning
Hostility toward established parties and political elites.
Not opposition to democracy.
Opposition to conventional political structures.
14. NEW POLITICAL MOVEMENTS
Operate outside traditional party structures.
Examples
Environmental Movements
Anti-Corruption Movements
Human Rights Movements
15. NEW SOCIAL MOVEMENTS
Focus on:
Gender Equality
Environment
Animal Rights
Identity
Peace
Unlike old politics centered on class issues.
16. SINGLE-ISSUE GROUPS
Organizations focused on one issue.
Examples
Climate Change
Nuclear Disarmament
Animal Rights
Popular among youth because:
Flexible
Participatory
Locally based
THINKERS OF UNIT 7 (MUST REMEMBER)
Thinker Contribution
Max Weber Charismatic Leadership
Giovanni Sartori Party System Classification
Maurice Duverger Duverger's Law (FPTP → Two-Party)
Otto Kirchheimer Catch-All Parties
Rajni Kothari Congress System, One-Party Dominance
R. Michael Alvarez & Jonathan Party systems shaped by policy and historical
Nagler development
GOLDEN COMPARATIVE POLITICS LINK
Electoral System → Party System
Electoral System Party System
FPTP Two-Party Tendency
PR Multi-Party Tendency
MMP Moderate Multi-Party Tendency
This relationship is one of the most important analytical points in Unit 7.
UNIT- 7 IN ONE LINE
Political parties emerged to represent different social interests; they
perform crucial democratic functions, operate through different
organizational forms and party systems, and today face new challenges
from civil society, social movements and changing patterns of political
participation.