Session 6: Third Parties

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Session 6 Third Parties
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One Party Systems and Third Parties

• One Party Systems
• The One Party South, The One Party (Republican)
  Northeast
• Conflict is intra-party
• Personality rather than policy
• Regional divisions produce one-party systems
• Most states are now two-party competitive

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Third Party Presidential Candidates
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Third Parties

• Third Parties and Minor Parties
• Regional Interests
• Economics
• Specific Issues
• Ideology
• Personality
• Or a combination of these factors

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• Their Function
• They raise the salience of issues the major
  parties ignore or avoid
• If the issue is popular enough or had enough
  adherents, the third party can motivate the major
  parties to pay attention to the issue or
  incorporate the groups or issues formerly
  neglected by politics as usual

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• Progressives and Machine Politics
• Machines based on an exchange care for votes,
  jobs for votes, etc.
• Machines were not programmatic or oriented toward
  policy solutions. Machines focused on
  controlling local offices and accessing resources

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The Progressives and Their Reforms (1912-1916,
1924-1946)

• Australian ballot
• Civil Service
• Primary Elections
• Registration Requirements
• Literacy Tests
• Direct Election
• of Senators

• Goals
• More democratic
• More efficient
• Less corrupt

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Consequences of Progressive Reforms

• Class Bias
• Turnout
• Consequences for the Parties
• The Reform
• Party

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• Third Parties and Party Systems
• Outside the mainstream of political life
• A protorealignment phenomenon when the major
  parties are unable or unwilling to meet the
  expectations of large segments of the public
• Free Soil 1848
• Populist 1892
• Progressive 1924
• American Independent 1968
• Interest groups or party factions are sometimes
  more effective in promoting issues

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Ideology and Program

• Perceptions of Party Ideology
• Ideology and Party Activists
• Ideological Differences Between the Parties
• Ideological Sophistication Among Voters

An organized set of beliefs based on underlying
principles.