Fifth Party System

(noun)

A term referring to the era of American national politics that began with the New Deal in 1932 under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. This era emerged from the realignment of the voting blocs and interest groups supporting the Democratic Party into the New Deal Coalition following the Great Depression. For this reason it is also often called the New Deal Party System. It followed the Fourth Party System, usually called the Progressive Era. Experts debate whether it ended in the mid-1960s, the early 1980s (when the Moral Majority took off), the mid-1990s, or possibly continues to the present.

Related Terms

Examples of Fifth Party System in the following topics:

  • The Two-Party System

    • The modern political party system in the U.S. is a two-party system dominated by the Democratic Party and the Republican Party.
    • The Fourth Party System, 1896 to 1932, retained the same primary parties as the Third Party System, but saw major shifts in the central issues of debate.
    • The Fifth Party System emerged with the New Deal Coalition beginning in 1933.
    • There are two main reasons winner–takes–all systems lead to a two-party system.
    • One opinion in political science is that a two-party system promotes centrism, less extremism, and that a two-party system is generally more stable and easier to govern than multi-party systems which can become a hung parliament.

  • Political Parties

    • The type of electoral system is a major factor in determining the type of political party system.
    • In single-party systems, one political party is legally allowed to hold effective power.
    • Congress are examples of two-party systems.
    • Multi-party systems are systems in which more than two parties are represented and elected to public office.
    • The United States Congress is an example of a two-party system of governance.

  • The Fifth Amendment

    • The Fifth Amendment protects against abuse of government authority in a legal procedure.
    • The right was asserted at grand jury or congressional hearings in the 1950s, when witnesses testifying before the House Committee on Un-American Activities or the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee claimed the right in response to questions concerning their alleged membership in the Communist Party.
    • Under the Red Scare hysteria at the time of McCarthyism, witnesses who refused to answer the questions were accused as "fifth amendment communists".
    • They lost jobs or positions in unions and other political organizations, and suffered other repercussions after "taking the fifth. "
    • The Fifth Amendment states that everyone deserves a Grand Jury in the case of a capital crime.

  • Ideological Third Parties and Splinter Parties

    • America's democratic system is predominantly a two party system.
    • Currently, the two major American parties are the Democratic and Republican parties, although the top two parties change over time.
    • A third party is any party that supports a candidate for election other than the two major political parties; at the current moment, a third party would be any party other than the Democratic and Republican parties.
    • Since third party candidates do not have a legitimate chance of winning national election given the structure of the current system, most third parties do not tend to try to pursue moderate voters and instead stay close to their ideological roots.
    • The three main third parties are the Libertarian Party, the Green Party, and the Constitution Party .

  • Party Organization

    • Throughout most of its history, American politics have been dominated by a two-party system.
    • Political scientists and historians have divided the development of America's two-party system into five eras.
    • The modern two-party system consists of the Democratic Party and the Republican Party.
    • The modern political party system in the United States is a two-party system dominated by the Democratic Party and the Republican Party.
    • The Democratic Party is one of two major political parties in the United States.

  • The National Party Organization

    • The modern political party system in the United States is a two-party system dominated by the Democratic Party and the Republican Party.
    • At various times, the Socialist Party, the Farmer-Labor Party and the Populist Party had considerable local strength, and then faded away.
    • At present, the Libertarian Party is the most successful third party.
    • Statehood Party has served as a strong third party behind the Democratic Party and Republican Party.
    • Explain the history of political party organization and the significance of party committees for each of the major political parties

  • Political Parties and Elections

    • The type of electoral system is a major factor in determining the type of party political system.
    • In a nonpartisan system, no official political parties exist, sometimes due to legal restrictions on political parties.
    • In two-party systems, such as in Jamaica and Ghana, the two political parties dominate to such an extent that electoral success under the banner of any other party is virtually impossible.
    • Multi-party systems are systems in which more than two parties are represented and elected to public office.
    • Evaluate the party system, both in proportional representation voting systems and two-party systems

  • Political Parties from 1800–1824

    • The First Party System refers to political party system existing in the United States between roughly 1792 and 1824.
    • The First Party System is a model of American politics used by political scientists and historians to periodize the political party system existing in the United States between roughly 1792 and 1824.
    • The First Party System ended during the Era of Good Feelings (1816–1824), as the Federalists shrank to a few isolated strongholds and the Republicans lost unity.
    • In 1824-28, as the Second Party System emerged, the Republican Party split into the Jacksonian faction, which became the modern Democratic Party in the 1830s, and the Henry Clay faction, which was absorbed by Clay's Whig Party.
    • Distinguish the issues and policies supported by the first political parties and identify the central elements of the First Party System

  • The Modern Era of Political Parties

    • Modern politics in the United States is a two-party system dominated by the Democratic Party and the Republican Party.
    • Modern politics in the United States is a two-party system dominated by the Democratic Party and the Republican Party.
    • The Democratic Party is one of two major political parties in the United States, and is the oldest political party in the world.
    • The other major contemporary political party in the United States is the Republican Party.
    • It is often referred to as the GOP, which stands for "Grand Old Party," or "Gallant Old Party".

  • The Role of Third Parties

    • American politics operate as a two-party system, and third party candidates do not play a major role in elections.
    • American politics operate on a two-party system, meaning that two major political parties dominate voting in most elections and consequently dominate elected offices.
    • "Third party" technically refers to the third largest party in a two-party system, but in the U.S. it generally refers to any party running in an election other than the major two.
    • This system is in contrast to proportional representation systems, in which parties are allocated representation based on the proportion of the popular vote they receive.
    • Both major parties are at risk of losing voters if third party campaigns gain traction, so they have both tended to act in ways that promote the two party system.