Third Party System

Examples of Third 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 Third Party System stretched from 1854 to the mid-1890s, and was characterized by the emergence of the anti-slavery Republican Party, which adopted many of the economic policies of the Whigs, such as national banks, railroads, high tariffs, homesteads and aid to land grant colleges.
  • 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.
  • Second, voters learn, over time, not to vote for candidates outside of one of the two large parties since their votes for third party candidates are usually ineffectual.
  • There have been arguments that the winner-take-all mechanism discourages independent or third-party candidates from running for office or promulgating their views.

• 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.
  • Although the American political structure has consistently been a two-party system, third parties occasionally influence elections, and third party candidates sometimes obtain elected positions.
  • "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.

• Partisan Politics

  • The Third Party System is a term of periodization used by historians and political scientists to describe a period in American political history from about 1854 to the mid-1890s that featured profound developments in issues of nationalism, modernization, and race.
  • This period is defined by its contrast with the eras of the Second Party System and the Fourth Party System.
  • Under the Second and Third Party Systems, parties financed their campaigns through patronage; now civil service reform was undercutting that revenue and entirely new, outside sources of funding became critical.
  • Throughout the nineteenth century, third parties such as the Prohibition Party, Greenback Party and the Populist Party, evolved from widespread antiparty sentiment and a belief that governance should attend to the public good rather than partisan agendas.
  • These alliances, and the factionalism they engendered, discouraged nonpartisan supporters and undermined the third-party movement by the end of the nineteenth century.

• Ideological Third Parties and Splinter Parties

  • America's democratic system is predominantly a two party system.
  • 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 .
  • An example of a small right-wing third party would be the America First 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.
  • Several third parties also operate in the United States and from time to time, elect someone to local office.
  • The modern political party system in the United States is a two-party system dominated by the Democratic Party and the Republican Party.

• 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 smaller or "third" parties may hold the balance of power in a parliamentary system, and thus may be invited to form a part of a coalition government together with one of the larger parties; or may instead act independently from the dominant parties.

• Political Parties

  • Sweden has a multi-party system, with numerous parties in which no one party often has a chance of gaining power alone, and parties must work with each other to form coalition governments.
  • A multi-party system is a system in which three or more political parties have the capacity to gain control of government separately or in coalition.
  • The United States is an example of where there may be a multi-party system but that only two parties have ever formed government.
  • The multi-party system of proportional representation has allowed a small third party, The Pirate Party, to come to prominence in Sweden, something that would be very unlikely in the United States.
  • The Pirate Party is the third largest party in Sweden in terms of membership.

• 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.
  • Third parties have achieved relatively minor representation at national and state levels.
  • Many minor or third political parties appear from time to time.
  • 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.

• 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.
  • Multi-party systems are systems in which more than two parties are represented and elected to public office.
  • Australia, Canada, Pakistan, India, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and Norway are examples of countries with two strong main parties, along with smaller or "third" parties that have also obtained representation.
  • Evaluate the party system, both in proportional representation voting systems and two-party systems

• Party Identification

  • People who identify with a political party either declare their allegiance by joining the party or show their support through regular party-line voting at the polls.
  • People can easily switch their party affiliation or distance themselves from parties entirely.
  • As voter identification with political parties has declined, so has dedication to the two-party system.
  • At the same time, support for third parties, like Libertarians, has increased over the last decade.
  • Still, the two-party system continues to dominate the political process as a viable multiparty alternative has not emerged .