Political Party
A Political Party is an organization with a political position that fields political candidates in elections to gain governmental power and implement its policies. Political parties are fundamental entities in both democratic and non-democratic political systems, shaping public policy, mobilizing voters, and competing for political control. They often promote specific ideologies or policy goals and are structured to coordinate political campaigns, represent diverse constituencies, and influence political discourse.
- Context:
- It can range from being a National Political Party to being a Provincial Political Party.
- It can (typically) operate at various levels—local, regional, and national—depending on its structure and objectives.
- It can (often) form coalitions or alliances with other parties to increase political influence and secure a governing majority.
- It can focus on specific issues (e.g., a Single-Issue Party) or offer comprehensive platforms that cover multiple areas of policy.
- It can use different organizational models, from highly centralized structures to decentralized grassroots movements.
- It can field candidates for executive positions (e.g., president, governor) or legislative seats (e.g., parliament, congress).
- It can adapt its platform over time to respond to shifting voter preferences and societal changes.
- It can establish its identity through party symbols, colors, and slogans that resonate with its core supporters.
- It can experience internal divisions or factionalism, leading to splinter groups or new party formations.
- It can be subject to laws and regulations that govern campaign finance, electoral procedures, and party registration.
- ...
- Example(s):
- Major Political Partys, such as:
- Democratic Party (1828-present): One of the two major political parties in the United States, advocating for progressive policies and social welfare.
- Conservative Party (1834-present): A leading political party in the United Kingdom known for promoting economic liberalism and traditional values.
- Liberal Party of Canada (1867-present): A major political party in Canada, known for its center-left positions and emphasis on multiculturalism.
- Communist Party of China (1921-present): The ruling political party in China, governing through a one-party state system.
- Indian National Congress (1885-present): A major political party in India that led the Indian independence movement and continues to play a significant role in national politics.
- African National Congress (1912-present): The dominant political party in South Africa since the end of apartheid, focusing on social justice and economic reform.
- Liberal Democratic Party of Japan (1955-present): A conservative political party that has been the predominant governing party in Japan since its inception.
- Workers' Party of Brazil (1980-present): A major left-wing political party in Brazil advocating for labor rights and social welfare.
- Regional and Ethnic Political Partys, such as:
- Scottish National Party (1934-present): A pro-independence party advocating for Scottish sovereignty and representation within the United Kingdom.
- Bloc Québécois (1991-present): A federal political party in Canada that seeks to promote Quebec's interests and sovereignty within the Canadian federation.
- Sinn Féin (1905-present): An Irish political party active in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, advocating for Irish reunification.
- Basque Nationalist Party (1895-present): A regional party in Spain advocating for the rights and autonomy of the Basque people.
- Single-Issue Political Partys, such as:
- Green Party (1980-present): An international political movement advocating for environmental sustainability and social justice.
- Pirate Party (2006-present): A political party focused on digital rights, privacy, and transparency in government.
- Prohibition Party (1869-present): A political party in the United States historically focused on banning the sale and consumption of alcohol.
- Animal Justice Party (2009-present): An Australian political party focused on animal rights and animal welfare legislation.
- Short-Lived or Defunct Political Partys, such as:
- Federalist Party (1792-1824): One of the first political parties in the United States, promoting a strong central government but dissolved after the War of 1812.
- Social Credit Party (1935-1988): A Canadian political party based on the Social Credit movement, advocating for monetary reform.
- Whig Party (1833-1856): A major U.S. political party opposing Andrew Jackson's policies, dissolved over disagreements about slavery.
- Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1912-1991): The ruling political party of the Soviet Union, dissolved after the collapse of the Soviet state.
- ...
- Major Political Partys, such as:
- Counter-Example(s):
- Labor Unions, which represent workers' interests but do not seek to govern or participate directly in elections.
- Interest Groups, which aim to influence policy without seeking to gain political office.
- Advocacy Organizations that promote social change but do not field candidates for elections.
- Revolutionary Movements that seek to overthrow existing governments rather than participate within the political system.
- Social Movements that aim to raise awareness and advocate for change outside formal political institutions, such as Occupy Wall Street.
- See: Democratic Political System, Two-Party System, Election, One-Party State, Political System, Interest Group, Advocacy Organization, Social Movement, Coalition, Political Ideology, Campaigning, Grassroots Movement, Electoral Process, Government, Party Platform, Primaries.
References
2024
- (Wikipedia, 2024) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/political_party Retrieved:2024-10-4.
- A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or policy goals.
Political parties have become a major part of the politics of almost every country, as modern party organizations developed and spread around the world over the last few centuries. Although some countries have no political parties, this is extremely rare. Most countries have several parties while others only have one. Parties are important in the politics of autocracies as well as democracies, though usually democracies have more political parties than autocracies. Autocracies often have a single party that governs the country, and some political scientists consider competition between two or more parties to be an essential part of democracy.
Parties can develop from existing divisions in society, like the divisions between lower and upper classes, and they streamline the process of making political decisions by encouraging their members to cooperate. Political parties usually include a party leader, who has primary responsibility for the activities of the party; party executives, who may select the leader and who perform administrative and organizational tasks; and party members, who may volunteer to help the party, donate money to it, and vote for its candidates. There are many different ways in which political parties can be structured and interact with the electorate. The contributions that citizens give to political parties are often regulated by law, and parties will sometimes govern in a way that favours the people who donate time and money to them.
Many political parties are motivated by ideological goals. It is common for democratic elections to feature competitions between liberal, conservative, and socialist parties; other common ideologies of very large political parties include communism, populism, nationalism, and Islamism. Political parties in different countries will often adopt similar colours and symbols to identify themselves with a particular ideology. However, many political parties have no ideological affiliation, and may instead be primarily engaged in patronage, clientelism, the advancement of a specific political entrepreneur, or be a "big tent", in that they wish to attract voters who have a variety of positions on issues.
- A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or policy goals.
2019
- (Wikipedia, 2019) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_party Retrieved:2019-11-25.
- A political party is an organized group of people who have the same ideology, or who otherwise have the same political positions, and who field candidates for elections, in an attempt to get them elected and thereby implement the party's agenda.
While there is some international commonality in the way political parties are recognized and in how they operate, there are often many differences, and some are significant. Many political parties have an ideological core, but some do not, and many represent ideologies very different from their ideology at the time the party was founded. Many countries, such as Germany and India, have several significant political parties, and some nations have one-party systems, such as China and Cuba. The United States is in practice a two-party system but with many smaller parties also participating and a high degree of autonomy for individual candidates.
- A political party is an organized group of people who have the same ideology, or who otherwise have the same political positions, and who field candidates for elections, in an attempt to get them elected and thereby implement the party's agenda.
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