1. Chapter 8: Political Parties
A More Perfect Union 1/e

2. Political Parties
• Parties Today and Their Functions
– Defining a Political Party
– What Political Parties Do
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3. Political Parties
• The Three Faces of Parties
– The Party in the Electorate
• Measuring the Party in the Electorate
• Determining Who Belongs to Each Political Party
• Differences Between Democrats and Republicans
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4. Political Parties
• The Three Faces of Parties (continued)
– The Party Organization
• National Parties
• State Parties
• County and Local Parties
– The Party in Government
• Divided Government
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10. Political Parties
• Political Parties in U.S. History
– The First Party System: The Development of
Parties, 1789-1828
– The Second Party System: The Democrats’
Rise to Power, 1828-1860
– The Third Party System: The Republicans’
Rise to Power, 1860-1896
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11. Political Parties
• Political Parties in U.S. History (continued)
– The Fourth Party System: Republican
Dominance, 1896-1932
– The Fifth Party System: Democratic
Dominance, 1932-1968
– A New Party System?
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12. Political Parties
• Two-Party Domination in U.S. Politics
– The Dualist Nature of Most Conflicts
– The Winner-Take-All Electoral System
– Continued Socialization to the Two-Party
System
– Election Laws That Favor the Two-Party
System
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13. Political Parties
• The Two-Party System Today: In Decline
or in Resurgence?
– The Party’s Over
– The Party’s Just Begun
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14. Political Parties
• Third Parties in the United States
– Types of Third Parties
• Issue Advocacy Parties
• Ideologically Oriented Parties
• Splinter Parties
– The Impact of Third Parties
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17. Political Parties
• New Technologies: The Parties in the
Twenty-First Century
– Instant communications
– Democratization of the party process
– Fundraising
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