AP U.S. Government and Politics Chapter 8 Study Guide

Political Parties

Reading: C Edwards, Chapter 8, “Political Parties”

Guiding Question:C What are political parties and how do they function in our system?

Objectives: Students will C Understand the roles of the party-in-the-electorate, the party as an organization, and the

party-in-government.C Examine how political parties in a democracy serve as key linkage institutions to translate

inputs from the public into outputs from the policymakers.C Describe Anthony Downs' rational-choice theory as a working model of the relationship

among citizens, parties, and policy.C Trace the historical development of the American two-party system.C Describe what is meant by party eras, critical elections, and party realignment.C Examine the significance of divided government and explain how the recent pattern of

divided government may explain party dealignment.C Differentiate between the ideology or party philosophy of the Democratic and Republican

parties.C Explain how electoral rules such as the "winner-take-all" plurality system have helped to

maintain a two-party system in the United States.C Evaluate the impact of third parties on American politics and the American party system.C Describe the consequences or effects of the American two-party system as contrasted

with a multiparty system.C Understand the significance of the weak and decentralized character of the American

party system.

Vocabulary: You should be able to define and use these terms appropriately and accurately incontext. You DO NOT need to write out definitions unless that is what will help you learn them.

party competitionpolitical partylinkage institutionsrational-choice theoryparty imageparty identificationticket splittingparty machinespatronagepartisanship*incumbent*

closed primariesopen primariesblanket primaries*national party conventionnational committeenational chairpersoncoalitionparty erascritical electionplatform*

party realignment*New Deal coalitionparty dealignmentthird partieswinner-take-all systemproportional representationcoalition governmentresponsible party modelBlue Dog Democratsbipartisan*

T Vocabulary Quiz: _____

Reading Responses: Answer the following questions and be ready to discuss them in class.

1. What do the authors write about party images? What is the clearest trend in partyidentification?

2. Explain three of the five ways in which political parties act as a linkage institution. How doesperforming these tasks show that parties are serving as linkage institutions?

3. In the United States, how does party identification affect voting?

4. What role do state party organizations play in American politics today? How does the use ofa closed or open primary system help or hinder state party organization influence overcampaigns and elections?

5. Identify strengths and weaknesses of parties and discuss party reform.

6. Even though third party candidates rarely win elected office in the United States, they arestill important in several respects. In what ways are third parties important to Americanpolitics? Use concrete examples to support your answer.

7. If the United States had a multi-party system, would American politics be different, and if so,in what ways? If not, why not?

8. Make a chart of the major eras of the American Party System as identified by the textauthors.

1796 - 1824 1828 - 1856 1860 - 1928 1932 - 19641968 -

Present

Era of ... The FirstParty System

Party(ies) ofthe era

Federalists, Democratic-Republicans

Presidentinitiating the

era

Washington-Adams,Jefferson

(there aretwo)

Issues of the era /Nature of

therealignment

Expansion ofthe U.S. / Coalition ofagrarianinterests v.urbancapitalists

T Responses to Questions Due: _____