Question 1

What are political parties?

Accepted Answer

Organizations that coordinate candidates to compete in a country’s elections

Question 2

What are the differences between a One-, Two-, and Multi-Party system?

Accepted Answer

One-party system: only one political party exists; involuntary membership and those who are members are a small portion of the population; the party approves all candidates so voters have no real choice, often leading to dictatorial government

Two-party system: there are two dominant political parties; “either-or” choice between two candidates and little opportunity of a third-party candidate winning (single-member districts and the Electoral College promote the two-party system)

Multi-party system: several major parties have a chance at winning the election; voters have more meaningful choices in candidates (although this can cause instability, it has been shown to work well in many European countries)

Question 3

What are single-member districts?

Accepted Answer

Electoral districts represented by a single office holder

Question 4

What were the Founder's thoughts on political parties?

Accepted Answer

The Constitution does not call for political parties

James Madison warned against factions in Federalist No. 10

Question 5

What are some of the functions of political parties?

Accepted Answer

recruit candidates

nominate & support candidates

establish party platforms

mobilize & educate the electorate

organize the government

Question 6

What was the New Deal coalition?

Accepted Answer

A voting bloc made of blacks, city dwellers, labor union workers, Catholics, Jews, and women that allowed Democrats to regain power during the Great Depression

Question 7

What is dealignment?

Accepted Answer

A trend where a large portion abandons its parties and becomes independent

Question 8

What is realignment?

Accepted Answer

A trend where voting patterns shift and people who voted for one party now vote for another

(contrast with dealignment)

Question 9

What are third parties?

Accepted Answer

Political parties that are alternatives to the Democratic and Republican parties

Can be ideological, splinters from a major party, concentrated around a single issue, or rooted in protest

(Libertarian Party, Green Party, Constitution Party, etc.)

Question 10

What structural factors limit third parties?

Accepted Answer

Winner-takes-all voting systems, where whichever party is most popular gets almost complete control

The Electoral College gives no power to anyone who can't win a majority

Question 11

What are candidate-centered campaigns?

Accepted Answer

Campaigns that emphasize individual candidates over political parties

Parties have adapted to this, and their role in nominating candidates has weakened

Political Parties, AP U.S. Government and Politics Flashcards