Why Political Parties?

EE. Shattschneider once said that “political parties created democracy… and democracy is unthinkable save in terms of the parties.” Political scientists believe that a strong party system is desirable.

The fundamental goal of political parties is to get their candidates elected to office so that they can gain control of the government. In political science parties are often referred to as "three-headed political giants"

The Party in the Electorate refers to the people in the country who call themselves the members of the party.

The Party as an Organization refers to the local, state, and national offices and their staffs. They establish and maintain the rules, bylaws, and budgets of their parties.

The Party in Government refers to the elected officials who call themselves members of the party. This doesn’t mean that these elected officials will always agree on public policy, it does mean they relay on the same organization to get elected and to stay in office.

In the following activity, sort the images into the correct category to practice using these terms.