PARTY SYSTEM NOTES

Omnipresence of Political Parties

● Fundamental and Ubiquitous: Political parties are essential and universally present in
modern representative democracies, regardless of the political system (monarchy,
dictatorship, or democracy).

Maximization of Political Participation

● Crucial Role: Political parties maximize political participation by involving the public in the
political process.
● Legitimacy and Authority: This public involvement is necessary for maintaining the
legitimacy and authority of political leaders.

Voice of the People

● Concept: The idea that "the voice of the people is the voice of God" underscores the
importance of public involvement and consent in political decisions.
● Myth and Justification: Public involvement upholds the myth of the people's voice and
justifies leadership.

Political Modernization

● Indicator: Broad public involvement in political affairs is seen as an indicator of political

modernization.
● Easton's Theory: Aligns with David Easton's idea of the "authoritative allocation of
values," where political decisions reflect societal values and priorities.

Sanctity of Mass Participation

● Essential Norm: Mass participation in political affairs is emphasized as essential by party

system norms.
● Inclusivity: This is necessary regardless of whether the country is ruled by one person, a
select few, or many.

Universal Phenomenon

● Global Presence: Political parties are a global phenomenon, except in a few

tradition-bound states like Saudi Arabia and Maldives.
● Variety of Systems: Countries adopt various models of party systems, including
one-party, bi-party, multi-party, or hybrid systems.

Scope of Study

● Comprehensive Examination: Studying party systems involves examining a network of

political and para-political parties.
● Indirect Parties: Includes organizations functioning as "indirect parties" (Maurice
Duverger's term).
● Diverse Entities: Encompasses parties of all sizes, operating at different levels (national,
regional, local), and with varying degrees of ideological commitment.
1. Types of Parties According to Sartori:
○ Witness Parties: These parties are not primarily interested in maximizing votes.
They may exist to represent specific viewpoints or to bear witness to particular
ideologies without actively seeking widespread electoral success.
○ Ideological Parties: These parties aim to secure votes through the propagation
and indoctrination of a specific set of ideological beliefs. Their primary focus is on
promoting their ideology rather than solely winning elections.
○ Responsible Parties: These parties do not tailor their policies solely to maximize
votes. Instead, they emphasize maintaining certain principles and responsible
governance over simply winning elections.
○ Responsive Parties: For these parties, winning elections and maximizing votes
are the top priorities. They often adjust their policies and strategies to align with
the electorate's preferences to achieve electoral success.
○ Demagogic, Irresponsible Parties: These parties focus solely on maximizing
votes, often employing populist and irresponsible tactics to gain electoral
advantage without regard for consistent principles or responsible governance.
2. Challenges in Defining Political Parties:
○ Difficulty in Differentiation: It's often challenging to clearly distinguish political
parties from factions, interest groups, parliamentary groups, or political
movements. For example, in France, parliamentary groups may operate
independently of electoral opinion, and political movements can transcend
multiple parties or groups, complicating the definition.
○ Flexible Meaning: The term "political party" can vary widely in meaning. It can
refer to a small group committed to specific interests or a broad organization
motivated by various incentives such as patronage, career opportunities,
economic rewards, or ideological satisfaction.
3. Broader Definition of Political Parties:
○ Specialized Associations: Political parties are specialized associations aimed at
securing power for their leaders to attain ideal or material advantages. These
parties may emerge within various institutions, including trade unions,
corporations, universities, parliaments, or the state itself.
○ Modern Complexity: As societies become more modern, political parties tend to
become more complex, organized, and bureaucratic. Their central objective is to
capture power, either independently or in collaboration with others.
4. Curtis's Perspective on Parties:
○ Curtis defines a party as a group of people who share certain political beliefs or
who work together to support party candidates, achieve electoral victory, and
maintain political power.
The passage emphasizes a modern understanding of political parties, moving beyond the
classical definitions provided by thinkers like Edmund Burke

1. Modern View of Political Parties:

○ Specialized Associations: Political parties are described as specialized
associations. Their primary purpose is to secure power for their leaders within a
corporate group, aiming to achieve both idealistic (ideological) and material
(practical) advantages.
○ Diverse Origins: These associations can originate from various sectors, including
trade unions, corporations, universities, parliaments, or the state itself. When
they arise within the state, they are explicitly recognized as political parties.
2. Evolution with Society:
○ Increased Complexity: As societies modernize, political parties tend to become
more complex, organized, and bureaucratic. This evolution reflects the growing
intricacies of modern political and social structures.
○ Central Objective: Despite their complexity and varied origins, the central
objective of all political organizations remains the capture of power. They seek to
achieve this either independently or through collaboration with other entities.
3. Broader Implications:
○ Power Dynamics: The ultimate aim of political parties is to control power within
the political system. This control enables them to implement their agendas,
whether these are driven by ideological convictions or practical benefits.
○ Not Just Historical Views: The passage urges not to be constrained by historical
views like those of Edmund Burke, who saw parties as groups united by shared
principles. Instead, it suggests a more pragmatic view of parties as entities
focused on power acquisition and maintenance.
1. Distinguishing Political Parties from Pressure Groups:
○ Blurred Distinctions: The goal of attaining political power distinguishes political
parties from other groups in the political system, but this distinction can be
blurred. Both entities may perform similar functions in some contexts.
○ Analogous Situations: There are situations where the functions of political parties
and pressure groups overlap. For instance, groups like the Irish Nationalists in
the House of Commons before 1918, the Welsh Plaid Cymru, and the Scottish
Nationalist groups can exhibit characteristics of both political parties and
pressure groups.
○ Conceptual Differences:
■ Political Parties: Defined as organizations openly committed to broad
matters of public policy. They seek to assume direct responsibility for their
policies by aiming to monopolize or share political power.
■ Pressure Groups: These groups focus on interest articulation, aiming to
protect and promote specific interests through governmental influence
without assuming direct political responsibility. They represent
homogeneous interests seeking influence, whereas political parties aim to
reconcile diverse interests for policy decisions.
2. Determinants of Political Party Structure:
○ Religious Affiliation: Some parties are linked to specific religious faiths, such as
the MRP in France, Christian Democrats in Italy and Germany, and the Muslim
League in India.
○ Ethnic and Racial Connections: Examples include the Tamil Federal Party in Sri
Lanka, the People's Progressive Party of the East Indians, and the People's
National Congress in Guyana.
○ Sub-nationalism and Linguistic Factors: Parties may be based on
sub-nationalism (Flemish Nationalists in Belgium) or linguistic chauvinism
(Radical Party in France).
○ Caste: In India, parties like DMK and AIADMK are influenced by caste.
○ Leadership and Patronage: Some parties are held together by charismatic
leaders or patronage networks, such as Maurice Duplessis’s United National in
Quebec, Canada.
○ Receptacles for Disenchantment: Parties like the Social Credit Party of Canada
can serve as alternatives for those disenchanted with major parties.
○ Socio-economic and Regional Confederations: Parties like the Mapai of Israel
and the Liberal Party of Australia can act as confederations of various
socio-economic groups or regional organizations.

Determinants of Party Structure

1. Historical Factors:
○ Emergence and Development: Historical changes often spur the creation and
evolution of political parties. For instance, the implementation of the First Reform
Act of 1832 in England led to the development of political parties as a response
to broader suffrage and the need for political organization.
○ Urbanization and Mass Communication: The growth of urban areas and
advancements in mass communication facilitate the formation of political parties
by providing the necessary infrastructure and means for widespread political
engagement.
○ Political Attitudes and Support: Shifts in political attitudes and the need for
broader political support among elites drive the development of parties. This
process can be haphazard and uneven, as it depends on specific historical
contexts and changes.
2. Socio-Economic Factors:
○ Economic Development: The level of economic development influences party
competition and the nature of political parties. Different economic contexts, such
as urban versus rural societies or those marked by class conflict, shape the party
landscape.
○ Responses to Political Environments: In liberal-democratic states, the open
electoral competition mitigates the chances for totalitarian parties to thrive.
Conversely, in societies with significant nationalism or religious divisions, these
factors may become the primary bases for party formation.
 ○ Social Attitudes and Political Culture: The prevailing attitudes and values in a
society, as well as its political culture, significantly determine the types of political
parties that emerge.
3. Ideological Factors:
○ Ideologically Driven Parties: Some parties are formed and organized based on
specific ideologies. Socialist and Communist parties, for instance, aim to change
the status quo and address perceived injustices inflicted by the bourgeois class
on the proletariat.
○ Rightist Ideologies: Right-wing parties, like the Fascists in Italy, Nazis in
Germany, and Bharatiya Janata Party in India, often seek to maintain the status
quo, benefiting the existing ruling classes.
○ Non-Ideological Parties: Not all political parties are ideologically driven. In the
United States, the Democratic and Republican parties are primarily electoral
machines with little ideological commitment, as noted by Lord James Bryce.
These parties focus on electoral success rather than strict ideological adherence.

Functions of Political Parties

Selection of political parties

Formation of public policies

Conducting and criticism of government

Parties develop and maintain a sense of national unity.

They coordinate the branches of government wherever there is separation of powers.

They minimise the clash of economic interests, for the demands of various economic groups
find expression in party platform.

They permit the electorate to function.

Framing of political issues for the people

Selection of candidates

Establishment of a collective and continuing political responsibility, and Serving its agencies of
civic eduction or keeping the interests of the people alive.

(SAARA FUNCTIONS NAI LIYA HAI I THINK THESE MUCH ARE ENOUGH ALSO SAME
APPLIES FOR MERITS AND DEMERITS)

Merits

1. Facilitating Electoral Function:

 ○ National party organizations are essential for the effective functioning of the
electorate. They provide structure and organization to the electoral process,
enabling voters to make informed choices.
2. Preventing Political Chaos:
○ Without national party organizations, national politics would descend into chaos,
characterized by conflicts between competing groups. This would lead to
confusion and make it difficult to ascertain public opinion.

Contributions to National Unity

1. Development of National Identity:

○ Political parties play a crucial role in developing and maintaining a sense of
national identity. They provide a common platform for citizens to engage in
political discourse and express their shared values and goals.
2. Mitigation of Social Tensions:
○ Parties help mitigate social tensions by checking religious intolerance and
assimilating foreign elements into the national fabric. They also soften economic
conflicts by providing mechanisms for negotiation and compromise.

Demerits

1. Bias and Lack of Unbiased Judgment:

○ Parties create bias among voters, making it challenging for them to form entirely
unbiased judgments on policy questions or candidate merits.
2. Unnatural Divisions and Falsified Public Opinion:
○ Parties create artificial divisions, leading to a falsification of public opinion.
Instead of diverse opinions, voters are divided into compact groups, limiting the
range of perspectives.
3. Lack of Integration of Internal Differences:
○ Internal differences within parties are not integrated but merely suppressed to
maintain outward unity. This prevents genuine dialogue and compromises,
leading to a superficial unity.
4. Extreme Element Dominance:
○ Extreme elements within parties often dominate, overshadowing moderate
voices. Moderates become followers rather than leaders, unable to break away
from the party's dominant narrative.
5. Partial Causes and Lack of Integration:
○ Parties often reduce complex issues to simplistic 'yes' or 'no' propositions,
leading to a lack of integration of different perspectives. Voters may support a
party for a partial cause rather than considering the broader picture.
6. Misrepresentation of Public Opinion:
○ Extreme elements within parties may influence leaders to take actions or make
statements that do not reflect the desires of the majority. As a result, public
opinion remains misrepresented, and genuine concerns go unheard.
7. Inhibition of Genuine Representation:
○ The dominance of extreme elements inhibits genuine representation and hinders
the expression of diverse viewpoints within the political sphere.