John h aldrich why parties summary

Contents Acknowledgments Pt. How and why do party alignments change? Are the party-centred elections of the past better for democratic politics than the candidate-centered elections of the present?

In this book, John Aldrich goes beyond the arguments over whether American political parties are in resurgence or decline and undertakes a wholesale re-examination of the foundations of the American party system. Surveying three critical episodes in the development of American political parties - from their formation in the s to the Civil War - Aldrich shows how parties serve to combat three fundamental problems of democracy: how to regulate the number of people seeking public office; how to mobilize voters; and how to achieve and maintain the majorities needed to accomplish goals once in office.

Overcoming these obstacles, argues Aldrich, is possible only with political parties. Aldrich brings this account up to date by looking at the profound changes in the character of political parties since World War II. In the s, he shows, parties started to become candidate-centred organizations that are servants to their office seekers and officeholders. Aldrich argues that this development has revitalized parties, making them stronger, and more vital, with well-defined cleavages and highly effective governing ability.

Bibliographic information. Browse related items Start at call number: JK A46 In the interim, the party system has undergone some radical changes. In this landmark book, now rewritten for the new millennium, John H. Aldrich goes beyond the clamor of arguments over whether American political parties are in resurgence or decline and undertakes a wholesale reexamination of the foundations of the American party system.

Surveying critical episodes in the development of American political parties—from their formation in the s to the Civil War—Aldrich shows how they serve to combat three fundamental problems of democracy: how to regulate the number of people seeking public office, how to mobilize voters, and how to achieve and maintain the majorities needed to accomplish goals once in office.

Aldrich brings this innovative account up to the present by looking at the profound changes in the character of political parties since World War II, especially in light of ongoing contemporary transformations, including the rise of the Republican Party in the South, and what those changes accomplish, such as the Obama Health Care plan. Finally, Why Parties? A Second Look offers a fuller consideration of party systems in general, especially the two-party system in the United States, and explains why this system is necessary for effective democracy.

Chicago Studies in American Politics. History: American History. Political Science: American Government and Politics. Document Type: Book review.

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