Political Parties
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WHAT IS A POLITICAL PARTY?
A political party is a political organization that seeks to attain political power within a government usually by participating in electoral campaigns ,meaning through elections or through revolution.Political parties are found in the vast majority of countries and in most political systems. The only parts of the world in which they do not exist are those where they are suppressed by dictatorship or military rule.Being the vital link between the state and the civil society ,the development of parties is a mark of political modernization.Parties may be authoritarian or democratic.By the late 1950s ,80% of the world’s states were ruled by political parties.The waves of democratization in the 1980s and 1990s led to a renewed flourishing of parties.Previously, what were called �factions’ were little more than groups of like-minded politicians formed around a key leader or family developed as a result of the struggle for influence amongst notables and advisers.Many conservative and liberal parties started political life as legislative factions. Whereas ,socialist parties and parties representing religious ,ethnic and language groups were invariably born as social movements or interest groups operating outside government.Then,they transformed into fully fledged parliamentary parties in the hope of winning formal representation and shaping public policy.
CLASSIFICATION OF POLITICAL PARTIES
There are various types to classify political parties.The most important are the following:
I)Cadre and mass parties
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The term cadre party originally meant a party of notables,dominated by an informal group of leaders who saw little point in building up mass organization.They rely on a politically active elite that is capable of offering ideological leadership to the masses.For example,we have the Communist Party of the Soviet Union,the Nazi Party,the Fascist Party…
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A mass party places a heavy emphasis on broadening membership and constructing a wide electoral base.They place heavier stress on recruitment and organization than on ideology and political conviction .For example,we have UK Labour Party.
“Catch-all” parties are parties that drastically reduce their ideological baggage in order to appeal to the largest possible number of voters.These parties differ from the classical model of a mass party in that they emphasize leadership and unity,and downgrade the role of individual party members in trying to build up broad coalitions of support rather than relying on a particular social class. Catch all parties can be found in the US(Democrats and Republicans).
II)Representative and integrative parties
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Representative parties see their primary function as being the securing of votes in elections.They attempt to reflect ,.rather than shape ,public opinion.They adopt a catch-all strategy. Politicians are seen as power-seeking creatures who are willing to adopt whatever policies are likely to bring them electoral success.
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Parties of integration adopt proactive,rather than reactive,political strategies;they wish to mobilize ,educate and inspire the masses rather than respond to their concerns.This approach was adopted by the UK Conservatives under Margaret Thatcher.
III)Constitutional and revolutionary parties
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Constitutional parties acknowledge the rights of other parties and thus operate within a framework of rules and constraints.They acknowledge that there is a division between the party(meaning the party in power,government of the day) and the state(meaning the state institutions).They also respect the rules of electoral competition.
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Revolutionary parties are antisystem or anticonstitutional parties, either left or of the right.Such parties aim to seize power and overthrow the existing constitutional structure using popular revolution.When such parties win power,they suppress rival parties and establish a permanent relationship with the state machinery.
IV)Left-wing and right-wing parties
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The Left (progressive, socialist and communist parties) are characterized by a commitment to change,in the form of either social reform or wholesale economic transformation.They have traditionally gain support from the poor and the disadvantaged.
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The Right (conservative and fascist parties) generally uphold the existing social order and are a force of continuity.All parties encompass their own left or right wings.
FUNCTIONS OF PARTIES
The impact of political parties on the political system is greater and more complex than their central function which is the filling of political office and the wielding of government power.We can identify several functions as follows:
Representation
Representation is seen as the primary function of parties.It refers to the capacity of parties to respond and articulate the views of both members and the voters.They ensure that the government heeds the needs and wishes of the larger society.However some see that parties act like businesses seeking for consumers,the voters.
Elite formation and Recruitment
Parties are considered responsible for providing states with their political leaders.Politicians achieve office by virtue of their party post;they are usually party leaders where the leader of the largest party in the assembly often becomes prime minister.Parties provide a training ground for politicians,equipping them with skills ,knowledge and experience ,and offering them some form of career structure.
Goal formulation.
Political parties are of one of the means through which societies set collective goals and ensure that they are carried out,attracting popular support.They are a major source of policy initiation.In parliamentary systems,they claim a mandate to implement their policies if they are elected to power. However, policy implementation is carried out by bureaucracies rather than parties.
Interest articulation and aggregation
Parties also help to articulate and aggregate the various interests found in society through their close relationship with the state and the economy.They can recruit interests and groups in an attempt to broaden their electoral base.
Socialization and mobilization
Parties help with the formation of governments