1102GIR Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Kuomintang, Single Transferable Vote, Anthony Downs
L5. Parties and Elections
Political Parties
• A political party is a group of citizens that shares common political views and/or goals, and
who seek elected office together
o Difference between interest groups and political parties
• Seeking elected office together
o Issues with definition
• Many examples of political parties which don't seek elected office due to not
holding elections (excluding rule by military, as they usually operate alongside a
party)
▪ E.g. The Ba'ath Party in Syria and Iraq (came to power through a coup), the
Bolsheviks in the former Soviet Union and the Chinese Nationalist Party
(excluding Taiwan)
▪ Typically, these parties place bans on all other political parties and then
become equivalent to the state
• So to get anywhere in politics in these states, you must be a member
of this party
• E.g. The Soviet Union
• However, this definition is reliable in our part of the world
• Elections are the most important institution in terms of putting democracy into practise
o If we define democracy as rule by the people, then we need a way of implementing
peoples' opinions
• Like mass and universal suffrage, political parties are a relatively new phenomenon (19th
century)
• Suffrage
o The right to vote
o Late 19th century - early 20th century radical changes in terms of democracy occurred
• Mass suffrage (shift from property owning men being allowed to vote to all men
being allowed to vote)
• Universal suffrage (the extension of voting to women)
• Led to a sudden increase in voters and a larger section of the population (the
masses) being able to vote
• Parties can
o Represent interests (cadre)
• Often represent narrow sections of society and their political interests and
concerns
▪ E.g. Republicans and Democrats (represented different elite interests in the
US in the 19th century)
o Mobilise masses (mass)
• Getting people from around different areas to support one cause
• 19th century: Urbanisation of communities (farmers moving to cities) and
industrialisation occurred rapidly, leading to a period of industrial society and
increasing the populations in cities, which then led to peasants coming together to
form unions
▪ E.g. Labour Movement in Queensland
• Was created by shearers and sugar cane workers, which made up a
large population of Queensland
o Formulate compromises (catch-all)
Party Organisation
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Document Summary
Political parties: a political party is a group of citizens that shares common political views and/or goals, and who seek elected office together, difference between interest groups and political parties. Issues with definition: many examples of political parties which don"t seek elected office due to not holding elections (excluding rule by military, as they usually operate alongside a party, e. g. The ba"ath party in syria and iraq (came to power through a coup), the. Bolsheviks in the former soviet union and the chinese nationalist party (excluding taiwan: typically, these parties place bans on all other political parties and then become equivalent to the state. So to get anywhere in politics in these states, you must be a member of this party: e. g. The soviet union: however, this definition is reliable in our part of the world, elections are the most important institution in terms of putting democracy into practise.