Two-Party System in America

Every country in this world has its own jurisdiction and their own rules and policies which help them run their administration smoothly. There are government administrating bodies which undertake this responsibility of running the administration of a country. In every country there are parties which manage or control the system. These parties can be classified as a two-party system or a multi-party system. In a multi-party system you've got many parties competing for power, while in a two-party system you've got two independent parties which compete in an election to see who gets the power to run the country. In this article we are going to discuss on the two-party system in America and how it has been helpful.

A two-party system is one in which two big political parties run for elections through voting in nearly all departments of government. This means that in every government department the members elected are from one of the two parties. In a country which follows a two-party system legislature, the party with highest number of votes is called the majority party while the other is called a minority party. In countries like United Sates of America where only two-party system is followed there's less chance that a third-party may gain leverage. The main question that many people ask is how come a two-party system in America can survive? There's not a specific answer to this question. Some political science experts say that it can be due to a historical circumstance or it can be a sense of stability between the two parties. There are also some laws in the American constitution which help these two parties to survive. The two parties which are called the Republicans and Democrats also get support from media, companies and famous personalities (which are also an external finance source).

History of the Two Party System in America

After the Declaration of Independence and the successful resolution of the War for Independence, American colonies decided to join hands with various European powers to govern their homeland effectively. This gave birth to the Articles of Confederation which is the first constitution of the United States. But soon a big debate happened on the articles and finally they were termed as inadequate. This debate was between federalists vs anti-federalists. The federalists believed in taking the constitution forward and making it the most powerful, while the anti federalists prevented the federals from taking control. In 1789, the United States had a president (George Washington) but he was without a party. During his regime there was a strong rivalry between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. This resulted in Jefferson challenging Adams under the banner of Democratic-Republican Party. This incident sowed the seeds of the present two-party system. However, it was in 1856 that started Northern Abolitionist Movement, which gave birth to the Republican Party. Their first successful candidate was Abraham Lincoln in 1860. The period between 1860 and 1864 truly marks the beginning of a two system party in America which is still being followed.

However, the Great Depression changed the entire topic of Democrats vs Republicans. Republicans lost their popularity and hold over the American public. The Democrats emerged as the clear winner. After winning, they started working hard on their strategies and defined themselves as the people's party. A party which takes care of the poor, homeless and unemployed. This was a tough time, and the Republicans started rebuilding their image from a party for the rich and the privileged to the party of individual and state rights. However, this didn't change anything, and as per popularity surveys, an average American still prefers a Democrat over a Republican.

Two Party System in America Pros and Cons

In a two-party system, lot of differences between the Democratic and Republican party emerge and both the parties have their own side to support. The Republicans will take the right side and the Democrats will take the left. So, is America OK with this two-party system or should it give a try to multi-party systems. I think the pros and cons might help you make a better choice.

Pros

• Political experts and historians believe that two-party systems can help in modernization and help in focusing on problems in a much better way.
• It leads to political stability, which directly contributes to economic growth.
• Two party systems are much more easy to manage and have less complexities than multi-party systems.

Cons

• The biggest con of the two-party system is that people only have two options.
• A two-party system always discourages a minority third-party by oppressing their views and preventing them from voicing their opinions.
• In a multi-party government you have more and diverse view points which can always be taken into consideration.

So, this was a short description on the two-party system in America. Hope you've enjoyed reading it. You can definitely put in your feedback on this debatable topic.