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Political parties were born in the United States of America. The text on this page details the birth and development of political parties in America and highlights their main characteristics while paying special attention to the function they perform in the political system (the word here is: patronage parties). The function they perform in the political system is also addressed by another text in this section [...to the text on "the function of parties in the USA"].
In the same way as its political and legal peculiarities, America's parties and their special characteristics continue to take Europeans aback: America's two largest parties, the Democrats and the Republicans, present themselves today as patronage parties; as a loosely organized patchwork of economic, social and ethnic interests groups: as electoral cartels made up of fundamentally different local and regional party groupings with some personnel but few programmatic political similarities. Nevertheless, these special features should not obscure the fact that the history of modern parties began during the early stages of the American republic.
As early as 1800, the rough outlines of modern parties could be recognized in the USA: Organizations set up for the long-term, representing broad-based political positions, creating a reliable voter base, generating communications channels and recognized leadership systems at a national, state and regional level, and carrying out public relations work using party orientated media. By the early 19th century, the US party system was beginning to develop its unique characteristics, to form patronage parties and to develop into the two-party system that still exists today. From the very beginning, American parties were primarily concerned with the allocation and appointment of political office at all state levels and developed a cavalier, hands-on desire for power and extremely practical practices. In a society that made a clear distinction between the church and the state and in which political and economic liberalism was regarded as natural law there was room neither for confession-based nor ideologically-based parties. In the same vain, class-based parties would have had little success in holding their own over the long-term in a society that had overcome class prejudice, that offered equal opportunity for all and whose "open frontiers" to the west offered new opportunity for all those unhappy with their lives. Under the presidency of Andrew Jackson (1829-1837), the patronage party was able to establish itself completely. The "man of the people" wanted to test the dogma of sovereignty of the people by making it possible for citizens to elect directly in free elections as many officials as possible at a state and regional level - town sheriffs, senior fire brigade officers, as well as district attorneys, judges, school administration officers and people performing a political function at a regional and state level. Elections on this scale required organization, and the political parties provided this. The president of the USA, governors and mayors would appoint all remaining office-bearers while being crosschecked by the parties. Jackson's democratization ideology marked out clearly the direction in which the political parties would march. They now saw themselves as movements dedicated to providing their active members with public office and state contracts. The internal organization moved further and further away from the democratic ideal. Professional "business people" took over the "running" of the party and appointed a carefully selected body of officials. This well-oiled party apparatus that distributed state office and state contracts, was paid for its services on a "commission" basis or by other services, manipulated party conventions and brought the "herd of voters" to the ballot box. "Herd of voters" referred to the lower classes, especially new immigrants, who were granted social help for tactical reasons. It was not until the turn of the 20th century that these traditional patronage parties disappeared. The disappearance of these parties was brought about by reforms to the law which forced parties to democratize the way in which internal personnel decisions were taken and to disclose party finances. A civil service was also created which was largely protected against interference by the parties. The transformation of the night watchman state into the modern welfare state "new deal" prompted parties to develop more socially and economically friendly policies and to represent the interests of groups, where the old patronage parties had concentrated mainly on the interests of individuals. As before the organizational focus of parties remains at a state and local level, this means, in the places where the most public office posts are appointed at elections. Nevertheless, parties now embody a wider range of differing social groups and differences in focus do exist between the parties. Since the 1930s it can be said (with increasing reservation) that the Democratic Party represents the trade union movement of the industrialized Northeast and Midwest, the blacks, Jews (and some other ethnic groups) and that the Republicans represent the interests of big and medium-sized businesses, banks, residents of the suburbs and many in agriculture. Indeed, it is exactly this need to form a coalition of interests among differing groups that forces parties to be pragmatic and willing to compromise. But it also makes them appear incapable of offering continual and uniform government policy. [Hartmut Wasser; taken from: Informationen zur politischen Bildung 199, "Politisches System der USA", Bonn BpB 1997]
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Subjects: Human
Rights I Democracy I Parties
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Europe
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Globalisation
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