PLSC 2120
Political Parties
First Exam Review
Fall 2004

• Political Parties and Interest Groups
  • functions and differences
    
  
  
• Development of American parties and party system
  • Shifting party coalitions
    
    • Realignments
      
      • causes, explanations, controversies
        
  
  
  • Changing role of parties in American politics
    
    • Impact of:
      
      • progressive reforms
        
      • changing role of government
        
  
  
• Characteristic of American Parties and Party System
  • Two party competition
    
    • explanations of 2 party system
      
    • determinants of level of competition
      
  • Decentralized power structures
    
    • reasons
      
    • nationalizing influences
      
  • Broad based electoral support
    
  • Moderate, non-programmatic parties
    
  • Ambiguous membership
    
  • Quasi-public institutions
    
  
  
• Party Organizations
  • Nature of Party Structures
  • Incentives to be a party activist
  • Components of party organizational strength and historical patterns
    
    • formal authority
      
    • organizational complexity
      
    • programmatic capacity
      
  • Hill committees
    
  
  
• Nominations
  • State and Congressional offices
    
  • reasons for and impact of Direct Primary
    
    • types and differences
      
  • Presidential nomination
    
    • processes of delegate selection
      
      • presidential primaries
        
      • state party caucuses
        
      • automatic delegates
        
    • role of the national nominating conventions
      

The exam will also feature one of the following essay questions. Since the question will be selected at random, your best bet it is to study for each of them and to not try to anticipate which one will actually appear on the exam.

1. It is widely agreed by party scholars that the American political parties are essentially decentralized in nature. Briefly explain what this means and why this seems to be the case. How, and to what extent, have the parties attempted to counter this situation?

2. There has been much discussion in recent years over whether or not the United States has undergone a party realignment. Briefly explain what a realignment is and how it is presumed to take place, then discuss why it is that political scientists could not agree over whether or not such a realignment has occured in the last 30 years or so.

3. Describe the process by which the political parties nominate their candidates for president. How has this process changed over time and what effect has it had on the role of party organizations in the electoral process?