Party systems are a phenomenon that connects all aspects of life in each individual country. What explains such a bold statement? First of all, the essence of this phenomenon, a detailed consideration of which will be presented below.
Party systems and their types
In political science, it is customary to begin consideration of any social phenomenon with its characteristics. In this sense, party systems are special forms of organization of political power in a country where its main elements — political parties — are a determining factor. The definition appears rather vague, and therefore it is necessary to identify the main signs of the phenomenon under consideration.
Party systems are characterized by:
- relationship with the state - in this case we are talking about how much the state apparatus interacts with the party;
- the presence of legal parties - i.e. their legal approval by the state;
- the number of parties actually participating in political life;
- the ability to create legal coalitions.
In this regard, the definition given above should be changed. So, party systems are special forms of organizing political life in a country, according to which the number of key elements of the phenomenon under consideration and their relationship is determined.
However, signs are not only the basis of the characteristic. In fact, they determine the classifications that party systems are subject to. And their types can be represented as follows:
- according to the number of parties operating in the country (J. Sartori typology) - single-party (Cuba), with a leading party (China), with a dominant or dominant party (Japan until 1993), a system of simple pluralism (USA), moderate pluralism (Germany), extreme pluralism (the number of parties is more than 5, for example, Italy);
- Most political scientists cite a simpler division along the same lines, and it looks like this: one-party, two-party, atomized (unlimited number of parties) and multi-party.
- according to the legality of the existence of parties - non-party, with a fixed and named list of parties, with their free number.
The three classifications presented are basic. Be that as it may, but most political scientists separate party systems solely by the number of parties and their freedom of access to political life. It is this approach that reveals the relationship between the system and its main element.
Political Parties and Party Systems
A political party always appears as the main element of the phenomenon under consideration. From what content the current players in the political arena have, on the whole, the current system and its development take shape. Or rather, the transition from one species to another.
The content of a political party is determined by the means by which it seeks influence in the state. The funds are divided into democratic and quasi-democratic. There are many examples in history when the methods de facto hidden under the guise of caring for the people and their interests were authoritarian. This situation is explained by the simple use of the institution of suffrage inherent in most modern countries.
So, political parties and party systems are connected in the following aspects:
- the party system determines which parties and in what quantity will function in the territory of a certain state;
- the actual number of parties in the country's political arena determines the type of system, and, consequently, its development;
- legal consolidation of the system depends on which parties are currently in power;
- a change in the actual quantity and quality of political parties inevitably leads to a transformation of the system.
These are the main key points that determine the type of government and political regime in the country, as well as the essence of the state itself.
