Deck 11: Parties: a Linking and Leading Mechanism in Politics

Question 1

The two most important and powerful elements in Britain's Conservative Party are the:

A) constituency associations and members of the House of Commons
B) Central Office and the constituency associations
C) management board and the Central Office
D) party leader and the management board
E) members of the House of Commons and the party leader

Answer 1

E

Question 2

In multi-party systems it is common for no party to win enough votes to "form" a government without creating a ______________________.

Answer 2

coalition

Question 3

The first "modern" political parties developed in the USA.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Political parties pay special attention to their role in creating paths for new leadership. They can require time and energy to create experience or open the door to celebrities or others who are fast tracked.

Question 5

Which political system is used in your text as an example of a one-party system with a hierarchical organization and 80 million members? _______________

Question 6

The primary difference between a one-party and a dominant-party system is that in the latter, _____________________ function openly.

Question 7

Political parties provide: a basis for mobilization of masses; a means of recruiting and socializing political leaders; structured political identity; and _____________________.

Question 8

China's Communist Party:

A) is the sole political party in the country
B) does not tolerate any dissent
C) allows any citizen to become a member
D) has maintained rigid control over the economy since it first seized power
E) is loosely organized with very little hierarchy

Question 9

Political party affiliation and the political identity that goes with it can provide a person with continuity in a complex and rapidly changing political world.

Question 10

Real political parties are found only in democracies.

Question 11

An organization whose chief objective is to ensure that its officials attain power or retain power is called a ________________________.

Question 12

A political party is different from an interest group in that a political party:

A) seeks to raise funds from individuals
B) seeks to have its officials attain power
C) only exists in a democracy
D) can have a large number of members
E) seeks specific policy goals

Question 13

The first modern electoral democracy, and the development of the first political parties, occurred in:

A) France
B) Italy
C) the United States
D) Sweden
E) Holland

Question 14

In which of the following countries is strong support from a political party least necessary to have a successful political career?

A) France
B) Britain
C) China
D) United States
E) All of these countries require strong support from a political party

Question 15

Answer only in the framework of this chapter. Canada is an unusual political system in that it uses the SMDP electoral system and has a ___________________ political system.

Question 16

The political parties in the USA are legally prohibited from providing funds and other support to political parties in other countries.

Question 17

Canada's party system is unusual in that:

A) all parties have about equal support in all the provinces
B) it closely mirrors the party system of the United States
C) it has no parties that represent conservative viewpoints
D) it is a single-member plurality district system with at least four parties winning seats
E) it has had the exact same parties represented in the legislature for the last five decades

Question 18

The United States is best characterized as a:

A) one-party system
B) two-party system
C) dominant-party system
D) multiparty system
E) no-party system

Question 19

Political parties always function to mobilize support for the regime in power.

Question 20

Sources of funding for political parties include public funds, bribes, interest group donations, profits from business activities, subsidies from foreign countries and ________________________.

Question 21

Critical Thinking
How would elections be different if candidates for executive leadership had to announce in advance to the voters exactly who would serve as key advisors and administrators (i.e. cabinet, etc.)?

Question 22

Multi-party systems are more likely to offer a range of political platforms and choices for voters that are likely to align more clearly with individual voters.

Question 23

Critical Thinking
Could a modern political system function if all elections were non-partisan, that is, if no institutionalize political parties could play a role? In this case, would elections have to be financed completely with public funds?

Question 24

Coalitions that form in multi-party systems are often tentative and volatile and can breed instability for the regime.

Question 25

What factors keep political parties from creating platforms that are clear and specific?

Question 26

The Iron Law of Oligarchy states that political parties can never be faithful to the program or its constituency for which it was created. Leaders will take the party in other directions.

Question 27

Canada's political parties are dominated by their tight relationships with political parties in Great Britain.

Question 28

What factors lead to the formation of political parties?

Question 29

Write an essay about the different types of party systems. What are their characteristics and in what types of electoral systems do they tend to form?