The Development of the Modern Party System in Western Europe

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The concept of Political Parties has been an evolving concept and framework that emerged after the American formation of political parties in the 18th century. Political scientist Edmond Burke, stated in 1770 that political parties are “ a body of men united for promoting, by joint endeavors, some principles which they all agree.” Professor Feigenbaum broadened upon this definition by stating that political parties are an institution that represents diverse yet compatible interests . Both of these definitions led to recognition that political parties develop in a nation parallel to the development of the society and show the nations cleavages and triumphs. Thus, the recent changes to the political parties in The United Kingdom, France, and Germany are parallel to the recent changes in their society, such as the evolution of new social movements that have changed the electoral composition and decentralized the basic party organizations. In recent years it has been made clear that the classic two-party system of early post-war Britain has given way to a more complex picture in which distinctive party systems operate at national, regional, local and European level. This shift to a multi-party system can be seen to have begun after the coal strike of 1972-73, where the Labor party lost members to the Liberal party or to other nationalist parties. This event and its effects on The British political parties coincide with a statement that John Milton said in 1644, “ truth is to be found through argument.” This statement coupled with the effects of the coal strike show that the true prerequisite for the discovery and formation of political parties is that there must be the creation and then the acceptance of organized opposition. T... ... middle of paper ... ...nto account the biggest political demonstrations and interests of the French population, Immigration. Thus, The political parties in France must be able to change their positions and political spectrum according to the mode, interests, and demographics of the French population. This is due to the lack of French political party loyalty and must appeal to the increasing population of citizens who have turned to political participation through the form of protests due to increased disengagement in French Politics. Works Cited Burke, Edmond. Thoughts on the Cause of the Present Discontents. London: Printed for Printed for J. Dodsley, 1770. Kesselman, Mark. European Politics in Transition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2009.Print. Gaspard, Françoise. "Rediscovering the citizen." A small city in France . Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1995. 170. Print.

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