TWO-PARTY SYSTEM AND THE REASONS FOR THE FAILURE OF THIRD PARTIES IN THE UNITED STATES

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Associate Professor, Department of North American Studies, Faculty of World Studies, University of Tehran

2 Ph.D. Student of North American Studies, Faculty of World Studies, University of Tehran

Abstract

Since the formation of the Republican Party in 1854 and its replacement with the Whig Party, the Democratic and Republican parties have dominated the political scene of the United States and either of these two parties has won all presidential elections since then. This article intends to find out the reasons why the two-party system has persisted so far in the United States. Looking at the election system in the United States it is shown that this system itself serves as a barrier to the success of third parties. In addition, other barriers such as lack of financial resources, lack of ballot access, cultural and psychological barriers, flexibility of the two major parties in absorbing the important and challenging platform of third parties, and their monopoly over the current US politics boost the two-party system. Meanwhile, lack of media attention to third parties and negative coverage of third party candidates in the media as well as lack of elite support for third parties have contributed to their being considered as unimportant players in the Uni9ted States’ political scene.     

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History

  • Receive Date: 09 May 2012
  • Revise Date: 25 September 2013
  • Accept Date: 09 June 2012

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