United States

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA is a liberal democratic country, and the basic elements of democracy (majority rule, government by popular consent, one person one vote, and competitive elections, to name a few) are revered. In this liberal democratic country, certain core values have persisted since America's founding. The American creed stresses such values as individuality, liberty, unity, self-government, diversity and equality.

At times, these values may be contradictory. For example, individuality may come under attack when segments of society feel they are disenfranchised or disadvantaged or discriminated against, and therefore these segments of society believe they are unable to equally compete with others in society. In a country as diverse as the United States, people will have different opinions regarding the core values of the country, the direction they believe the country should move toward, and the methods of governmental and societal change. To the left side of liberalism on the political spectrum is social democracy and socialism, and to the far left, communism. These ideologies have existed and persisted in the United States, although they have never dominated American political thought. However, a lack of political domination does not mean that these ideologies have not had an effect on American political thought.

The American party system is a two-party dominated system, and this means that only two political parties have a real chance of dominating either the House of Representatives or the Senate, or of having their nominee elected president. Except for a brief period known as the Era of Good Feeling (1820–24), there have always been two dominant parties in America, although it has not always been the same two parties. Since the Civil War, party politics in America have been dominated by the Democrats and the Republicans (and although these two parties have persisted, they have both altered in their ideologies). This does not mean that other parties have not formed and existed and had an impact on American political life. Other parties, usually referred to as third parties, may represent ideas from either end of the political spectrum. Currently, there are many third parties that are conservative. Current parties that are left of center include the Communist Party, the Freedom Socialist Party/Radical Women, the Grassroots Party, the Green Party, the Labor Party, the Light Party, the Natural Law Party, the New Party, the New Union Party, the Peace and Freedom Party, the Revolution, the Socialist Action, the Socialist Equality Party, the Socialist Labor Party, the Socialist Workers Party, the World Workers Party, and the Young Communist Party, to name a few.

Third parties differ broadly in their origins and their intentions. Some third parties have been literally imported into the United States. For example, European radicals fleeing persecution in Europe in the mid-19th [Page 473]century found a haven in the United States and brought with them their socialists ideas. Other third parties arise from splits or factions within the dominant parties. Recognizing the dominance of the two-party system in the United States, most third parties have no intention of forming the government, but they do offer candidates as the most viable and visible way of garnering attention for their platforms. In a close election, such as the 2000 Presidential election, a third party may hold the balance of power. In rare instances, a third party may grandly claim to intend to win an outright electoral victory (for example, Ross Perot in both 1992 and 1996).

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