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The Rise and Fall of Political Parties

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The Rise and Fall of Political Parties
December 20, 2010

I. Thesis Statement
While the question on whether or not they should be accepted as a legitimate means to express political disagreement is really up to the citizens. As long as the parties don't become too powerful then there shouldn't be a problem at all. If somebody wishes to express a disagreement and they don't agree with either of the current two parties then by all means let them start their own party. As long as the citizens agree with what you are saying it shouldn't really matter what political party you belong to or what political office. Political participation is influenced by many important factors, one of which is political parties. The participation of citizens is a fundamental component of modern democracy. Politics and participation can be carried out in a variety of forms, including but not limited to voting, campaigning, and group activities such as lobbying for interest groups.
In life it is important to develop an understanding of political parties. Political parties began in the United States and we now consider them an essential part of democracy. Parties serve five basic functions in a political system. First, they allow a method of communication between citizens and their government. Through communication, citizens are informed of the processes of government and politics, and also receive information regarding political issues. Next, parties provide representation of the citizens to the government. Third, parties provide interest articulation, in which citizens can identify their feelings on particular issues that are important to them, but not necessarily the rest of the population. Fourth, political parties are the sole means of aggregating these issues into larger categories, which can then be expressed to the government in a logical and persuasive form. Finally, political parties are the only sector of society in which political leaders are selected and recruited, to later be voted for or against by the public

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