Functions of Political Parties: Political Parties and Conservatism in American History, Part 1
- Watch and listen to the 60-Second Civics video below. If you'd like, you can also read along using the script that appears below the quiz. Or you can turn on the video's subtitles and read while watching the video.
- Take the Daily Civics Quiz. If you get the question wrong, watch the video again or read the script and try again.
Dr. Lester Brooks, emeritus professor of American history at Anne Arundel Community College, explains the basic functions of political parties in the American political system.
Functions of Political Parties: Political Parties and Conservatism in American History, Part 1
Donna Phillips: Welcome to 60-Second Civics, the daily podcast of the Center for Civic Education. I’m Donna Phillips. Today we introduce our series on Political Parties and Conservatism in American History, as part of our Civil Discourse American Legacy project. We are joined by special guest, Dr. Lester Brooks, American History Professor Emeritus from Anne Arundel Community College. Welcome Dr. Brooks.
Dr. Lester Brooks: Thank you for having me.
Donna Phillips: Dr. Brooks, what are the functions of political parties?
Dr. Lester Brooks: When we look at political parties, there are a number of functions, starting out with ideology. That’s who gives us our ideology; our political parties. They essentially tell us what to think. They also provide candidates for us to choose from. They then engage in campaigning; electioneering for those candidates. Next there is monitoring. They monitor each other. So if you want to know what’s wrong with one political party, ask a member of the other political party. Lastly, there’s a unity. In all 50 states now there is a party; there’s a Republican Party, there’s a Democratic Party. And they are able to send messages and interact with one another on a state level as well as on a national level. So these are the basic functions that we see in political parties.
Donna Phillips: Great, thank you. Thanks so much for joining us Dr. Brooks. That’s all for today’s podcast. 60-Second Civics, where civic education only takes a minute.
