Why parties? : a second look

Aldrich, John H. 1947- (Author).

Summary: "Since its first appearance fifteen years ago, Why Parties' has become essential reading for anyone wishing to understand the nature of American political parties. In the interim, the party system has undergone some radical changes. In this landmark book, now rewritten for the new millennium, John H. Aldrich goes beyond the clamor of arguments over whether American political parties are in resurgence or decline and undertakes a wholesale reexamination of the foundations of the American party system.

Record details

ISBN: 9780226012735 (hardcover : alk. paper)
ISBN: 0226012735 (hardcover : alk. paper)
ISBN: 9780226012742 (pbk. : alk. paper)
ISBN: 0226012743 (pbk. : alk. paper)
Physical Description: print
xi, 387 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.
Edition: [2nd ed.].
Publisher: Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 2011.

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 349-366) and index.

Formatted Contents Note:

Part 1: Political parties and democracy. Politics and parties in America ; Why parties form -- Part 2: Party formation in America, 1790-1860. Prologue ; Founding the first parties : institutions and social choice ; Jacksonian democracy : the mass party and collective action ; Whigs and republicans : institutions, issue agendas, and ambition -- Part 3: The new political party in contemporary America. Prologue ; Party activists and partisan cleavages ; Political parties and governance ; The critical era of the 1960s -- Part 4: Conclusions. Political parties, historical dynamics, and democratic politics.