political party

Introduction & Top Questions
Types of political party
- Cadre parties
- Mass-based parties
Parties and political power
- The struggle for power
- Participation in power
- Power and representation
Party systems
- Multiparty systems
- Two-party systems
  - The American two-party system
  - The British two-party system
- Single-party systems
  - The communist model
  - The fascist model
  - The single party in less-developed countries
Future of political parties

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images & Videos

A large crowd of Rwandan Patriotic Front supporters holds up red, white, and blue FPR flags and campaign posters at a political rally in Kayonza, Eastern Province.

The difference between a primary and caucus, explained

Francois Hollande stands on stage with arms raised, smiling and waving to a cheering crowd holding campaign flags, with supporters clapping behind him.

Soldiers in uniform march in formation with high steps during a parade in Rome, Italy, commemorating the 15th anniversary of the Voluntary Fascist Militia for National Security.

Crowds fill the street around an open car carrying uniformed officials, waving and holding signs, during a political procession in Tirana, Albania, April 1939.

Italian Fascist Party members and German officers in uniform stand on steps outside a building in Nuremberg, Germany, giving fascist salutes during a 1936 arrival ceremony.

Queen Elizabeth II, wearing a plaid skirt and using a cane, shakes hands with Liz Truss, dressed in a dark suit, in a sitting room at Balmoral Castle.

Emblem of the Jacobin Club featuring an oval wreath with a bow at the bottom and the French motto Libre ou Mourir, meaning Free or Die, inside the center.

At a Glance

political party summary

Related Questions

How can a shadow cabinet help an opposition party prepare to govern in Great Britain?
How can a third-party candidate change the outcome of a presidential election without winning?
How can political parties also concentrate power in the hands of a small group of leaders?
How did Theodore Roosevelt’s 1912 presidential campaign affect the Republican vote?
How did early political factions differ from modern mass-supported political parties?
How did liberal and conservative cadre parties reflect conflict between the bourgeoisie and aristocracy?
How did political machines gain control of local governments in the United States?
How did the British Labour Party combine trade unions and political activity in its early structure?
How did the introduction of primary elections challenge the power of party machines?
How do British legislative elections help select both a parliament and a prime minister?
How do political parties help majorities prevail in legislatures?
How do political parties raise money for election campaigns?
How do political parties try to gain and exercise political power?
How do political parties use campaign workers to support candidates?
How do primary elections affect the selection of candidates in the United States?
How do revolutionary parties differ from parties that seek power through elections?
How does a presidential system in the United States make it difficult for third parties to win national elections?
What role did a political boss play in a U.S. political machine?
What role do party labels play during elections?
Why are U.S. political parties often described as decentralized and flexible?
Why are coalition governments sometimes less stable than single-party governments?
Why are independent and competitive political parties considered a basic standard of democracy?
Why can small parties exist in a country with a two-party system?
Why did James Madison initially view factions as a danger to democracies?
Why did political machines lead to corruption in some U.S. cities and counties?
Why did political machines sometimes provide jobs and services to immigrants?
Why did some communist parties in the 1920s use both elections and underground revolutionary activity?
Why do coalition governments often form in multiparty systems?
Why do party leaders often retain influence over candidate selection?
Why do some governments provide public funding to political parties?
Why do third parties in the United States often influence major-party platforms without winning many elections?
Why has bipartisan cooperation sometimes occurred in the U.S. Congress?
Why have the Democratic and Republican parties remained dominant in the United States?
Why were cadre parties dominated by wealthy and politically influential people in the 19th century?
Why were conservative parties often linked to religious organizations in Roman Catholic countries?
How many political parties are there in the U.S.?
How many political parties are there in the U.K.?

Politics, Law & Government Politics & Political Systems

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External Websites

Projects at Harvard - Social Movements and Political Parties (PDF)
ABC listen - Rear Vision - Political Parties

Britannica Websites

Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

political party - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
political party - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

political party

political science

Written by

Maurice Duverger

Emeritus Professor of Political Science, University of Paris I. Member, European Parliament. Author of Les Partis politiques.

Maurice Duverger

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Nov. 8, 2026 •History

political party, a group of persons organized to acquire and exercise political power. Political parties originated in their modern form in Europe and the United States in the 19th century, along with the electoral and parliamentary systems, whose development reflects the evolution of parties. The term party has since come to be applied to all organized groups seeking political power, whether by democratic elections or by revolution. In earlier, prerevolutionary, aristocratic and monarchical regimes, the...

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