Political Parties: Role and Impact on Modern Society
The Role of Political Parties in Modern Society
The mass political party has become an indispensable instrument of mediation between society and the state. We use the term “parties” to refer to organized and stable associations that seek social support for their ideology, compete for power, and participate in the political orientation of the state. The word “party” has its etymological origin in military language: a party was a group of soldiers who were introduced behind enemy lines. In the contemporary political scene, parties occupy a position of high visibility. Their presence in the state tends toward monopoly, and their appearance in the media is constant. However, this presence does not always enjoy a good reputation.
Evolution of Political Parties
Modern society is classified as either a state-society of parties or a system of totalitarian democracy. This same society once regarded parties as divisive elements. From Rousseau, with his thesis of the general will, the Jacobins (Robespierre, Danton, Marat) were seen as enemies of parties because they felt that society was indivisible. They believed there could not be factions that broke up society and called into question the unity of popular sovereignty.
Party-State: The classical liberal state (Trieppel) won with parties against absolute monarchies (with suffrage and the rights of citizens). However, it ignored the existence of parties, and there was a total rejection of them. The Chapelli Act of 1791 prohibited any partisan organization. Finally, their constitutionalization occurred, and the classical liberal state was transformed into a social democratic state (after World War II) with the full incorporation of parties into the state structure.
Functions of Political Parties
Parties are a result of the gradual evolution of mass politics. For a long time, they were only organizations without legal recognition. If they have persisted in the political arena, it is because they perform certain functions in mediating between the political arena and other areas of collective life.
A. Social Functions
- Socialization: Organization and mobilization of public opinion.
- Representation and articulation of interests.
- Legitimization of political systems.
B. Institutional Functions
- Recruitment and selection of political elites.
- Organization and realization of elections.
- Organization and functioning of parliaments.
- Organization and operation of the government.
Detailed Social Functions
1. Political Socialization
Political socialization is a process of acquisition for individuals within a society. It involves internalizing patterns, ideologies, etc., to encourage the integral development of human beings. This function had its golden period at the beginning of the 20th century, when large mass parties recruited millions of people. These parties not only fulfilled socialization functions but also provided literacy and primary education. Subculture was presented as bourgeois culture. According to Marx, “What dominates is imposed.” The dominant ideology of society is the ideology of the dominant class. Labor movements, especially until the 1930s, had the role of fighting against this dominant ideology. This role was later taken on by the family, schools (when they became mandatory), television, universities, and other institutions engaged in socialization.
2. Organization and Mobilization of Public Opinion
The concept of public opinion has very diffuse contours. Political parties have the function of collecting opinions, organizing them, and giving them meaning to represent a homogeneous, compact whole. The loss of political importance of parliaments means that public opinion is channeled through political parties. By their very nature, parties allow the expression of views, opinions, and criteria of civil society and channel them effectively. Parties are largely channels of political communication.
3. Representation and Articulation of Interests
Parties are the result of conflicts that occur in society. Their obligation, as well as representing society, is to articulate the views of social classes. Today, political parties are accumulators, mosaics representing diverse interests. As they lose specific interests, they come to represent many interests.
4. Legitimization of Political Systems
Political parties serve to integrate and legitimize the political system. Their very existence is a usual measure of the degree of democracy of a particular regime. It is generally agreed that if there are no parties, there is no democracy.