{"product_id":"why-parties-john-h-aldrich-9780226012742","title":"Why Parties?: A Second Look","description":"\u003cp\u003eSince its first appearance fifteen years ago, \u003ci\u003eWhy Parties? \u003c\/i\u003ehas 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSurveying critical episodes in the development of American political parties--from their formation in the 1790s to the Civil War--Aldrich shows how they serve to combat three fundamental problems of democracy: how to regulate the number of people seeking public office, how to mobilize voters, and how to achieve and maintain the majorities needed to accomplish goals once in office. Aldrich brings this innovative account up to the present by looking at the profound changes in the character of political parties since World War II, especially in light of ongoing contemporary transformations, including the rise of the Republican Party in the South, and what those changes accomplish, such as the Obama Health Care plan. Finally, \u003ci\u003eWhy Parties? A Second Look \u003c\/i\u003eoffers a fuller consideration of party systems in general, especially the two-party system in the United States, and explains why this system is necessary for effective democracy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e John H. Aldrich\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0226012743\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780226012742\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Chicago Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/01\/2011\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 400\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.14lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.90h x 6.00w x 0.90d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 11\/01\/2011","brand":"John H. Aldrich","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":44042684268799,"sku":"9780226012742","price":31.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_c5b4f742-889a-403c-a1c4-3a3766e71a60.jpg?v=1684962940","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/why-parties-john-h-aldrich-9780226012742","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}