Democratic systems of government exist at the present time in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany. What distinguishes a system of government as a democracy typically includes free speech and media, free elections, and multiple political parties. Political parties are formed through building a consensus among diverse individuals based on an overall party agenda or platform. The choices, values, and norms of the individual parties are representative of those of its members. Capitalism also impacts party affiliation because in modern America, for instance, labor is pitted against business (the democratic and republican parties respectively), but the same might be said to be true in the United Kingdom and Germany as it struggles with the transition from communism to democracy economically and socially. Yet, while the US, UK, and Germany share similarities when it comes to political party formation and affiliation, the UK and Germany experience a more regionalized, pluralist form of democracy than the national bipartisan American system. How present institutional structures in these country influence party formation and activity will also be addressed. A conclusion will offer a plausible future scenario for democracy in the three countries being analyzed.
The impact of institutions and social structures on the two-party system of democracy in the US is readily apparent as we sit in the midst of a near Constitutional crisis awaiting the decision on who will be our next president. Because of the election indecision, we have a situation of tension and anxiety with much at stake. This atmosphere has made those who are affiliated with either party draw their swords, sharply divide, and prepare for battle. Because of this unique situation in American political history, we can now see more clearly than at other times how social institutions impact party affiliation and activity. We clearly see that big business, (oil, ...