United States, "third Party" And Its Political Function

The U.S. political party system, which is at the core of the U.S. political structure, is a very important component of American political system. Yet, most experts and researchers who study the U.S. political party system pay more attention to the traditional two grand parties—-the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. In fact, there are also "the Third Parties " on the American political arena besides the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. The Third Parties, which co-exist with the other two grand parties in the American political environments, are of special value and functions. This paper mainly deals with the brief account of the Third Parties, the reason why they came into being, the difficulties they face, the political function they perform and their developing trend.In the brief account, the author firstly defines the connotation of the Third Parties, which is the precondition for further research; secondly, makes an analytical comparison between the third parties and interest groups so that avoiding the confusion in understanding the two concepts. There are dozens of the third parties on the American political stage. In order to comprehend their individuality and essence, the author classifies them according to different criteria; and for a more clarified explanation of the characteristics of the American political system, the author divides the third party movement into several phases in the light of its ups and downs. The purpose to study the third parties is to know better the special political system in the U.S. and the policies in various periods.As to the birth of the third parties, what occurs to the scholars best and most directly is American pluralism in politics and culture. But actually some other in-depth causes also contribute to bring them into the world. In this paper the author analyzes these causes through various respects such as the special political system in the U.S., the legal guarantee for the third parties' development, the influence of modern liberalism political philosophy, the exceptive American values, and the American's strong preference for associations and parties.