German

vs. American Political Systems 1

German vs. American Political Systems

Cameron J. Ivory

Indiana University
German vs. American Political Systems 2

With all eyes on the presidential election going on in the U.S, people are starting

once again to focus more on what the government is doing and how it is being run more

then the average American does during a non-election year. One aspect of the

government that stays incredibly uniform and unchanged is the fact that this country for

decades has only had two major parties running it. And with criticism of both parties at

an all time high many question why we only have two dominate parties and not more. A

political system that has more than two parties unlike the U.S is Germany. Germany has a

multi-party political system that is able to distribute seats in their government more

closely to what the popular vote indicates. In order for America to get back on track and

establish a fair and prosperous government with less ridicule we will have to adopt the

multi-party system, so that American citizens truly have the power to choose who leads

the country.

The United States is a country that follows the two party system, and many people

favor what the two party system has to offer, however there are many cons that come

with the choice of this political ideology. The people turn out to vote and they decide

whom they think will best run the country, except most states and most votes really do

not go towards the final decision for the president. The Electoral College is the body that

has the real power of selecting the president based off the popular vote (Bianco, Canon

314). However in some instances when one candidate has the popular vote they do not

get the nod from the Electoral College. In the race of Bush vs. Gore, Gore had the

popular vote and still lost the election because the Electoral College decided on another

path. Another issue is the limit on ideas that can be represented (TEST funda). With only

two major parties there are only a certain amount of ideas that the parties will choose to
German vs. American Political Systems 3

believe and implement into their party plan. This leaves citizens with no a lot of choices

on some policies and ideas that they may truly believe in. Ideas in this world tend to

change a lot and public opinion and public acceptance has come a long way from what it

used to be. But, the two party system implements firm beliefs within the parties that tend

to not change even if there is a public outcry for alteration (TEST funda). An example of

this stubbornness to change can be seen in gay marriage. Many republicans even though

federal law allows marriage between two couples of the same sex many politicians still

choose to not support it.

Another political system that is seen as a possible replacement for the U.S to

consider is one that has been adopted by Germany after WWII, and that is the multi-party

system. The multi-party system has its bonuses over the two party system but it too has

some negative factors attached to it. An issue that can arise in a multi-party system is the

fact that since there are multiple political parties the majority opinions and ideologies

may be spread out within different parties. This is a problem because if majority is split

among different parties then this gives a higher chance for minority ideas to win out

(TEST funda). The purpose of elections is to select the person who the MAJORITY of the

country wants to lead, and if the winner of the election has policies that are not favored

then it could lead to bad leadership. And bad leadership can come from leaders that have

extremely radical views, which are some of the threats that come from the multi-party

system (TEST funda). It gives the radicals a chance to have their voice heard every

election and it increases their odds of possibly being elected. Since there is more parties

that people focus the majority opinion may not be held by one single party and this mean

the majority vote required to win is less then what it is in the U.S.
German vs. American Political Systems 4

Many people believe that what the U.S has is a good political system and one that

works efficiently and fair. The Unites States two party system is an efficient one and easy

to understand because it leaves the voters with a simple choice (TEST funda). Left or

right, Democrat or Republican. Americans like simple yet efficient and the two party

system does just that. One of the weaknesses of the multi-party system was the fact that

the minority could squeeze its way through and take control of the government. In the

political system the United States uses it protects the majority ideas and beliefs from the

minority much better then the political system in Germany does (TEST funda). The

American people are comfortable with the system now and changing it would only stir up

controversy, but sometimes change is necessary, progress is impossible without change,

and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything (George Bernard

Shaw).

And in order to better our political system the U.S should adopt the multi-party

system for many reasons. Unlike what one may think there are typically about 5

parties seriously represented in the race for power (Raymond A. Smith), and this

allows the citizens to find the party that will best fit their ideologies (TEST funda).

With more choices the voters can find the perfect party that they best associate with

and can really feel unpressured to make a decision on a party that may not best

represent their interests. Critics of the political system will still say that radical and

minority ideology pursuing partys can sneak their way in, however parties are not

allowed to enter the Bundestag unless they get a 5% approval rating (Raymond A.

Smith). As I have stated before the purpose of elections and voting is to have the

people choose whom they want and to have their interests represented. Multi-party
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systems are actually more responsive to public opinion then the two party systems is

(TEST funda). Since public opinion is a key factor as to winning the election many of

the parties really pay attention to what the people want. However the biggest issue

that critics point out is the fact that if there is no majority a coalition is formed, where

both parties come together. In Germany these have provided reasonably stable

governments and a successful coalition can introduce an effective system of checks

and balances on the government that can promote political moderation (Ajay

Rathore).

The multi-party system is the key for the U.S to take the next step to better the

political system that is under so much scrutiny right now. It is a more efficient way to

run government, it allows the people a more personal choice in which party to

support, and it allows multiple parties and platforms to be heard. The U.S is stuck in

system that only allows the rich and powerful to have their voices be heard and many

Americans are beginning to get upset. If this country wants to give the power back to

the people as the constitution says it should then America is going to have to shift

over to the multi-party system. To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change

often (Winston Churchill).

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Resources

TestFunda. (2008, Nov 8). A Comparison of Political Systems: Multi-Party vs.

Two-Party. Retrieved from http://testfunda.com/examprep/mba-resource/current-

affairs/article/a-comparison-of-political-systems-multiparty-vs-

twoparty.htm?assetid=1795070b-fc2b-4260-9fc7-bee9f05064ad

Raymond A. Smith. (2013, Dec 19). What If the US Had a Multiparty System Like

Germanys? Retrieved from http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/ten-miles-

square/2013/12/what_if_the_us_had_a_multipart048282.php

Ajay Rathore. (2012, July 21). Comparison between two party and multi-party

system. Retrieved from http://www.preservearticles.com/2012031026106/comparison-

between-two-party-and-multi-party-system.html

George Bernard Shaw. (Unknown). Change Quotes. Retrieved from

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_change.html

Winston Churchill. (Unknown). Change Quotes. Retrieved form

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_change.html

William T. Bianco, David T. Canon. (2015). American Politics Today (pg. 314).

Retrieved from https://indiana.courseload.com/#/content-10899/address/344

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