Question

According to Chapter 9 of American Government, what is party polarization? Explain three causes of polarization. In your own life (watching or reading the news, talking with friends/family, etc.), do you see polarization increasing or decreasing? Explain and use examples to demonstrate your point.

Answer 1

Party Polarisation refers to the concept of viewing an individual’s standpoint on a given policy, problem or issue in connection with the party they belong to. In a two party system such as USA, it becomes very difficult for someone who doesn’t belong to these two parties to raise their voice because there would be no ne to support them as there would be either liberal or conservative. Polarization is increasing because people inside those parties even feel that voting outside of these two parties is a waste of time and it would also eliminate them and alienate them from politics. Recent Trump administration faces more opposition from its own party and nomination of Trump as the presidential candidate itself brought huge opposition from within the party but no one was able to decide otherwise as there were only two parties.