Political Parties & Pressure Groups

Prof. Dr. Khalid Manzoor Butt

What is a Political Party?
 MacIver: “an association organized in support of some
principle or policy which by constitutional means it
endeavors to make the determinant of government”.
 Lord Bryce: “an organized body with voluntary
membership, their concerted energy being employed in the
pursuit of political power”.
 A Political Party comprises of five things:
Persons
Principles
Programme
Leadership
Power
Features of Political Parties
Agreement on fundamental views and ideas:
A political party is a voluntary association of like-
minded people.
When like minded person agree on certain fundamental
aims and ideals regarding political, economic and other
matters, they associate and come together and thus form
a party.
Parties exist because men disagree as political parties
represent a variety of views and ideas.
Organization and Leadership:
In politics, no tangible achievement is possible without a
proper organization.
Organization gives coherence, unity, and strength to the
party.
This fact distinguishes a political party from a crowd or a
mob.
Constitutional methods:
A political party, fights in a peaceful manner and with
constitutional methods.
Ballots have taken the place of bullets in modern politics
and heads are counted and not broken.
Public meetings, speeches, and demonstrations,
persuasion and propaganda and other means of
influencing public opinion are employed by the political
parties to win votes in order to come to power.
Promotion of National Interests:
Burke defined a political party as “a body of men united
for the purpose of promoting by their joint endeavors the
national interests upon some particular principle on
which they are all agreed”.
This is the essential feature of a political party and its
basic test.
This feature distinguishes a political party from a coterie,
a clique or a pressure group.
The Political party aims at the common good of the
whole nation.
Kinds of Political Parties
The Reactionary Party:
It consist of such people who wish to revert to the old
order whether it actually existed in the past or is only
imaginary.
Examples are Jan Sangh and Hindu Mahasabha in India,
The Nazi party in the pre-war Germany or the fascist
parties in Italy and Japan.
Conservative Party:
It is like the reactionary party but with one difference
that the conservative party seeks to preserve the old order
unchanged.
It seeks to preserve the status quo.
 Conservative parties exist in countries which are still
great and prosperous and do not want further change in
the society or politics lest they lose their prosperity and
greatness.
British conservative party, both Republican and
Democratic party in USA and Indian National Congress
are its examples.
Liberal or Moderate or Progressive Parties:
These are such parties which advocate social change,
progress and freedom.
Radical or Revolutionary Parties:
They stand for a radical change and outright progress in
social and political life and organization.
They include the socialist, communist and other
extremist parties.
The Right, Left or the Centre
Since the great French Revolution (1789-1799) it is
also customary to describe the political parties as the
parties of the Right, the Centre or the Left.
Those parties which are reactionary or conservative are
said to be the parties of the right.
Radical or revolutionary parties are called the parties
of the left.
Those parties which stand between these two extremes
are called the parties of the centre.
Basis of Political parties
Parties are formed for different purposes in different
countries and ages.
They may be formed on the basis of:
Religion
Economics
Form of Government
Nationality
Class interests or other general questions of vital
interests to the state
Three theories of the Origin of the Parties
The Theory of Human Nature:
According to this theory, parties arise because human
nature is fundamentally split into two tendencies;
conservatism and progressivism.
This is a psychological explanation of the rise of
different political parties.
Theory of Ideological Motivation:
This theory briefly means that ideas move men, that
political parties arise and become organized because
differ in their beliefs, ideas, convictions, and outlook on
life and in their philosophy of life.
 Theory of Economics and Class Conflicts:
 This theory emphasizes the economic factors and
motives in the growth and differentiation of political
parties.
Functions of Political Parties
The organize public opinion and formulate general
will.
They select candidates for public offices.
They aim to capture government by Constitutional
means.
They also criticize the government.
They control their members is the legislature.
What is a Pressure Group?
It can be defined as a group of individuals organized to
promote the special interests of its members.
It uses means to bring upon pressure or influence the
government and legislators or public officials and
political parties by means of agitation, persuasion,
political sniping, public opinion mongering and
even bribery.
Pressure groups are interest group.
Pressure groups are of various kinds.
Most of then are organized for the promotion of
economic interests.
Some of them are set up for social, educational, and
religious purposes or reforms.
Few are of patriotic and civic types.
A pressure group which works in and around the
legislature is called a lobby.
A pressure group which works in or along a political
party is called a faction.
Pressure groups are the basic feature of American
politics.
Some of the examples include National Association of
Manufacturers, The US Chamber of Commerce, the
American Farm Bureau Federation, etc.
Organization and Working of the Pressure
Groups
The organization of each pressure group varies according
to its interest, purpose and sphere of operation.
Some consist of few members while others of many.
They operate openly as well as secretly.
The real work of the organization is done by small
number of paid officials and research workers,
propagandist or lobbymen and paid agents.
 They bring pressure or influence on the law makers and
government, officials and bodies using tactics such as
friendly talk, a reasoned discussion, or threats of party
action, or failure in re-election.
Letters, telegrams and such other methods are also
used by the pressure groups in pursuance of their
goals.
The pressure groups also use newspapers, radio and
television to extend their agenda.
Arguments for Pressure Groups
They serve the special interests of the citizens.
There are always several pressure groups with
conflicting interests so, there is no danger one pressure
group alone dominating the government.
They act as a safety valves of class interests. Because
of them each class and each group of people has a
share in the benefits and favor of the government.
Pressure politics makes the government representative.
Arguments against Pressure Groups
Every pressure group works secretly and for its special
interests and not openly for the general good.
Politics of pressure groups is an advancement towards
minority rule.
They pollute the public opinion.
 Political Party
Stand for the general welfare or common Stand for the interest or well-being of a
good of whole nation
Advocates a large number of policies
Is interested in candidates
It organizes public opinion. It is a
conglomerate of opinion
They aim at control of government in
order to achieve their programme and
ideals
They operate among and before the
people
Pressure Group
special group
Concentrate on one or on a small group
of issues
Is interested in policies
It manufactures a public opinion.
They do not seek to obtain control of the
government.
They often work behind the scenes and
try to avoid public scrutiny.