The United States has a bipartisan political system whose origins date back to the period of the Civil War. Republicans and Democrats have opposing views on many social, economic, political, and migration issues. For almost 200 years, the post of the ruler of the state was constantly replaced by representatives of two parties.
Republicans and Democrats are the two most important historically important political parties in the United States. After each election, the number of seats held by politicians in the House of Representatives and Senate changes. Despite the fact that both parties are well known to all US citizens, each of them has its own characteristics in political, social, economic and ideological directions.
Historical background about the Republican and Democratic Party
The Democratic Party is the oldest currently existing in the United States. It stems from the anti-federalism that emerged after the separation of the United States from Great Britain and the proclamation of its own independence. The donkey party symbol appeared in 1828 during the Andrew Jackson campaign and became a visual association for the political movement. The main party organ - the Democratic National Committee, began its work in 1848, and during the civil war in the United States, this party was divided into two parts: one supported slavery in the country, the other fought against it. To date, the Democratic Party has held the presidency 15 times.
In 1854, like-minded people of the new trend formed an independent political movement. It was joined by activists who opposed the slave society in the United States. The most famous representative of this party is Abraham Lincoln, who became the country's first president from the Republican movement. In 1874, the elephant was chosen as the symbol of their party. During President Lincoln's rule, his policies and ideology attracted a large number of supporters. To date, the post of head of state from the Republican Party has been held 19 times.
Philosophy of two political parties
Democrats tend to be "more left" than Republicans on many issues. One of the fundamental differences between Republicans and Democrats is that the latter actively involve the state in public affairs. They believe that such participation will improve the quality of life of the country's population and help to achieve maximum employment and equality in society. Democrats support the work of domestic social services and do not use aggressive foreign policies. They prefer to build a strong state from within by strengthening social structures.
The most prominent representatives of the democratic ideology in history are Franklin Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Bill Clinton, Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter, Barack Obama.
Republicans are supporters of the state's non-interference in the internal affairs of the country, considering it a "waste of money and time." They adhere to the idea of "Darwinian capitalism": the state should let the economy and business develop independently in a free market. "Elephants" are actively involved in international relations. Their influence extends to the armed forces, business structures, and religion. Republicans use the state budget rationally, sparingly spending money on the government.
Republican politicians include Theodore Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, Richard Nickston, Donald Trump.
Practical party differences
In general, US Democrats are reluctant to use military forces in conflict with other countries. They are advocates of a slow increase in the military budget. The Democratic Party is actively promoting changes to the legislation to control the free possession of firearms. This is backed up by the frequent attacks and fatal injuries caused by the use of weapons.
The Democratic Party actively supports the state's participation in the country's overall health care, including various charitable medical organizations (Medicare, Medicaid, Obamacare).
Representatives of the Democratic Party openly advocate the legalization of abortion, as well as the rights of sexual minorities, since they believe that human rights should be extended to all sectors of society, where everyone has the freedom to choose. However, most Democrats do not support the death penalty.
Democrats are supporters of higher taxes on the high-income strata of the population and an increase in the minimum wage for citizens.
Republican politics are largely based on the opposites of Democratic ideas. They are not against the free possession of firearms by anyone, and even in public places, they are in favor of increasing the allocated budget for the military sphere of the country. Republicans prefer to keep the army always prepared for surprise hostilities. The philosophy of the Republicans does not approve of abortion, contraceptives and representatives of non-traditional orientation, considering them "moral decay of society."
Republicans prefer to support private healthcare facilities.
In terms of taxes, they are in favor of a general reduction in taxes from citizens, regardless of their income. The Republican Party is aggressive towards unwanted immigration and advocates for increased border controls.
Geography and demography of the two parties
Most supporters of the Democratic Party are located in the northeast of the country, including the Great Lakes region, home to a number of large and economically developed industrial enterprises.
Residents of the entire Pacific coast often support the policies of the US Democratic Party.
Democratic ideas also found support in the southern states of the country, such as Arkansas, Virginia and Florida, Colorado, New Mexico, Montana and Nevada.
Republicans are found in the South and West of the United States, especially in the states of Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma.
Young and middle-aged people often support the Democratic Party, and older people often support the Republicans. According to statistics, the party of "elephants" includes more men than women.
On November 8, 2016, the presidential elections were held in the United States, the winner of which was Republican Donald Trump.
Famous Republicans and Democrats
Republicans have controlled the country's politics for 28 of the past 43 years. The most prominent representatives of the Democrats were President Franklin Roosevelt, who developed the New Deal of the economic direction, John F. Kennedy, who conducted the military operation in the Bay of Pigs and the Caribbean Crisis, Bill Clinton, who was removed from office by the US Government House, and Barack Obama is a politician and Nobel laureate. Hillary Clinton also belongs to the Democratic Party.
The most famous Republican in US history is Abraham Lincoln, who abolished the slave society in the 19th century. Famous elephant politicians include Theodore Roosevelt, who went down in history for gaining dominance over the Panama Canal, Ronald Reagan, whose reign marked the end of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, and the Bush family, one of whom, George W. Bush, declared war Iraq. Donald Trump is the current US president and Republican representative.
Fun fact: the official flag of the US state contains stripes and stars. Red represents Republican supporters, blue represents Democratic. The total number of stripes - 13 - corresponds to the number of once British colonies. The number of stars on a blue background - 50 - equals the number of existing states in the United States.
