Question

How did debate over the role of government lead to the formation of political parties?

Answer 1

The idea of the political party goes back the First Triumvirate of Rome. Marcus Crassus, Gnaeus Pompeius, and Gaius Julius all came to the realisation that they could cement their political power by forming an alliance. In this case it ended disastrously with Julius invading Rome, Pompeius having to fight him (and losing), and Gaius Julius getting to drop “Gaius” from the common usage of his name and add “Caesar” to the end of it.

Despite the outcome, the idea of creating a political power bloc has remained in any system of government that it can exist in. It allows the members to exercise more power and present a united front. Love them or hate them, it’s easy to find out what a major political party generally stands for.

At our last election, we had a series of independents running locally. Most had no website and no signage up around town. The only information I could find on them was a short write-up in the local paper. The write-ups tended to focus on one issue. For example, one candidate was a former nurse and passionate about protecting the healthcare system. That didn’t tell me how she felt about climate change, education, infrastructure, social policies, or anything else. No, it was way easier to vote for a political party.