The United States has a bipartisan political system, the origins of which lead to a period of civil war. Republicans and Democrats have opposing views on many social, economic, political, and migration issues. For almost 200 years, the post of 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 the 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.
Republican and Democratic Party Historical Background
The Democratic Party is the oldest existing in the United States. It comes from the anti-federal direction, formed after the separation of the United States from Great Britain and the declaration of its own independence. The donkey party symbol appeared in 1828 during the Andrew Jackson campaign and became the visual association of the political movement. The main party body, the Democratic National Committee, began its work in 1848, and during the American Civil War, this party was divided into two parts: one supported slavery in the country, the other fought against it. To date, the presidency of the Democratic Party has been held 15 times.
In 1854, like-minded people of a new direction formed an independent political movement. It was joined by anti-slave activists in the United States. The most famous representative of this party is Abraham Lincoln, who became the first president of the country from the republican movement. In 1874, the elephant was chosen as the symbol of their party. President Lincoln’s rule, politics, and ideology have attracted a large number of supporters. To date, the post of head of state of the Republican Party has been held 19 times.
The philosophy of two political parties
Democrats are usually "left" of the 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 achieve maximum employment and equality in society. Democrats support the work of internal social services and do not use aggressive foreign policy. They prefer to build a strong state from within, 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 "loss of time and money." They adhere to the idea of "Darwin capitalism": the state should allow the economy and business to develop independently in the free market. "Elephants" are active in international relations. Their influence extends to the armed forces, business structures, and religion. Republicans rationally use the state budget, spending money on the government economically.
Among Republican politicians are Theodore Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, Richard Nickston, Donald Trump.
Practical Party Differences
In general, US Democrats are reluctant to resort to armed forces in conflict with other countries. They are supporters of a slow increase in the budget of the military sphere. The Democratic Party is actively promoting amendments to the law on the control of the free possession of firearms. This is backed up by frequent attacks and fatal injuries caused by the use of weapons.
The Democratic Party actively supports government participation in the country's overall healthcare, including various charitable medical organizations (Medicare, Medicaid, Obamacare).
Representatives of the Democratic Party openly support the legalization of abortion, as well as the rights of sexual minorities, because they believe that human rights should apply to all sectors of society, where everyone has the freedom of choice. However, most Democrats do not support the death penalty.
Democrats are in favor of raising taxes on high-income segments of the population and raising the minimum wage for citizens.
Republican politics is largely based on the opposites of the ideas of the democrats. They are not against the free possession of firearms by anyone, even in public places, and advocate raising the allocated budget for the country's military sphere. Republicans prefer to keep the army always prepared for sudden hostilities. The philosophy of the Republicans does not approve of abortion, contraceptives and non-traditional people, considering them to be "the moral decay of society."
Republicans prefer to support private medical facilities.
Regarding taxes, they are supporters of a general reduction in fees from citizens, regardless of their income. The Republican Party is aggressive towards unwanted immigration and advocates tightening border controls.
Geography and demography of two parties
Most supporters of the Democratic Party are located in the north-east of the country, including the Great Lakes region, which concentrates a number of large and economically developed industrial enterprises.
Residents of the entire Pacific coast often support the policies of the US Democratic Party.
Democrats' ideas also found support in the southern states of the country, such as Arkansas, Virginia and Florida, Colorado, New Mexico, Montana and Nevada.
Adherents of Republican Party ideas are located 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 the elderly - Republicans. According to statistics, the party of "elephants" includes more men than women.
On November 8, 2016, the United States held presidential elections, the winner of which was Republican Donald Trump.
