Between Party Apology and Anti-Party Sentiment – The Party Discourse in the USA from the Jacksonian Democracy to the Gilded Age 1828-1896

• Applicant: Dr. Philipp Erbentraut
• Subject Area: Political Science
• Term: from 2016 to 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 320111996

The original project examines from a comparative and historical perspective the perception of political parties in both the English and German political philosophy during the long 19th century (1789-1914). Thereby the focus is on the reception of political parties in the history of political thought between Edmund Burke and Robert Michels.In addition to the perceptions of parties in Germany and Great Britain this extension proposal seeks to examine the development of the party discourse in the USA at three key turning points of American party democracy during the 19th century. Hence, our approach is extended to an important transatlantic perspective. Three questions are of particular interest:1. Which relevance does the early discourse on political parties provide for our current debates on parties and party systems? (Archives and Arsenal) 2. What were the similarities and differences in the evaluation of political parties in the USA compared to Germany and Great Britain during the 19th century? (Comparison) 3. How did American ideas influence British and German theories on political parties in the 19th century (and vice versa)? (Knowledge transfer)Was there indeed a general anti-party sentiment in 19th century political thought? On the contrary, initial results of the ongoing study give reason for a revision of this long-standing prejudice in favour of a more benign view on the concept of political parties. In fact, a modern and elaborate theory and sociology of political parties is already to be found 200 years ago.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants