Political Parties

-Since the English Civil War, a party system has developed into the arrangement of competing parties we see today

-They were a component of Athenian democracy & the Roman Republic, but they weren't restored until the Renaissance

-The English Civil War was the catalyst for the development of the parties: one side of the government was on the King's side, the other was on the side of Parliament

-Those for the monarchy were called 'Tories' meaning 'outlaws', those against were called 'Whigs' meaning 'horse-drivers'

-As the voting franchise extended, the two-party system was more entrenched

-The Liberal party…