Democrats vs. Republicans, what is the difference between the two parties, and how do they rule The United States?
The United States runs on the dual-party system, as known to many. The two main parties consist of the Democrats and the Republicans. What is the difference between the two, and what makes each party different? A single vote can change the destiny of your country. The voters must be well-informed about the parties they choose to vote into or out of power. This article covers each party’s differences and similarities to help you better understand the system.
History of Democrats and the Republicans
Around the time of America’s independence from British rule, anti-federalist groups gave rise to the Democratic Party. James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, and other significant opponents of the Federalists united these factions into the Democrat-Republican party in 1792. The democratic party is said to have been established in 1824.
Of the two parties, the Republican party is the more recent. The Republican Party, established in 1854 by opponents of the spread of slavery and modernizers, gained popularity after Abraham Lincoln became the first Republican president. At the end of the 19th century, the party was troubled by internal disputes and scandals and ruled over the American Civil War and Reconstruction.
During the elections of 1912, the Republic Party was divided. This made the Democratic party left-leaning to the Republicans in social and economic matters. The republicans are considered to be right-leaning.
Ideological difference
The ideologies that set these parties apart are not something significant. Both parties have a common goal in mind. That is to work for the common welfare of the American people. It gets challenging to differentiate political parties in a democratic setting. Things change each election as the trends keep changing every year. Infrastructures, laws, and people’s rights need to be amended with the change.
The economic ideologies of these parties vary. Democrats believe in regulating businesses, setting wages, and setting tax amounts differently per their income brackets. Meanwhile, the Republicans believe that tax rates should not be increased for anyone and that wages must be set per the free market.
Democrats vs. Republicans support Social issues.
The parties have members who support some social issues while others oppose them. But some differences set them apart.
The Democrats are liberal in this approach; most members support the LGBTQ movement, legalizing abortion, government intervention in healthcare, less control over gun laws, and same-sex marriage.
The Republicans are said to be more religiously inclined and are a little conservative in their approach to many social issues. They do not want government involvement in healthcare, do not believe in legalizing abortions, and believe marriage is between a male and female. There are exceptions within the members of the party.
Despite this, both parties spend a considerable amount on defense.
The official sites for both parties are mentioned below:
The Democratic party: https://democrats.org/
The Republican Party: http://www.gop.com/
