How Parties Form
The origins of political parties, from elite caucuses in 18th-century parliaments to mass movements and electoral startups.
From Caucuses to Movements
The first modern political parties emerged in 18th- and 19th-century parliaments as informal caucuses of legislators who shared similar views and coordinated their votes. The Whigs and Tories in Britain, the Federalists and Democratic-Republicans in the US, began as elite factions. As suffrage expanded, these elite parties had to build organizations outside parliament to mobilize the new mass electorate, transforming into modern political parties.
A second path to party formation runs from society into government rather than the other way around. Labor parties, green parties, and many nationalist parties originated outside parliament as social movements or interest groups that decided they needed direct political representation. The British Labour Party was founded in 1900 by trade unions seeking parliamentary representation for the working class. Green parties emerged from environmental movements in the 1970s and 1980s.