How Parties Form

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.

What Triggers New Parties?

New parties typically emerge when existing parties fail to represent significant segments of the electorate. This can happen because of new issues (environmentalism created green parties), social changes (immigration created anti-immigration parties), crises of legitimacy (corruption scandals created reform parties), or the failure of established parties to adapt.

Emmanuel Macron's En Marche (now Renaissance) is a striking modern example: founded in 2016, it won the French presidency and a parliamentary majority within a year. Macron built the party around his personal brand and a centrist platform that neither the Socialists nor the Republicans were offering. Italy's Five Star Movement, founded by comedian Beppe Grillo in 2009, became the largest party in parliament by 2018, channeling anti-establishment anger. The speed of these formations reflects both the opportunities of the social media age and the depth of dissatisfaction with traditional parties.

Two Roads Into Party Politics

Externally created parties tend to start with strong grassroots organization but weak parliamentary experience; internally created parties have the reverse. The newer electoral startup, built rapidly around a leader and amplified by social media, can leapfrog both, but it often lacks the durable roots that carry a party through a change of leadership.