The big idea: A political party is an organised group that wants to win government power by contesting elections. Unlike a pressure group, a party wants to be the government, not just influence it.
Parties are how people organise to run a country. They pick candidates, campaign, and try to win enough seats to form a government and put their ideas into action.
- It contests elections to win seats and power.
- It offers a whole ideology or programme, not just one issue.
- If it wins, it forms or joins the government — sometimes in a coalition.
A non-state actor that aims to run the state: Out of power, a party is a non-state actor. But its goal is to become the government — and once it does, its ideas can shape a country's laws and even its foreign policy.
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Why do parties matter for global politics? Because the party in power decides how a country acts in the world.
Case study — Green parties in government: In several European countries, Green parties have entered government as part of a coalition. In Germany, the Greens joined the national government in 2021 and pushed for faster climate action at home and abroad.
A party that wins power can change a country's whole direction — its climate policy, its alliances, how it votes at the UN. A change of governing party can mean a change in foreign policy.
The key point: A party's real power comes when it governs. Its ideology then shapes national policy — and because states are the main global actors, a party in power can shift how a whole country behaves internationally.
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So how important are parties as global actors? Weigh both sides.
Link it up: Parties matter through the state. A party's global power is really the power of the government it forms. In an answer, link the party to the foreign policy it produces.
How political parties come up in Paper 1: A Paper 1 source might show parties competing for power. The idea to draw out is that parties turn people's views into votes, seats and governments — the main route to formal power inside a state.
With reference to a source and one example you have studied, explain how a political party can shape a country's role in the world.
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Easy marks to lose: 1. Confusing a party with a pressure group. A party wants to WIN power; a pressure group only influences it.
2. Forgetting parties act through the state. A party's global power is the government's power.
3. No real example. Use Green parties in government.
4. Ignoring the limits. Weigh their reach against being domestic and election-driven.