ABSTRACT
From the very beginning of the Republic two large, almost equally strong parties have dominated public life in the United States. In all the cases discussed so far the individual has been driven into the arms of the major parties by self-interest or by the wish to secure some form of advantage for himself or for his close friends. It is general 'political interest' or the wish to have a hand in shaping of public life that often drives the individual in America to link himself to one of the major parties just because it is the major party. The American worker can do that sort of thing. To be sure, it is for a price that many will find high; in fact, he must link himself to one of the major parties just because they are the major parties, since only with their help is it possible to influence successfully the result of an election.
