ABSTRACT
The history of third parties in America is therefore a sad story of continual defeats that leaves little hope for the future. A quick glance at the vain attempts that have so far been made to break the monopoly of the old parties will confirm the correctness of what has been said. The character of third parties can be inferred from the numerous individual cases of their failure. Of course, the major parties show an active interest in propagating among the people the idea that all third parties are 'utopian', inviable, 'un-American', and so on. To the extent to which they are to be discussed in this context, they still lie partly in the area of politics. One must endeavour to recognise not only the outward shape but also the inner nature of American politics.
