Sixty years ago, the ultimate goal of the APSA's Responsible Parties Report was for parties to provide a clearer picture to the electorate of government would be different depending on Republican or Democratic rule. Since then the two major parties in America have grown quite distinct, offering dramatically different visions for the country. In this book, Harmel, Janda, and Giebert significantly enhance students' understanding of the American parties today by putting them in broader context, both historically and cross-nationally.