Democracy and the Organization of Political Parties

The two volumes of Moisei Ostrogorski’s work, published in 1902 and long out of print in this century, are the fi rst serious attempt to analyze the consequences of democratic sufferage by a comparative analysis of political systems and had a profound eff ect on the subsequent writings of Max Weber and Robert Michels. Ostrogorski approached his analysis by a detailed history of the rise and changes in the party system in England and the United States, the first two nations to introduce mass suff rage. Although subsequent research has suggested the need to modify some of his historical statements, the books remain amazingly authoritative, and recent empirical studies conducted in this country have borne out many of Ostrogorski’s fi ndings. Most current books on political parties acknowledge Ostrogorski as a major source of knowledge and ideas. His writings continue to be relevant to ongoing concerns in Britain and the United States.