👩🏾‍⚖️ap us government review

Splinter parties

Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated August 2025
Verified for the 2027 exam
Verified for the 2027 examWritten by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated August 2025

Definition

Minor political organizations formed when a faction breaks from a major party—often around a prominent leader or a specific grievance—and that mobilize voters outside the two-party mainstream. Though seldom victorious in national elections, they can tip close races and push major parties to adopt elements of their agenda, as in 1912 (the Progressive revolt around Theodore Roosevelt) and 1948 (the Southern segregationist defection).

AP course connection

Topic 5.5: 5.5 Third-Party Politics

Unit 5

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