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→Origins of Political Parties
==Origins of Political Parties==
In his writings, Thucydides from ancient Athens suggests that there may have been political factions or groups allied and associated in the way they operated within the Athenian political system. They were never called political parties, where politics was often seen more about the individual than larger platforms held in common as a party system would. Nevertheless, alliances and factions would emerge within an assembly which could create something akin to a temporary party where groups of people would work together at least on some issues.
In the late Roman Republic, two political parties existed, which were the Populares and Optimates, which have been seen as representing of the interests of the plebeians and Optimates were representatives of the Senate. The Senate held the interests of the upper classes, including the patricians, while the Populares championed the causes of the common classes through the plebeian tribunes.
==Development in the United States==
