Graduation Year
2025
Date of Submission
12-2024
Document Type
Campus Only Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Philosophy
Reader 1
Professor Briana Toole
Terms of Use & License Information
Abstract
Why is it inevitable for every U.S. national election to end up between Democrats and Republicans? Present in the works of scholars addressing this issue is the notion that some combination of individual voter agency and elite interests play a role in perpetuating this dichotomy. In this paper, I propose an account based on the literature on this issue: the thesis that elite interests ensure the reproduction of the two-party system by manufacturing consent to the system. I first introduce Noam Chomsky’s theory of manufactured consent. I then develop his model by situating manufactured consent within a broader discussion of the two-party system. Second, I defend the claim that political polarization is both a product of the two-party system and a tool wielded by elites to reinforce the two-party system. This ensures the system’s perpetuation and creates a feedbackloop within the system. Lastly, I provide one account of what motivates elites to perpetuate the two-party system. I examine the idea of elite capture, using Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò’s model to show how the two-party system serves the interests of elites. Finally, I demonstrate how elite capture of democracy inhibits class consciousness.
Recommended Citation
Sarkowsky, Shiah, "The Tyranny of Two: An Epistemic Critique of The Two-Party System" (2025). CMC Senior Theses. 3773.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/3773
This thesis is restricted to the Claremont Colleges current faculty, students, and staff.