The following is from the authors Foreword: "This essay tells the story of the genesis of the first modern political parties in the United States as the first modern new nation. Drawing on the American experience as an example, it also explores general problems in the development of political parties as an aspect of nation building, and examines the general nature, functions, and behavior of political parties in a democracy. This recounting may give Americans today a deeper understanding of the trials of contemporary emerging nations and shed some light on the fundamental nature of American political parties as they have evolved in the past and as they function in the twentieth century. This study assumes that democracy constitutes on the whole a useful and beneficent way to conduct business of government and arrive at acceptable public policy. On both historical and analytical grounds, the study does develop the argument that political parties are essential instruments for the functioning of a modern democratic polity. It also suggest by and large that competition between parties in an orderly system will ultimately serve democratic values better than control by a single party will, for the initial labors of nation building." - from Amzon