Titolo Martin Van Buren e l’invenzione del partito di massa Periodico Storia del pensiero politico Anno: 2025 - Fascicolo: 2 - Pagina iniziale: 273 - Pagina finale: 296
The article reconstructs the figure of Martin Van Buren, one of the leaders and founders of the American Democratic Party (1782-1862). In particular, the article analyzes a posthumous work by Van Buren, "Inquiry into the origins and courses of political parties in the United States". Based on the findings of historiography, Van Buren is seen as an innovative practitioner of a new conception of the political party, and among the first to defend a consciously partisan vision of politics, to argue for the need for an organized, mass party, and to understand the changes in politics in the era of mass democracy.