THE WORLD has now had 160 years of experience with party politics in mass democracies. During this century and a half, the achievements of” governments formed by these parties have been substantial. They have provided peaceful governance for great masses of people. They have fostered economic growth of a magnitude never before seen. They have, after a half-century struggle, rolled back the tide of totalitarianism that seemed ill the dark clays of 1940 and 1941 to be “the wave of the future.” These achievements have been the achievements of democracies, but also of political parties; for everywhere we have had democracy, we have had parties.