1. How did the definition of "political party" evolve over the past two and a half centuries?

2. What do you think caused this evolution?

According to Dr. Paul M. Johnson of Auburn University (http://www.auburn.edu/~johnspm/gloss/p.html#political_party), a political party is an organized group that has as its fundamental aim the attainment of political power and public office for its designated leaders. A political party has a common commitment by its leaders and its membership to a set of political, social, economic and/or cultural values (an "ideology") that distinguish it from other political parties and which supposedly provide the basis for the policies the party proposes to implement or maintain through its members who obtain public office.