Scholars offer clearly written coverage of the relationship between political parties and democracy in the Western Hemisphere.Political Parties and Democracy: Volume I: The Americas is the first volume in this five volume set. It offers clearly written, up-to-date coverage of the political parties of this diverse region from the unique perspective of distinguished indigenous scholars who have lived the truths they tell and, thus, write with unique breadth, depth, and scope. Presented in two parts, this volume first studies political parties in the United States and Canada, with one chapter on each nation. It then discusses the realities on the ground in the Latin American nations of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Peru, and Uruguay. Throughout, contributors explore the relationship between political parties and democracy (or democratization) in their respective nations, providing necessary historical, socioeconomic, and institutional context, and clarifying the balance of power among parties-and between them and competing agencies of power-today.