"In the long run the German contribution to the concentration of the party system proved more effective than the short lived influence of the occupying powers (Niclauss, 52)." Germany's three to four party system has brought more than fifty years of stable democracy to a people who were once thought of as not being capable of running their own democracy. Germany does use an electoral law as a way of ensuring that this system does not change significantly, however. Today, only parties obtaining five percent of the vote (or representatives elected from three of Germany's electoral districts) can be represented in parliament. "The party system has supplied the foundation for a well functioning and stable governmental system (Niclauss, 53)." .

             Great Britain maintains its democracy in much the same way. With only two parties, Britain has long been one of the most democratic states in the world. These two parties, though bitter rivals, are successfully able to hand over almost complete control of the government election after election. Britain's political parties do receive help from their electoral system just as Germany's do. Britain's plurality system makes it virtually impossible for other parties to succeed. With voters realizing that a vote for a third party is basically a wasted vote, other parties are doomed before they began. .

             The stability that parties bring to democracy is illustrated in France as well. Finally, France appears to have a government that will work for the ages. France's government differs from Germany in that it uses a presidential system, with a powerful executive ruling independently from the legislature. France also has essentially a multi-party system, however extreme views have not reached dangerous levels. It is a system "subdivided into bilateral two-headed poles," which has served to "considerably reduce the weight of the center and of the extremist parties (Suleiman, 147).