They organise public opinion and formulate the general wilL<\/em><\/strong> The problems facing the modem State are many and complex. People haveordinarily all sorts of opinions and views about one and the same issue. The first function of political parties is to organise these myriads ot opinions by educating the people. Every party selects those issues which are of fundamental importance or are likely to appeal to the voters. It then formulates its own views, policy and programme about it and popularises it among the voters by means of the press, platform and other means ol propaganda. Thus it explains these problems to the people. At the same time other parties put before them their own views and policies and thus enable them to judge these issues by themselves. In this way they act, as Lowell puts it, as brokers of ideas. As Bryce says, they bring order out of chaos of opinions and views. If there were no political parties in the modern State, politics would be a sheer babble of tongues. A disorganised mass of people can neither formulate principles nor agree on policy. Thus political parties organise public opinion and express the will of the people or the General Will. By serving, as Gettel says, as the motive force in crystallising public: opinion, they make democracy workable over large areas of the modern nation States.<\/p>