关键词: 亨廷顿, 政治极化, 政治共识, 政治制度, 社会力量

Abstract: Political polarization is not only a salient feature of American politics today, but also a phenomenon that has frequently recurred in the American history. The 20th century S&S period ( the era of sixes and sevens, also known as the S&S Years, from 1960 to 1975) is an important watershed in the history of American political polarization. Samuel P. Huntington believes that political polarization during this period is a vertical split of political ideas. The natural polarization is not a social divide between the left and the right, but a political divide between those in power and those in opposition. Therefore, Huntington does not show a pessimistic view of American political polarization, but perceives that the political consensus set the limit for political polarization. The United States has a relatively complex, adaptable, relatively autonomous and internally cohesive political system and a modern political party system in the form of a “twoparty system”, which can assimilate social forces and expand political participation. The polarization of social forces is gradually mitigated in the face of the highly developed political institutions and political systems. As the worlds most prestigious political scientist, Huntington develops a theoretical paradigm that has always been very explanatory, forwardlooking and instructive. His expositions on American political polarization will provide important implications for understanding and predicting the development of American political polarization.

Key words: Samuel P. Huntington, political polarization, political consensus, political systems, social forces