Title: Shaping%20and%20Reshaping%20Social%20Democracy%20in%20Central%20and%20Eastern%20Europe
1Shaping and Reshaping Social Democracy in Central
and Eastern Europe
The redemption of the past and the reinvention of
the future the history of an extremely resistant
specie
- Sorina Soare
- Collaborateur scientifique CEVIPOL
- Université libre de Bruxelles
- ssoare_at_ulb.ac.be
2The State a major communist political asset
- Complete overlapping between State and Party
Communist state
Communist party
Satellite parties
Ancillary Organisations
Trade Unions
Civil society
3Communist parties between pragmatism and ideology
4In brief
-
- The past stigmatizes the present of the
parties (Janos A.) - Vs.
5Strategies for political respectability
Crisis of the western ideal-type
Weakness of the anticomm.
Advantages
Disadvantages
EX-CP
Organisation
Political ostracism
Economic networks
Programmatic reinvention
Human capital
International boycott
Challenges
Democratic loyalty
Potential of coalition
International respectability
Social-democratic/Socialist Parties Parties with
Protected Designation of Origin
63 distinct origines
Historical ressurection Success story CSSD,
SDSS Limited success PSDR, MSZDP
Reconversion Internal reform SLD-SdR, MSZP,
BSP, SDL Partial break/continuity KSCM, KSS,
PSM Blurred origins FSN-PSD
The new commers Ex-CP PD, Smer Anticommun. UP
7Success story
- Regular parties in government
- Support for EU and NATO
- Europhile parties
- Developed organisations
- Members
- Professional staff
- Territorial networks
8Challenges
- From high politics to low politics
- Consolidation of the right parties
-
- Populist pervasiveness
9Weaknesses
- Left culture unidentified political object
- Allergy to left values, symbols
- Left communist
- Collusion with the State
- Power corrupts
- Clientelistic networks and patronage
- State as parties utility
- Bogus organisation
- Financial dependency on the State
- Members fees cover for illicit private donations
10- Social-democratic parties under construction