Chapter 12 European Parties and Party Systems

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Chapter 12European Parties and Party Systems

• Robert Ladrech

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European Parties and Party Systems

• Origins and Cleavages
• Party Families
• Party Organization
• Party Systems
• Parties and Party Systems in Post-Communist States

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Introduction

• Parties are key to representative politics
• Virtually all politicians are based within
  parties
• Parties located across a broad ideological
  spectrum
• Party families are groupings of
  ideologically-similar parties
• Recent trend of de-alignment
• European integration circumscribes party policy
  to an extent

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Origins

• Parties began life in parliaments
• Mass parties originated outside parliaments,
  mobilizing working class
• Communist/social democratic parties on left
• Christian Democratic/conservative parties on
  right
• Liberal parties in centre swing parties
• Cleavages can explain development of party
  systems (Lipset and Rokkan)

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Party Families Left families

• Social democracy
• Oldest family on left
• Ex-Marxists
• Support welfare state/new middle class
• Communists
• Ex-supporters of USSR
• Foundering since 1991

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Party Families Left families

• New Left
• Emerged 1960s
• Communists who reject USSR-model
• Main impact in Denmark, Norway
• Greens
• Emerged 1970s
• c.5-10 vote
• Post-materialist values

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Centre and right party families

• Liberals
• Traditionally secular and pro-civil rights
• Lost votes to mass social democratic parties
• Recent internal split between left and right
• Agrarian parties
• Christian Democrats
• Support dominant Christian religion in their
  country
• Support welfare state, often represent business

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Centre and right party families

• Conservatives
• Non-Christian right
• Less supportive of welfare state, fiscally
  conservative, pro-national defence
• Far right
• Risen since 1980s
• Often anti-immigration

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Party Organization

• As states became democratic, so parties need to
  incorporate mass membership
• Parties attempt to link local branches to
  national party policy
• Need to link party executive to parliamentary
  party
• Sources of party finance
• Internal funding (e.g. members fees)
• Affiliated interest group
• State

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Party Systems

• Multi-party systems are norm in Europe
• Not all parties get chance to govern
• Some party systems dominated by single party
• Post-materialist parties (e.g. Greens) increased
  in importance during 1980s/90s

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Parties and Party Systems in Post-Communist States

• Parties and party systems developed differently
  in east Europe due to communist history
• Currently in state of flux
• Unclear ideological position
• Weak party organization
• Weak link between parties and electorates

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Conclusion

• Political parties across Europe have starkly
  different histories, especially between east and
  west Europe
• But, common challenges
• European integration
• Relationship to members