Shaping%20and%20Reshaping%20Social%20Democracy%20in%20Central%20and%20Eastern%20Europe

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Shaping 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

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The State a major communist political asset

• Complete overlapping between State and Party

Communist state
Communist party
Satellite parties
Ancillary Organisations
Trade Unions
Civil society
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Communist parties between pragmatism and ideology
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In brief

•  The past stigmatizes the present of the
  parties (Janos A.)
• Vs.

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Strategies 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
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3 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
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Success story

• Regular parties in government
• Support for EU and NATO
• Europhile parties
• Developed organisations
• Members
• Professional staff
• Territorial networks

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Challenges

• From high politics to low politics
• Consolidation of the right parties
• Populist pervasiveness

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Weaknesses

• 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

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• Social-democratic parties under construction