Comparative European Politics
The Varieties of European Political Ideologies and Political Parties

Political Ideology as a Left - Right Continuum

Ideas/Values that Animate the Political Left

Ideas/Values that Animate the Political Right

The European Ideological Spectrum Compared to US

Broader, more varied, more nuanced

Why???

European Parties of the Left
Communists
Social Democrats/Socialists
New Left parties
Greens

European Parties of the Center
Liberals
"Radicals"

Euroepan Parties of the Right
Christian Democratic parties
Conservatives
Nationalist parties/"national fronts"/anti-Immigrant parties

Communist Parties
Historically, in the 20^th Century, strongest in Italy - PCI, now Democratic Party of the Left and the Communist Refoundation Party

Also strong in France

Began with links to Bolshevism, Soviet Union
By 1970s, however, clear shift toward “Eurocommunism”, i.e., dealignment with Moscow

Mean Support for Communist Parties
1950s: 7.9%
1990s: 3.5%
Clearly shrinking support
Why?

1) end of Cold War
2) shift to Eurocommunism made them indistinguishable from Social Dems and other New Left parties
3) changes in European society, economies
    i.e., shift to post-industrialism

rise of post-materialist values (Inglehart)

necessitates electoral realignment in the electorate, party system (Kitschelt)

Social Democrats
The most successful party type in post-war Europe, 1950s-2000 – why??

General Trend 1990s onward:  support shrinking.

1950s mean 33.6%; 1990s mean 29.9%

Strongest support in:  Scandinavia, Austria, Germany, UK (Labour Party)
Definitely, appears to have an Anglo-Saxon/Scand bent here – why??

Also strong in:  BENELUX, Fin, France, Italy
Roots in workers’ movements, trade unionist movement (UK esp), “radicalism”

Perhaps this is why support for the party is in decline?  Traditional constituency is shrinking???

Or, is it because of move to center???

Two sides of same coin??

New Left Parties
Strongest in Denmark, Iceland, Norway

Example: Red-Green Alliance in Denmark
Scandianvian phenomenon – there 7-8 %

Mean across all countries much less – 1.5-2% over 1960s-1990s pd

What’s different about the “new left”?

Like “old left” in that they oppose market forces, and support public ownership, controlled economy, appeal to working class. 

Support welfare state, social justice, ecological movement.

Different in their emphasis on libertarian ideas of freedom and participatory democracy.  Share this with the Greens.

Oppose greater European integration (a capitalist invention; neo-liberalism)

Green Parties
Most transnationally organized

Strongest in Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Finland
Second tier Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Netherlands but note in Government coalition in Germany – their share of the vote increased in 2002 Ger elections to 7.5%
General Trend:  New in 80s but increasing into the 90s. 1980s mean: 2%; 1990s mean: 4.1%

What Greens stand for:  Social justice, critical of large scale capitalist, resource intensive developmet; for localism, organic growing, non-GMO food; equal treatment of women, racial and ethnic minorities, participatory democracy (including party structures – anti-hierarchy).  Skeptical about further European integration.

Liberals
General Trend:  Gaining; 1990s just over 10% mean support
Libertarian strand gaining in Europe

Strong in: the Netherlands - D66,  Liberal Party;
(Note:  individualist bent in political cultures in these)
Over 20% in all these. 

Also important in UK - The Liberal Democrats; Germany - Free Democrats (FDP)

Some presence:  France (UDF); Germany (FDP); Sweden ( Moderate Party; Liberal Party)

Often play important role in coalition governments.

Libertarian with a left-lean:  Freedom, democracy, decentralization, social justice, individual rights and freedom. 

Share commitment to welfarism, environmental protection. 

Have picked up vote as traditional left has lost them

Agrarian-Center Parties
General Trend:  constant over 1960s-1990s
About 6.5%
But much higher in Den, Fin, Ice, Switz

Agrarian populist, national, pro-farmer price support parties different from center parties - Tend to play a role as mediator, bridge, coalition partner "between" other more classically left and right parties.

Christian Democrats
Largest group of the center-right
General trend:  losing support over post-war period
16 country mean:
1950s mean:  20.7%
1990s mean:  14.5%

Strongest in:  Germany, Luxembourg

Also strong in:  Austria, Belg, Ireland, Netherlands

Was THE ruling party in Italy until massive corruption scandal in the 90s – dropped from averages over 36% to only 18% in the 1990s

The winner – Forza Italia – new center right, nationalist coalition

Note:  strongest in countries with history of Catholic mass mobilization, “confessional” parties at turn-of-the-century (19th-20th)

But in Germany and Netherlands, e.g., a blending of Catholic and Protestant forces

Newer phenomenon in Ireland (Fine Gael – taking on this role)

What they stand for: 
State-oriented – support strong welfare state - now weakening/"reform" minded
Crucial difference between the US and European center-right

Why???

Strong advocates of European integration
Why??

Cultural/religious agenda here??

Distinguished from "conservatives" and more nationalist parties on both these grounds

Conservatives
Support neutral over post-war period – about 18% throughout
Most important in UK, Fianna Fail in Ireland, Independence party in Iceland
Forza Italia, in Italy

**Note:  where secular conservatism strong, Christian democracy weak or non-existent; and vice versa.

What they stand for: 
Some degree of support to welfare state but lower priority than for others on the right. Stronger emphasis on private enterprise, fiscal austerity, gov’t efficiency, law and order, trad’l national values, ambiguous toward European integration.

In other words, they are more like our right leaners in the US.

Nationalist Parties
Small but growing support in several countries over the 1990s
less than 15% of national vote but strong majorities in some regions

UK Scottish National Party, Plaid Cymru, Sinn Fein, Ulster Unionist Party

More xenophonic, anti-immigrant versions in
Germany - The Republikaners, France - The National Front, Belgium - Vlamms Bloc, Netherlands - Pim Fortuyn Party, Italy - National Alliance Party

Parties and Elections Site

Complicating the Model:  The Libertarian/Authoritarian Dimension
In response to rise of "left-libertarian" parties, collapse of "the old Left"

Link to politicalcompass.org