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6 - Survival of the Fittest

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 March 2023

Paul Kenny
Affiliation:
Australian Catholic University, Melbourne
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Summary

After the Second World War, countries across occupied Europe were faced with the challenge of restoring political stability at home and peace abroad. Although extremist sentiment had not disappeared, moderate elites resolved to choke it off at the source by building robust bureaucratic parties that could incorporate the masses. Christian democratic parties on the right and moderate social democratic parties on the left took power all across the continent, ushering in an unprecedent period of stability. Yet with the economic stagnation of the 1970s, this consensus began to unravel, giving rise to the emergence of populist alternatives. This chapter departs from existing explanations for this turnaround. It shows that the populist strategy was always most effective in the patronage-based party systems of southern Europe. In northwest Europe, in contrast, bureaucratic parties have adapted, substituting professionalized service provision for mass membership and participation.

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Chapter
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Why Populism?
Political Strategy from Ancient Greece to the Present
, pp. 163 - 198
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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  • Survival of the Fittest
  • Paul Kenny, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne
  • Book: Why Populism?
  • Online publication: 17 March 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009275262.007
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To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

  • Survival of the Fittest
  • Paul Kenny, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne
  • Book: Why Populism?
  • Online publication: 17 March 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009275262.007
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Survival of the Fittest
  • Paul Kenny, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne
  • Book: Why Populism?
  • Online publication: 17 March 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009275262.007
Available formats
×