Parties and Party Systems in Liberal Democracies

First published in 1988, Parties and Party Systems in Liberal Democracies considers the extent and ways in which Western European and North American parties and party systems changed in the 1970s and 1980s after decades of relative stability. It examines changes in the nature and organisation of parties and relates this to changes in electoral behaviour and to wider social and economic change. It concentrates on political parties as actors and the ways in which they maintain themselves and respond to the moves and gambits of both established and newer parties and to the increasingly numerous and vociferous single interest pressure groups. One important argument put forward is that many social and economic changes have had a minimal impact because established parties have been able to adapt by redefining issues in their favour and have also been able to rely on residual support and access to patronage. This engaging volume will have strong appeal for courses in political science, government, political behaviour and history.

List of contents

New Preface List of Tables List of Figures Notes on Contributors Preface 1. Introduction: Party Systems and How They Change 2. The French Party System in the 1980s 3. Italy: The Long Twilight of the DC Regime 4. Party System Transformations in the Federal Republic of Germany 5. The Austrian Party System: Continuity and Change 6. Stability and Change in the Belgian Party System 7. The Netherlands: Continuity and Change in a Fragmented Party System 8. Continuity and Change in the Scandinavian Party Systems 9. Continuity and Change in Britain 10. Ireland: From Predominance to Competition 11. The Canadian Paradox: Party System Stability in the Face of a Weakly Aligned Electorate 12. The United States: A Comparative View 13. Party System Change: Past, Present and Future Index

Product details

• Authors: Steven B Wolinetz
• Assisted by: Steven B Wolinetz (Editor)
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd.
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.08.2025
• EAN: 9781032552989
• ISBN: 978-1-0-3255298-9
• No. of pages: 345
• Series: Routledge Revivals
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Philosophy > General, dictionaries; Non-fiction book > Philosophy, religion > Miscellaneous; Political Parties, PHILOSOPHY / Social, PHILOSOPHY / Political, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Process / Political Parties, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Process / General, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Ideologies / Democracy, Social & political philosophy, social and political philosophy, Political structures: democracy, Elections & referenda, Political parties and party platforms, Liberalism & centre democratic ideologies, Elections and referenda / suffrage, Political structures / systems: democracy, Centrist democratic ideologies and movements