European Politics Final Essays Flashcards
Prompt 1 Thesis: Decline of traditional parties/party systems/organizations and rise of populism [required]
Thesis– Much of the decline of traditional party systems is due to the process in which they were formed in the first place, in coordinance with the way the party system of organization is used today to further the adoption of populism values, both by parties and by the public in parties’ attempts at growing citizen support.
Decline of traditional parties/systems/organizations
- Explain the formations of traditional party families and organization
o This was the system of party families via industrialization and class structures, in order for groups of people that shared a common socio-economic class or religion, they had to form a party to advocate for their rights in government. The system of multi-parties in a government occurred as social cleavages developed which created divisions between opposing parties representing a split in ideologies; there were conservative parties for owners of industrial capital, and social liberal parties formed during the industrial revolution to promote the legal and political rights of the individual. The agrarian/farmer parties formed to support the rural classes contributing agricultural capital and labor to the market.
- Explain how this process has changed and the modern state of party systems
o Today, however, there is less distinction between the social classes/identities of the past like the industrial and agrarian classes. There are new social cleavages formed between the conservative parties and the green/left parties that are pursuing the values of the individual in the post-materialist world. Whereas before tradition parties and the federal system they operated within was used to pursue and support the basic needs of those citizens, today, most people have their basic material needs met, which leads them to pursue policy that cuts across class voting and targets middle-class salary workers.
o Reflects the closing social cleavages of the present day, as the post-materialist climate sets in. For example, the Christian Democrats are struggling to maintain a positive share of the national vote in many Western European countries like Germany and the Netherlands, where the rate of citizens attending church and practicing religious beliefs is decreasing, the party family shifted to take a more “catch-all” approach to bring in new voters, while maintaining policy values of family support and welfare for the elderly. That being said, they adopt a more neoliberal approach to politics, but in countries with a strong conservative bloc, these pragmatic policies fall through the cracks.
- The rise of populism in the 21st century
o The party system is recognizing this, and as a result, in the 20th and 21st century, European politics are witnessing a shift to more a populist, will-of-the-people approach to politics which denigrates the power of the elite and their control of the system to embrace the general will of the public, unified under a homogenous identity.
o Identifying populism as taking the US constitutional rhetoric and applying it to the present day as a direct target/demonization of the elite, embracing popular sovereignty and the decentralization/direct actions of the united public to obtain common interests for all. The key to populism is how they define “the people,” which on its own is a thin ideology, but when coupled with religion or anti-immigration rights, becomes more substantial and has the potential to grow
o Right-wing populism where people are the nation, left-wing where people as a whole have sovereignty. Populism is less concerned with national exclusiveness or class struggle and more with the general functions of democracy.
Case Examples of Prompt 1
o Example of the Catalunya populist party
o Example of the Italian Lega Nord and Brothers of Italy right-wing majority government led by Giorgia Meloni, rise of populist rhetoric to increase public values in Christianity and Italian nationalism/identity, while targeting immigration policy and lgbtq rights
Prompt 2 Thesis - Nature of, trends in and pros/cons of federal, unitary and devolved unitary states
the understanding of the trends of federalism, as well as devolution and the formation of unitary states as the shift from power centralized in the federal government, and the dynamics between the powers and responsibilities afforded to the states/local government and the federal government. This has historical relevance as many nations during formation have to organize their local government and how centralized they wish for power to be. As in how far should power be from the hands of citizens or subjects? This was something that in US history was one of the greatest issues during the formation of the colonies and America claiming independence from England. America wrote the Constitution to establish liberties and required rights for citizens, but it also went through many state and federal documents to frame the responsibilities of the states and federal government. At first, the Articles of Confederation was created to centralize power in the states, but today a balance has been achieved in which the US is a federal state allocated powers to the state local governments and federal government, which is why they both have separate court systems and specific statutes for enforcing legislation. The issue of how to balance state and federal powers and responsibilities has always been important for each individual state, and this is a struggle for countries even after they form, as regional communities play a large role in the operations and success of the federal government and often they wish to pursue their unique policy agendas, which may include independence.
-Unitary states – regional government is only the local administration of centrally determined (and financed), services, and where any power exercised by regional government is ultimately dependent on the consent of the central state.
o Unitary states include Italy (although Northern Italy led by the Lega Nord did advocate for a separate Padania state), the Netherlands as they are too small to have regional communities, and the UK, which is a highly centralized state between England and Wales, even though there have been many historical disputes regarding the independence of Ireland, the adoption of Northern Ireland in the UK, and Scottish independence
- Federal states – territorial subnational government enjoys constitutionally guaranteed autonomy and functional competence; regional government is government and isn’t administration under delegated authority from the central government.
o Germany is a federation, not a unitary state as the local lander government share power and responsibilities, including those with financial support with the federal Bundesrat. The lander for example, hold control over local transportation systems and the fiscal responsibilities it requires to allocate proper public transport. Even so, the federal government still has power over the lander, but the two negotiate and work together to pass legislation.
Trends in the development of federal, unitary, and devolved states requires an understanding of the country’s regional and national community divisions, as well as how individuals identify within the country along ethnic and linguistic ties.
- Devolution – transfer of competences from national to subnational government, but it has taken a specific meaning in the UK where it’s used to make clear the transfer of power is not the forerunner of federalism, like seeking complete independence for Scotland or Wales.
- For example, Belgium is a federal state based on the regional participation of, the Flemish-speaking Flanders region, the capital Brussels, and French-speaking Wallonia. The federal government relies on the participation of all subnational ethnic groups in proportional representation, but even so, the country is experiencing the process of devolution from the center to regional communities in Belgium. Now a federation, there is still a strong presence of Flemish nationalists/populists who call for outright independence of Flanders, which makes it difficult for the federal government to reach agreements, as the party system continues to fragment.
Conclusion Prompt 2
- Perhaps the best/strongest state organization is the federal state which can properly balance the values/policy agendas/independent desires of the states while creating a strong central state to protect both citizens and the regions from abuses of power.
