Political systems in Europe

1
Political systems in Europe

• Democratic countries between the World Wars
• 10.10.2007
• Prof. Vesa Vares

2
England

• bastion of democracy and Parliamentarism
• status as a World power had even increased
  (victory, economy, colonies)
• under the surface, decline had begun
• peaceful elections and very little support for
  extremist parties
• problems Ireland, India, Churchill and Mrs.
  Simpson

3

• Labour Party
• replaced the Liberals as the other big party
• credible for Government 1922, 19291931 (Ramsay
  MacDonald)
• pragmatist and trade union based
• coal miners etc. General Strike of 1926
• favourite of the intellectuals even so, Marxism
  was not developed as a theory

4

• victory in 1929 became a curse disguised the
  Great Depression
• National Government MacDonald the Prime
  Minister, Labour split, defeated at the elections
  of 1931 and 1935
• how to combine anti-Fascism with ardent pacifism?

5

• Conservative Party
• "natural party of Government"
• in the 1920's the protectors of the society
• pragmatist and unideological Stanley Baldwin
• even so, wide support among the working class
  1931 landslide and 1935 victory
• Neville Chamberlain

6

• difficulties
• opposition of Churchill 19311939 a double
  defector, a romantic Whig among pragmatiest
  Tories
• appeasement versus Churchill
• Churchill even more Rightist (Mussolini, Franco),
  but staunchly anti-Nazi
• Home Rule of India and Ireland
• Constitutional Crisis 1936

7

• British Fascists the Blackshirts of Sir Oswald
  Mosley
• never even one MP
• electoral system doomed also the Communists to
  the margins

8
Benelux and Switzerland

• no problems no news
• stable and moderate Liberal, Conservative and
  Socialist parties
• in Belgium, the language question and the
  position of the King
• Switzerland for some the model democracy but a
  unique case

9
Scandinavia

• peaceful and democratic
• more and more powerful Social Democrat Party
• a miniscule Radical Left-wing party
• a declining Liberal party
• a declining, but still strong Conservative party
• minor extremist groups on the right-wing

10

• Sweden
• in the 1920's still a balance from 1930's
  onwards clearly the SDP clearly the major party
  (19321976)
• Folkhemmet model for a welfare state (taxes,
  social insurance and other benefits, standard of
  living etc.)
• in the long run, also the non-Socialist parties
  became very reformist

11

• the SDP could not claim an absolute majority
  however, the system and the disunity of
  non-Socialist parties favoured
• very little Left-wing unrest
• Ådalen 1931
• small right-wing extremist groups expelled from
  Högern
• paradox the most "Aryan" country of the world

12

• Denmark and Norway
• the same model and same SDP dominance
• the Leftist, pacifist and pro-British reputation
  of Norway
• the anti-German Conservatives in Denmark

13

• Finland
• a Scandinavian newcomer socially resembled more
  the Baltic states and Eastern Europe
• also more political upheavels independence 1917,
  Civil War 1918
• White victory but in the long run, also the
  defeated SDP was allowed to operate and did not
  lose much support

14

• divided country (even inside the Red and White
  camps), short-lived Governments, more support for
  extremists on the Left and on the Right than in
  Scandinavia, a new sense of militarism, irre
  denta and discontented activists how could
  avoid dictatorship?
• 19191 some plans for a coup, 1930 relatively near
  (the Lapua Movement)

15

• heritage of autonomy and constitutionalism
• the Left-wing allowed to take part
• SDP stronger than Communists, Conservatives
  stronger than extremists, the national minority
  pro-state and a powerful, balancing centre
• Scandinavian foreign policy
• cultural sense of superiority against the
  "Balkans"

16

• SDP in the Government 19261927 and 19371939
  (Coalition), 25-40 of the votes
• Radical Leftists allowed to operate in the
  1920's, very revolutionary, watched by the
  system, 10-15 of the votes
• Agrarian Union natural party of government,
  nationalist, socially radical, 20-30 of the
  votes

17

• Progressive Party Liberal, "big head small
  body", 5-10 of the votes
• Swedish People's Party originally Conservative,
  then Liberal, 10 of the votes
• National Coalition Party Conservative, but not
  like elsewhere in Europe
• 1937 the "Red Soil" Government of the SDP, the
  Agrarians and the Progressives

18
Germany

• unique problems unique and fatal solution
• relatively short-lived Governments, two economic
  depressions, stigma of defeat
• on the balance, the President and the Chancellor
  had authority and power
• "things were better during the Emperor"
• symbolism from Ebert to von Hindenburg

19

• SPD like before, even more parliamentarian, lost
  influence by the end of the 1920's 2530 of
  the votes
• KPD very revolutionary, against "Social
  Fascists" Thälmann, about 15 of the votes
• DDP and DVP Democratic Party, People's Party
  mainly Liberal, not very strong 510 of the
  votes each

20

• Zentrum Catholic Party, more pragmatic than in
  the Empire, about 1015 of the votes
• DNVP a new Conservative Party, old-fashioned
  Junkers and new industrialists questioned the
  legitimacy of the Republic, sometimes in the
  Government lost influence by the late 1920's to
  the Nazis
• NSDAP

21

• the DNVP planned a new, authoritarian,
  anti-Republic rule with the aid of the Nazis a
  majority in the 1933 Government finally could
  not ride the tiger, but was swallowed by it