The Genetic Origin of the CDU and its Developmental Path to a Catch-All Party

Abstract

This article identifies the impact of the ‘genetic’ origin of the CDU on its transformation into a catch-all party and tests the hypothesis of a convergence of paths towards the catch-all party. Was there a path specific for the Christian Democratic Party strand in Western Europe, which has been so far neglected by party theory? By applying a periodisation, the initial status of the CDU after its foundation, the development of this initial path and its impact on the transformation to the catch-all party model are outlined in the article. The results challenge the convergence hypothesis showing that the historical path of one party family may bring about a specific pattern of party change. The evolutionary path of the CDU with its strong continuities from the Centre Party started out differently to the ideal-type path. The long-term impact of this path produced a specific variety of party that was less centralised, less professionalised and less democratically rooted than the model implies. Thus party theory needs more explicitly to separate the path of the Christian Democrats from the ideal-type evolutionary path or paths of any other party family.

Notes

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Krouwel, ‘Party Models’, p. 261.

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Schmid, Die CDU, p. 149.

Bösch, ‘Oppositionszeiten als Motor der Parteireform?’, p. 179.

Schmid, Die CDU, pp. 142–9.

Ibid., p. 149.

Detterbeck, ‘Cartel Parties in Western Europe?’, p. 180.

Bösch, ‘Oppositionszeiten als Motor der Parteireform?’, p. 181.