Choose an application

• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

This book develops the concept of the corporatist catch-all party to explain how the German Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has responded to changing demands from women over the past forty years. Otto Kirchheimer's classic study argues that when catch-all parties reach out to new constituencies, they are forced to decrease the involvement of membership to facilitate doctrinal flexibility. In a corporatist catch-all party, however, societal interests are represented within the party organization and policy making is the result of internal party negotiation. Through an investigation of CDU policy making in the issue areas of abortion policy, work-family policy, and participation policy, this book demonstrates that sometimes the CDU mobilizes rather than disempowers membership. An important lesson of this study is that a political party need not sacrifice internal democracy and ignore its members in order to succeed at the polls.

Political parties --- Sociology of the family. Sociology of sexuality --- Germany --- Women --- Femmes --- Political activity --- Government policy --- Activité politique --- Politique gouvernementale --- Christlich-Demokratische Union Deutschlands --- Activité politique --- Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands --- Merkel, Angela --- Human females --- Wimmin --- Woman --- Womon --- Womyn --- Females --- Human beings --- Femininity --- CDU --- Vokietijos Krikščionių Demokratų Sąjunga --- KDS --- Christlich-Demokratische Union Deutschlands (Germany : East) --- Christlich-Demokratische Union Deutschlands (Germany : West) --- Membership. --- Social Sciences --- Political Science --- CDU (Christlich-Demokratische Union Deutschlands) --- Christian Democratic Union (Germany) --- Christian Democratic Union of Germany --- Christlich-Demokratische Union (Germany) --- KDS (Vokietijos Krikščionių Demokratų Sąjungos) --- Family --- Labour --- Politicians --- Political participation --- Women's organizations --- Book --- Abortion

Choose an application

• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

Why has democracy flourished in the Federal Republic of Germany despite that country's troubled past? Exhaustive research in German historical archives illuminates the pivotal role played by the veterans of the Christian trade unions of the Weimar Republic, the only group to participate in both of Germany's most successful political experiments after 1945, a 'Christian Democratic' party to unite Catholics and Protestants, and unified labor unions for workers of all political outlooks. They perceived that feuds between the religious confessions and competition among three rival labor federations had greatly facilitated Hitler's rise, and they resolved to bridge both chasms. Playing an influential role on the left wing of the CDU from the 1950s to the 1970s, Christian laborites alleviated class conflict through new welfare programs and laws to grant workers a powerful voice in management decisions. They took the lead in forging the distinctive 'German Model' for labor relations.

Christian democracy --- Labor unions --- Democracy --- Self-government --- Political science --- Equality --- Representative government and representation --- Republics --- Industrial unions --- Labor, Organized --- Labor organizations --- Organized labor --- Trade-unions --- Unions, Labor --- Unions, Trade --- Working-men's associations --- Labor movement --- Societies --- Central labor councils --- Guilds --- Syndicalism --- Church and social problems --- History --- Political activity --- Christlich-Demokratische Union Deutschlands (Germany : West) --- CDU --- Christlich-Demokratische Union (Germany : West) --- Christlich-Demokratische Union (Germany (Federal Republic)) --- C.D.U. --- Christian Democratic Union of Germany (Germany : West) --- Christian Democratic Union (Germany : West) --- Union chrétienne-démocrate (Germany : West) --- Kommunalpolitische Vereinigung der CDU/CSU Deutschlands --- Christlich-Demokratische Union (German territory under Allied occupation : British Zone) --- Christlich-Demokratische Union Deutschlands --- Germany (West) --- Germany --- Weimar Republic, Germany, 1918-1933 --- Politics and government --- Syndicats --- Industrial relations --- Relations professionnelles --- Politique et gouvernement --- Religious aspects --- Christianity. --- Aspect religieux --- Chrétienté.