Journal Articles

Taming Extremist Parties: Lessons From Europe

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A rise in the power of Islamist parties has lent fresh interest to the old question of how revolutionary movements
respond to participation in democracy. Pessimists argue that such movements will use any power they gain at the
ballot box to subvert democracy, while optimists believe that participation can turn extremists into moderates.
The example of 20th century European communist parties shows that political context can trump radical essence,
for where democratic institutions and structures were relatively effective and legitimate, communist parties were moderated by participation. But such evolution was not universal or inevitable, and in weak democracies communist parties remained committed to revolution and presented a real threat to democracy

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Detail Information

Series Title

Journal of Democracy

Call Number

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Publisher

Baltimore : The Johns Hopkins University Press., 2008

Collation

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Language

English

ISBN/ISSN

1045-5736

Classification

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Content Type

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Media Type

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Carrier Type

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Edition

Vol. 19, No. 1, Page 5-18

Subject(s)

Radicalism
Political parties -- Europe -- Case studies

Specific Detail Info

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Statement of Responsibility

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