Origin of Political Parties

Two decades have passed since the transition to democracy began in Central and Eastern Europe. Today, West and East-Central European countries share a common political space - the European Union. This has created a fascinating opportunity for analysis of the similarities and differences between these countries. In this book, Vít Hloušek and Lubomír Kopecek critically apply the party families approach to political parties in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia. With chapters devoted to social democrats, greens, the far right and left amongst many others, this book charts the parties origins, ideologies, and international ties alongside their Western European counterparts. By examining the political relevance of different party families, the validity of this typology within Central and Eastern Europe is assessed.