Please note: In order to keep Hive up to date and provide users with the best features, we are no longer able to fully support Internet Explorer. The site is still available to you, however some sections of the site may appear broken. We would encourage you to move to a more modern browser like Firefox, Edge or Chrome in order to experience the site fully.

Supporting your high street Find out how »
The Rise of Christian Democracy in Europe, Paperback / softback Book

The Rise of Christian Democracy in Europe Paperback / softback

Part of the The Wilder House Series in Politics, History and Culture series

Paperback / softback

Available to Order - This title is available to order, with delivery expected within 2 weeks

Description

Although dominant in West European politics for more than a century, Christian Democratic parties remain largely unexplored and little understood.

An investigation of how political identities and parties form, this book considers the origins of Christian Democratic "confessional" parties within the political context of Western Europe.

Examining five countries where a successful confessional party emerged (Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Germany, and Italy) and one where it did not (France), Stathis N.

Kalyvas addresses perplexing questions raised by the Christian Democratic phenomenon.

How can we reconcile the religious roots of these parties with their tremendous success and resilience in secular and democratic Western Europe?

Why have these parties discarded their initial principles and objectives to become secular forces governing secular societies?

The author's answers reveal the way in which social and political actors make decisions based on self-interest under conditions that constrain their choices and the information they rely on—often with unintended but irrevocable consequences. Kalyvas also lays a foundation for a theory of the Christian Democratic phenomenon which would specify the conditions under which confessional parties succeed and would determine the impact of such parties, and the way they are formed, on politics and society.

Drawing from political science, sociology, and history, his analysis goes beyond Christian Democracy to address issues related to the methodology of political science, the theory of party formation, the political development of Europe, the relationship between religion and politics, the construction of collective political identities, and the role of agency and contingency in politics.

Information

Other Formats

Save 11%

£32.00

£28.29

Available to Order - This title is available to order, with delivery expected within 2 weeks
Add to Basket
Sign in to add to wishlist
 
Free Home Delivery

on all orders

 
Pick up orders

from local bookshops

Information