Cleavages in “postcommunist” party systems

The theory of cleavages is a sociological and historical approach which describes some sorts of conditions of functioning of political parties and party systems. The classic variant of this theory, presented in the 1960s by Stein Rokkan and S. M. Lipset, is not very suitable for description and explication of party systems in “postcommunist” countries. Author tries in present article to accommodate this approach to make it more useful for the interpretation of party systems in transition. This attempt is based upon the analyse of cleavage-models for die transitional period in Central and South - Eastern Europe presented by Attila Ágh, Maurizio Cotta, Klaus von Beyme, Riszard Herbut and György Márkus. The theory of cleavages of transition is elaborated according to these approaches and according to authors own analyses. There are two possible main cleavages of transformation according to this theory: the nationalistic cleavage and the socioeconomical one. The nationalistic cleavage can be generated from three sources. This cleavage could develop as a result of presence of strong ethnic minority. The second possible source can be described as external - the presence of some neighbouring national state which is seen as a traditional enemy by some parts of population and by some political parties. The third reason could be existence of the axiologically based controversy concerning preferred models of ideal form of state. In this case, party spectrum is divided between nationalistic parties and forces that prefere civic based society. The socioeconomical cleavage of transformation can’t be simply identified with the rokkanian cleavage employers counter employees, although these two cleavages are similar. Socioeconomical cleavage presented here divides rather the “winners” and the “loosers” of economic transformation. Finally, the six Central European parry systems in transformation are examined according to the evolution of their cleavages. It can be seen that in the countries, where the socioeconomical cleavage of transformation has decisive influence (Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia), the party systems are more consolidated. The countries with domination of the nationalistic cleavage of transformation (Croatia, Slovakia) are on the contrary less stable and the party system is more changeable. Poland is somewhat special case, because the two major cleavages of transition are in equilibrium. The Polish party system is less consolidated than for example Slovenian, but certainly far more than for example Slovak.