Throw Out the Rascals Not the System: What Can We Learn for Democratic Survival From the Great Depression?

The analysis refers to the interwar years in Europe. We distinguish four types of coalitions here: (a) Coalitions with other democratic parties, led by a predominant party and most common in multi-party democratic states. (b) Bringing in ideological opponents on the parts of overarching highly credible national figures such as King George V did in Britain in 1931 in calling upon the charismatic Labour Party leader MacDonald to form a coalition with the still dominant but ailing Conservative Party. (c) The outbidding of more radical political parties by former center parties towards the right or left. One such outcome comes about when this is having a temporary effect only, until the next election is won within the family of democratic parties. Yet, when outbidding is trump the electorate easily might go for the hardest outbidding contender not to be taken over by even greater extremist parties. This process for the analysis of political terrorism and its intention to instigate fear amongst the “neutral” population explains to a large extent why considerable portions of the population are going to side with the most extreme challengers. This is for two reasons, one is pure fear to be out-mastered, the other one is rational choice just to avoid this. (d) The other outcome as to outbidding occurs when the democratic national consensus formation that is still underlying all these processes in normal times is wiped out in times of crises. Democratic national consensus is being lost vis-à-vis a new anti-democratic national consensus formation. Several other theoretical arguments and historical experiences are touched upon.