Party Structures and Democracy

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Abstract
In recent years a number of new political parties have emerged in Western Europe with novel forms of intraparty organizations. This article addresses some of the questions raised by Michels, McKenzie, and Duverger about oligarchic tendencies and undemocratic features in party organization in light of the experience of two new parties. The data suggests that Michels's “iron law of oligarchy,” while superficially true, does not hold equally well across both cases. The organization of the West German Green Party, while not completely successful in avoiding oligarchic tendencies, does inhibit leadership domination of the membership and party activists. The British Social Democratic Party (SDP) exhibits strong oligarchic tendencies because the party was founded by a group of party notables who desired to avoid activist domination. In other words, the origins of the party—the intentions and policy goals of its founders—play an important role in shaping organizational structure. Oligarchy is not an inescapable outcome of organization.

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