Party line (politics)

Party discipline is the subjugation of the Party members among the Party's decisions against their own beliefs.

Basic conflict

A party is an association of people with common beliefs and / or interests to enforce common goals dar. Even if these people have common beliefs, but they are often differences of opinion on individual issues. In inner-party opinion-forming process, a majority opinion and minority opinions is emerging.

For the party organization as a uniform appearance is important, as this encourages the assertiveness of their positions. The demand for party discipline follows this consideration. On the other side, a width of inner-party opinions is necessary to bind the largest possible number of members and voters in itself.

From the perspective of the individual member or minority wing, the question arises whether a Promote the minority position within the party or an outlet for the enforcement of their own position makes more sense. When remaining within the party, the acceptance of the majority opinion is a majority opinion of the party expression of party discipline.

Analog is a conflict between the free, only the conscience subjected mandate of the deputies and the party decisions cf. party discipline.

Term accruals

In democracies, the Represented own opinion and dissenting majorities as minority protection constitutive element. It is rated as a positive moral courage. Conversely, an acceptance of the majority opinion against his own conviction for purely tactical reasons, it is often criticized.

Party members who exercise party discipline in this sense, negative called party soldier, bonze or apparatchik.

Positive the situation is described with party solidarity or party expediency.

Enforcement of party solidarity

Parties must be organized democratically in Germany in accordance with the Political Parties Act. Thus, violations of the requirement of party discipline are only to sanction by the party in the context of a party planning process, if the principles of the party are affected. A Represented minority opinions by party members (even in public) in other matters must accept the party. In particular, the party subject to exclusion pursuant to § 10 para 4 Parties Act higher hurdles. A member may be expelled from the party when it intentionally violates the statute or significantly against the principles of the order of the party and thus inflicting heavy damage. Nevertheless, there are instruments for the parties, members to force them to party solidarity. The party is free in choosing members in party offices or on electoral lists. A Member which has content from the majority line, therefore jeopardized his re-election. In Parliamentary polls this mechanism is institutionalized literally in the form of party discipline: although formally MPs are only responsible to their conscience, the parties expect when voting, the group's support line, only in certain cases, the whip is lifted. The conscience vote is the constitutional standard for exceptional cases.

(Note: 299 Members of the German Bundestag shall be elected in parliamentary constituencies ( " direct mandate " ), 299 pull on the regional lists of the parties in the Bundestag A deputy, who did not wish to stand for the next federal election (or it does not matter if he. is nominated again) is de facto in its decisions free. )

Withdrawal of party discipline by party outlet

However, the voluntary party will exit the party member the ability or inability to act on the group behavior as a whole. Sociologically, the party discipline is therefore a phenomenon of group dynamics.

Party discipline in socialism

In the socialist countries the enforcement of compliance with the party discipline was a constitutive element of the party dictatorship. According to the principle of " democratic centralism " the requirements of the higher party body for the lower were binding. So was, for example, for the SED:

" The organizational structure of the party is based on the principle of democratic centralism. This principle states that: ... c ) that all decisions of higher Party organs are binding on the subordinate bodies, tight party discipline is to practice and the minority, and the individual decisions of the majority subordinates disciplined ".

Accordingly, a violation of the requirements submitted by the top was a reason for party planning procedure.

" Anyone who violates the unity and purity of the party does not fulfill its decisions, the party and state discipline is injured ... to account. "

The party members were in a strong dependency to the SED. Party penalties or even expulsion from the party in the loss of function and work outside the party and the loss of privileges result.