European Integration and the Communist Dilemma: Communist Party Responses to Europe in Greece, Cyprus and Italy

ISBN-13: 9781409436355 / Angielski / Twarda / 2013 / 240 str.

Giorgos Charalambous

Opis

European Integration and the Communist Dilemma assesses the response of communist parties to European integration using three contrasting and comparatively significant case studies from Greece, Cyprus and Italy. These parties, in common with other radical parties in Europe, face a continuing strategic dilemma with regard to Europe through which larger questions about communist ideology and identity can be illuminated. Exploring the tendency of communist parties to face a trade-off between domestic legitimacy and electoral concerns, and their nature as parties professing opposition to the systemic currents of capitalism and European integration, the author provides a fascinating study of the nuances in deciding whether to adopt ideological consistency or undergo moderation. Blending advances in party politics, communist history and Europeanization research, the book devises a framework that overcomes the deficiencies of uni-dimensional approaches to the study of parties and Europe. In this manner, wider insights on the national party politics of European integration are drawn.

Recenzje

’Charalambous sheds a great deal of new light on policy evolution within the three communist parties he examines - the Greek KKE, Italian Rifondazione, and Cypriot AKEL. The case studies are well researched and genuinely fascinating. The author's comparative analysis of why these communist parties have pursued such different policies on European integration and supranational pan-European cooperation (including European party-building) is fascinating. This book makes a valuable contribution to the literature on Europeanization, parties and party evolution, and the politics of the European radical left.’ Richard Dunphy, University of Dundee, UK 'The policy positions of Europe's radical left parties are of particular significance in light of the momentous changes in the direction of European integration and the euro-zone. This book, with its state-of-the-art analysis of a select number of western European Communist parties' evolution vis-a-vis the European Union, offers valuable insights on this phenomenon.' Robert Ladrech, Keele University, UK ’Filling an important gap, this book offers a timely reminder of the variation and contingencies underpinning the domestic support for European integration. We learn much about the ideological and strategic dilemmas posed for parties outside the fold, appreciating the limits of inclusion. With Europe beset by crisis and uncertainty, the book could hardly be more topical.’ Kevin Featherstone, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK 'This book makes an impressive and timely contribution to the growing but still underdeveloped comparative academic literature on west European Communist parties. It builds on earlier efforts to study the approaches that these parties have taken to European integration. Other studies have focused on debates on the European constitution or are out of date; this book analyses developments from the 1980s to the present. An extensive amount of case material on three parties ad

Spis treści

1 Introduction. 2 The Communist Dilemma. 3 Political Parties and European Integration. 4 The Greek Case: The KKE and European Integration. 5 T e Cypriot Case: AKEL and European Integration. 6 The Italian Case: Rifondazione Comunista and European Integration. 7 Comparative Findings. 8 Epilogue: On the Present and Future of European Communism. Appendix: Schedule of Interviews and Email Correspondence.

O autorze

Dr Giorgos Charalambous, University of Cyprus.