Party discipline

Party discipline is the submission of the party member to the decisions of the party even against their own convictions.

Basic conflict

A party represents an association of people with common fundamental convictions and / or interests to achieve common goals. Even if these people have common fundamental convictions, they often have different opinions on individual issues. In the internal party opinion-forming process, a majority opinion as well as minority opinions emerge.

A uniform appearance is important for the party as an organization, as this promotes the ability to assert its positions. The demand for party discipline follows this consideration. On the other hand, a breadth of internal party opinions is necessary in order to retain the largest possible number of members and voters.

From the point of view of the individual member or minority wing , the question arises whether it makes more sense to advertise the minority position within the party or to resign in order to assert one's own position. If the party remains within the party, the acceptance of the majority opinion as the majority opinion of the party is an expression of party discipline.

Similarly, there is a conflict between the free mandate of the MP , which is only subject to conscience , and the party decisions cf. Faction discipline .

Definition of terms

In democracies, representing one's own opinion against dissenting majorities is a constitutive element as protection of minorities . It is assessed positively as moral courage . Conversely, acceptance of the majority opinion against one's own convictions for purely tactical reasons is often criticized.

Party members who practice party discipline in this sense are negatively referred to as party soldiers , apparatchik or bonze .

The issue is described more positively with party solidarity or party reasoning .

Enforcement of party solidarity

In Germany, parties must be democratically organized in accordance with the Political Parties Act . Thus, violations of the demand for party discipline can only be sanctioned by the party within the framework of a party regulation procedure if the principles of the party are affected. The party has to accept the representation of minority opinions by party members (also in public) on other issues. In particular, the exclusion from a party is subject to higher hurdles in accordance with Section 10 (4) of the Political Parties Act. A member can be expelled from the party if he intentionally violates the statutes or significantly violates the principles of the order of the party and thus causes serious damage. Nevertheless, there are instruments for the parties to force members to show party solidarity. The party is free to elect members in party offices or on electoral lists . A member who has deviated from the majority line in terms of content is therefore at risk of being re-elected. In parliamentary votes, this mechanism is literally institutionalized in the form of parliamentary group compulsory: although, from a formal point of view, MPs are only responsible to their conscience, the parties expect the parliamentary group to support them in votes; only in certain cases is the parliamentary group compulsory lifted. The vote of conscience thus becomes an exception from the constitutional norm.

Withdrawal of party discipline by leaving the party

However, the voluntary resignation from the party deprives the party member of the possibility of further influencing the group behavior as a whole. Sociologically, party discipline is therefore a phenomenon of group dynamics .

Party discipline in socialism

In the socialist states, enforcing party discipline was a constitutive element of party dictatorship. In accordance with the principle of “ democratic centralism ”, the specifications of the higher party level were binding on the lower level. For example B. for the SED :

“The party's organizational structure is based on the principle of democratic centralism. This principle states: ... c) that all decisions of the higher party organs are binding for the subordinate organs, strict party discipline is to be exercised and the minority as well as the individual subordinate themselves to the decisions of the majority in a disciplined manner. "

- Paragraph 23 of the Statute of the SED 1976

Accordingly, a violation of the requirements presented above was a reason for party order proceedings.

"Anyone who violates the unity and purity of the party, does not comply with its resolutions, has violated party and state discipline ... to be held accountable."

- Item 8 of the Statute of the SED

The party members were heavily dependent on the SED. Party penalties or even exclusion from the party resulted in the loss of function and job outside the party as well as the loss of privileges.

See also

• Intra-party democracy
• Faction discipline

literature

• Ulla Plener : About party discipline in the labor movement of the 20th century. In: Yearbook for research on the history of the labor movement . Vol. 8, Issue 2, 2009, pp. 56-67.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Item 23 of the statute of the SED, quoted from Klaus Marxen , Gerhard Werle (ed.): Strafjustiz und DDR-Inrecht. Documentation. Volume 2, Part 2: Acts of violence on the German-German border. With the collaboration of Toralf Rummler and Petra Schäfter. de Gruyter Recht, Berlin et al. 2002, ISBN 3-89949-007-X , p. 655
2. ↑ Item 23 of the statute of the SED 1976, quoted from Klaus Marxen, Gerhard Werle (ed.): Strafjustiz und DDR-Inrecht. Documentation. Volume 2, Part 2: Acts of violence on the German-German border. With the collaboration of Toralf Rummler and Petra Schäfter. de Gruyter Recht, Berlin et al. 2002, ISBN 3-89949-007-X , p. 656
3. ↑ Klaus Marxen, Gerhard Werle (ed.): Criminal justice and GDR injustice. Documentation. Volume 2, Part 2: Acts of violence on the German-German border. With the collaboration of Toralf Rummler and Petra Schäfter. de Gruyter Recht, Berlin et al. 2002, ISBN 3-89949-007-X , pp. 655-657.