Abstract

Six years ago the Left Party arose out of the Left Party.PDS and the WASG. Although the Left Party.PDS possessed organisational assets that far exceeded those of the small WASG, the new Left Party has differed significantly from the former PDS in terms of programme, personnel and approach. To understand the conditions under which smaller merging partners may transform a newly fused party, this article examines the lessons of three other post-1945 cases of party merger in Germany. This analysis finds that strategic assets, in addition to organisational ones, determine the post-merger balance of forces within a new party. The paper concludes by reconsidering the Left Party's development and prospects in light of these findings.

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