The crisis of bipolar party systems in Western Europe

Abstract

For several decades after the Second World War, a bipolar model existed in the leading countries of Western Europe with the dominance of two systemforming parties representing the “right-left” political center. Alternative parties were excluded from the active political process. In recent years, there has been a more pronounced political polarization. The formation of a Government requires the creation of broad coalitions of competing political forces. The formation of a multicomponent party power structure is an objective process.