Gerhard Leibholz, Costantino Mortati and the ideological roots of postwar party democracy in Germany and Italy

Abstract

This article studies the ideological roots of the particular form of party democracy that was established in Germany and Italy after 1945. Given the deeply rooted tradition of anti-party politics and the previous failure to construct stable party democracies, it is remarkable that political parties evolved into the central actors of post-1945 democratic regimes in Germany and Italy. This article investigates how postwar reforms in this regard build on ideological assumptions put forward in the Interwar era. It centres on two thinkers who not only epitomized the historical continuity before and after the War, but also made a major impact on the reform of political institutions after 1945. Costantino Mortati and Gerhard Leibholz not only inspired political reformers with their writings, but also fostered party–state democracy during their tenures as constitutional court judges. As such, their views on political parties are of crucial importance in understanding why the postwar regimes took the shape of a ‘party–state democracy’.