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Historically & at their inception the East European Communist parties differed greatly from one another. Whereas those of Czechoslovakia, Hungary, & Poland were workers' parties, those of Bulgaria & Rumania were essentially parties of revolutionary intellectuals. From 1945-1948 the Communist parties, strongly supported by Soviet military power, established their one-party dictatorships. There followed a period of intensive econ pressures to create the maximum in heavy industry & general mobilization. Though the pattern was the same in all these countries, some were more severely affected than others. Where revolutions did occur-as in Poland & Hungary-a definite cleavage of opinion at the highest level of the party existed as did a surviving Communist leader of great prestige who symbolized all the desire for reform & freedom which had accumulated over the yrs. In the remainder of Eastern Europe the parties, internally unstable though they are, have changed very little. It will, nonetheless, be well to watch here for diff's in personalities, policies, & tactics, for in changed international circumstances these may prove pol'ally decisive. AAAPSS.

The disparagement of Bob Hawke during the end of his 1991 term by members of his own Labor Party is studied to determine whether future Labor leaders must disassociate themselves from the Hawke legacy in order to achieve electoral victory. Several achievements realized by the Hawke administration between 1983 & 1991 are noted, eg, the creation of several social programs that advanced women's & ethnic minority groups' rights; nevertheless, various decisions made by the Hawke government that were condemned by certain Australian groups are identified. Rather than support the popular position that the Labor party under Hawke's leadership abandoned its socialist origins, it is claimed that the Hawke administration achieved social reform & was principally guided by its pursuit of social justice. Additional criticism against the Hawke government for its adoption of neoliberal economics is addressed; specifically, it is stated that the Hawke administration adopting novel economic perspectives averted greater economic deterioration. It is noted that current Labor leader Mark Latham has successfully appropriated positive aspects of Labor's history into his campaign for Prime Minister, thus concluding that Hawke's political legacy should be remembered, not disavowed, within the Labor Party. J. W. Parker

This article evaluates the thesis that the relationship between national labor movements and social democratic political parties has become `delinked' in the past two decades as a result of globalization. As globalization has undermined the political relevance of unions, social democratic parties have pursued independent, and more conservative, policies and have courted a diversity of other interest groups. This thesis is tested using a pooled time-series multiple regression analysis of 16 advanced industrialized countries spanning the period 1950-95. Globalization - measured both in terms of a country's general `openness' to the world economy and specifically in terms of international trade and direct investment abroad - is found to be positively related both to the widening success gap between unions and social democratic parties and to the growing policy conservatism of social democratic parties.

An examination of factors that led to Labor's defeat in Australia's 2004 federal election points to four key determinants: 1) policy blunders made during the pre-campaign period; 2) more favorable voter perceptions of John Howard's leadership than of Mark Latham's; 3) the Coalition's campaign emphasis on their economic agenda, especially the argument that interest rates would always be higher under a Labor government; & 4) the Australian Labor Party's "late-target" strategy of delayed policy release. Taken together these factors robbed Labor of credibility among uncommitted voters & lessened Labor's dwindling core support base. Other issues discussed include the prime importance of sound economic management among Australian voters; preconceived perceptions of the qualities needed by a prime minister; lack of interest in environmental matters; the traditional tendency of Australians to stick with a current government rather than opt for change; & devises used by the Coalition to develop a public rhetoric that presented the Coalition as the "protector" of policy areas once associated with Labor. J. Lindroth

Republican Party government during the presidency of George W Bush prompted liberal academics and intellectuals to reconsider the theory of responsible party government (RPG). While liberal thinkers traditionally had viewed party government positively, the onset of robust conservative government led some to question its desirability. This article examines this momentary turn in liberal thought and argues that it misconstrues the arguments for RPG, overstates the extent to which contemporary conditions constitute a fulfillment of the model, and exaggerates the degree to which Bush-era Republicans were able to shift policy to the right. Most important, recent critics misunderstand the ways that stronger parties help organized labor and favor a left-liberal political agenda. Adapted from the source document.

The Australian Labor Party's (ALP) loss in the 2004 national elections signals a continuing trend of change in the composition, electoral support, & issue orientation of the party. This trend is analyzed according to demographic, socioeconomic, national economic policy, & employment shifts with evidence of suburbanization, increasing middle-class growth in the ALP, displacement of Tasmanian loggers that erodes working-class support, & the lack of a credible economic policy (bad tax policy that increased tax rates) illustrating how the ALP has changed in make-up, but how the leadership has not adequately adapted. This analysis helps explain the electoral losses of the ALP, in particular the majority of voters' anxiety over economic well-being, & suggests the need for a stronger economic policy that is fair & secure, a better industrial relations policy, & more public investment, particularly in the new urban suburbs. R. Rodriguez