Party-Specific Meanings of Solidarity

This chapter presents the findings of the cross-sectional analysis: the differences and similarities between the meanings of solidarity applied by political parties across the political spectrum. It shows the typical, generalized meanings of solidarity for each of the five analysed parties, CDU/CSU, SPD, FDP, Alliance 90/The Greens, and the Left (PDS until 2007). Each party is given a profile of its solidarity use, and—as much as possible—each subchapter follows the same logic of description from the broadest or earliest to the most specific or developed. Subchapters start on the most general level with an overview of the relevance of the term for a given party. For the parties that list solidarity as one of their core values, the details of this selection are presented. Subsequent sections describe characteristic areas of use for each party. This includes the use of the term in relation to other concepts (e.g., freedom) and in specific areas (e.g., solidarity and the role of the state, solidarity and the economic or labour relations, solidarity and the civic or societal context, and solidarity and diversity). As these subchapters are adjusted to each party’s relevant uses and meanings of solidarity, they differ between the parties. Each party profile includes a section on solidarity in the global or international context as well. Although the party profiles are predominantly presented as case studies, comparisons with their competitors are made throughout, especially when particular differences or unexpected similarities occur.