The Specter Haunting Europe: The Lost Left

European democracies are going through what may be their most difficult period since the Great Depression. Europe’s mess can be traced to a number of distinct causes, but one that has been largely undervalued is the decline of the center- or social democratic left. This decline has hurt European democracy both directly, as many of these parties’ voters have fled to extremist parties, and also indirectly, for these parties played a crucial role creating and maintaining the postwar order upon which stable democracy was built. Absent a revivification of the center-left, it is hard to see how this order—and perhaps even well-functioning democracy generally—can be resuscitated in Europe.