Still religious parties in Belgium? The Decline of the denominational cleavage in the Belgian consociational democracy

The Belgian consociational model as it was instituted in the early 20th century was built along the denominational cleavage. It opposed three pillars: a catholic one, a socialist one and a (smaller) liberal one. The religious difference was not only observable in the political goals of each pillar, but also in the background and attitudes of their members. Catholics were hardly present in either the socialist and liberal organizations. Non-catholics were very rare within catholic organizations. Voting behaviours confirmed the religious base of Belgian politics and society. From the 1960s onwar... Mehr ...