The membership of political parties in European democracies, 1960-1990.

The article presents the authors' views on political parties in European democracies since 1960-1990. According to them, there has been an organizational decline and a loss of organizational links which tie parties to electors. They say that raw membership count is one of the principal measures by which party membership strength can be assessed across national boundaries. They note that the pattern of party membership among the traditional liberal parties has also been erratic.