CHANGING PARTY IDEOLOGY - GAULLIST PARTIES FACING VOTERS, LEADERS ANDCOMPETITORS

What are the conditions for a change in party ideology, Earlier resear ch has pointed at changing electoral opinions, variations in the party elite and organization as well as at the party system and electoral s ystem as such. Which of these factors are the most important for initi ating party ideology change? This is the theoretical question addresse d in this article. Through a qualitative ideological analysis of Gaull ist party documents since 1947, this study shows that electoral failur e is a necessary but not sufficient condition for ideological change. When a political party has experienced an electoral setback and also a change in the party system or in their own party organization, a chan ge in ideology will also occur. The article also shows that the Gaulli st parties, by always having a blend of conservative and liberal value s, have made change possible by emphasizing one or other of these valu es. It has been possible to cope with apparent contradictions in the i deology since separate values have been guiding various ideological do mains in the Gaullist party ideology.