Internal democracy reforms intended to broaden a party can empower its orthodox wing

Evidence

This orthodox resurgence was furthered by the party’s promotion of opinion platforms, initially to further member involvement. The Czech Eighteenth Congress concluded that “the party cannot dare, and cannot be, artificially united in its opinions. It has to create space for the free expression of opinions and constant discussion within itself.” Therefore, as of April 1990, these opinion platforms and factions could all create councils within the party, were admitted to Central Committee meetings, and were officially recognized in the formation of the party program and policy stances. — Anna M. Grzymala-Busse, Redeeming The Communist Past, 481

Categorization

• QUESTION: Whether opening deliberation to factions backfires against reform assumes an orthodox majority holds the local organs — a mechanism the reader’s threat-hardening research could formalize.
• XREF: connects to: Lax decentralized membership rules let orthodox activists re-infiltrate a reformed party en masse — Anna M. Grzymala-Busse, Redeeming The Communist Past: The…, 476; Member-heavy parties get locked into orthodox stances that alienate the broader electorate — Anna M. Grzymala-Busse, Redeeming The Communist Past: The…, 687; Direct democracy can itself enable the tyranny of a majority — Philip Pettit, Republicanism: A Theory of Freedom and…, 77 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Member-heavy parties get locked into orthodox stances that alienate the broader electorate #complicates (0.85) — Anna M. Grzymala-Busse, Redeeming The Communist Past, 687
• Direct democracy can itself enable the tyranny of a majority #exemplifies (0.72) — Philip Pettit, Republicanism, 77