ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the role of funding arrangements in shaping the internal life of some major political parties in Britain, Germany and Italy, covering a period from the mid-nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century. One major left wing and one major right wing party is chosen from each country, drawn from parties that have experienced some continuity from the nineteenth century to the mid-1950s. For this reason the Italian case focuses on the Socialist Party rather than on the Communist Party. The selection of Britain, Germany and Italy reflects a methodological choice of using Britain as a control case in the comparative analysis. Problems related to the maintenance of party organizations emerged much earlier in Britain and funding practices evolved within uninterrupted democratic rules; by contrast, in Italy and in Germany the collection of money was discontinued when the totalitarian regime disrupted the traditional party system and banned political parties in the 1920s and 1930s. It is therefore instructive to look at the similarities and differences in funding arrangements between the three countries.
