ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the key concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book. The book seeks to remedy matters by providing case-studies of the 'life cycle' of five agrarian parties in the Nordic countries which, founded early in the twentieth century, have survived into the twenty-first. They are the three parties with a capital 'A', the Agrarian Parties in Finland, Norway and Sweden, along with Venstre in Denmark and the Icelandic Progressive Party, both of which emerged as farmers' parties in all but name. The political impact of the individual agrarian parties tends to be viewed in terms of the extent of their participation in government and/or their involvement as opposition parties in legislative coalitions. In the case of farmers' parties, modernisation involved responding to the twin processes of industrialisation and urbanisation by taking steps – a new name, programme or electoral strategy – designed to move the party in a catchall direction.
