KaderparteiModells

KaderparteiModells is a theoretical construct in political science that describes a cadre-based party model in which the organization relies on a core of trained and loyal cadres to guide strategy, administration, and decision-making. In this model, leadership exercises centralized control over policy direction, candidate selection, and organizational tasks, while broad mass membership plays a secondary role, primarily as a source of manpower and legitimacy.

The term is used to contrast cadre-based parties with mass parties that mobilize large, active membership and emphasize broad-based participation and input. It is discussed in comparative politics and party theory as a way to analyze how some organizations prioritize discipline, ideological alignment, and internal promotion pipelines over grassroots mobilization or broad public engagement. The cadre model is often associated with long-term career paths within the party and with mechanisms that ensure continuity across leadership transitions.

Key characteristics include centralized decision-making, selective recruitment and promotion of cadres, and an emphasis on loyalty or ideological conformity within a narrow leadership circle. There is usually a formal or informal path for advancing within the party, and internal networks or patronage can play a significant role. Grassroots channels for participation tend to be more limited than in mass party models.

Critiques of the KaderparteiModells focus on potential rigidity, reduced adaptability to changing political contexts, and a greater risk of elite dominance at the expense of broader civil society engagement. In scholarly debates, it is often contrasted with mass-based or catch-all party models.