The Union of the Democratic Centre’s strategy of expansion beyond the Movement’s cadres: the economic world

Abstract

In this article we present a hypothesis for analysing the process of growth of the Union of the Democratic Centre (Unión de Centro Democrático – UCD) that is complementary to the interpretations made to date. Taking a case study as our basis, we propose to study the UCD’s strategy for recruiting electoral candidates beyond the Movement’s cadres, through the organisations of the economic world. To develop this proposal we suggest the use of collective biography as an instrument of analysis that facilitates the passage from the individual to the collective. We also suggest comparing and contrasting this proposal in other provinces of Spain in order to check whether it was something particular to the Basque provinces or was common in this party’s development.