Uruguay

This chapter, focusing on Uruguay, reviews the trajectory of the oldest parties in the study, PC and PN. This analysis presents the clearest example of the theorized evolution of the causal factors: the waning effect of Trauma, the difficulty of sustaining Purpose, the importance of formal and informal Channels of Ambition, and the consolidation of moderate Exit Barriers as a combination of institutional and organizational formal and informal rules. The chapter also discusses the case of the FA, a vibrant party that faces the challenge of consolidating Channels of Ambition. Finally, the Uruguayan case illustrates the trade-off between Trauma and Channels of Ambition and is the only one of the three countries in this study where all the major parties, at the time of fieldwork, could be considered vibrant.