Coalition facts for kids
A coalition is when two or more people or groups decide to work together for a short time to reach a shared goal. This word is often used when talking about groups joining forces in politics or business.
How Coalitions Are Formed
Building a coalition usually involves a few important steps:
Planning Your Strategy
First, each group needs to figure out what it wants and how it plans to work with others. Thinking carefully at this stage helps groups find good partners and avoid common mistakes.
Negotiating the Deal
Next, the groups meet to talk and agree on how the coalition will work. Some parts of the agreement might be kept secret, while others are shared publicly. It's normal for some issues to be easy to agree on, and others to need more discussion to find a compromise.
Starting the Work
Once everyone agrees, the deal needs to be made official. This means writing down the agreement, getting it approved by all the groups involved, and then telling the public about the new coalition.
Working Together Effectively
As the coalition starts to work, the groups need to keep good relationships. They should keep trusting each other and communicating well. Each group also needs to balance its duties to the coalition with keeping its own identity.
Learning for the Future
After the coalition's work is done, it's helpful for each group to look back and see what went well and what could be better. This helps them learn from the experience for any future teamwork.
Coalitions can look different and last for different amounts of time:
- Campaign coalitions involve strong, long-term teamwork.
- Federations have less intense involvement but also last a long time. Members still focus mostly on their own groups.
- Instrumental coalitions are less intense and don't have a strong way to solve disagreements.
- Event-based coalitions are very involved and might lead to more teamwork later.
Unlike an alliance, coalitions can sometimes be like "partnerships of unequals." This means that how much influence a group has often depends on its political, economic, or military strength. Coalitions can also form quickly when there's danger or an unexpected event, aiming for short-term goals.
How Coalitions Work
Coalitions generally fall into two main types: internal and external.
Internal Coalitions
Internal coalitions are made up of people who are already part of the same organization, like a workplace. For example, a trade union is a type of coalition. It's formed by employees to protect their wages, benefits, and working conditions. Without this unity, workers might face unfair treatment or low pay. Organizations often talk with their internal coalitions before making big changes to make sure they have support.
External Coalitions
External coalitions bring together people from different organizations who work together for a shared goal. For instance, the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence was formed by various groups, unions, and non-profit organizations to prevent gun violence. External coalitions often invite different kinds of partners who all want the same outcome, even if their reasons for wanting it are different.
Where Coalitions Are Used
In Government and Politics
A coalition government is a way of governing where different political parties work together. This is different from a system where one party wins everything. In countries like Germany, every government since World War II has been a multiparty coalition. This shows how different parties can join forces to lead a country.
The Cambridge Dictionary says a coalition is "the joining together of different political parties or groups for a particular purpose, usually for a limited time."
Coalitions are also similar to parliamentary groups. In places like the European Parliament, coalitions can change for each vote to help pass new laws.
In International Relations
In international relations, a coalition is when two or more countries work together for a specific goal. This often happens when countries face a common threat or see a shared opportunity. Because of this, these coalitions are often temporary. Working together helps the countries reach their common goal. How these international coalitions behave depends on what the groups have in common and what makes them different.
In Economics
Groups in the economy can also form coalitions. When they do, it's usually for financial reasons. For example, a buyer and a seller, or even two sellers, might come together temporarily to achieve a goal. A famous example is when Microsoft helped Apple with a large investment in 1997. Unions are also seen as coalitions of workers, often from the same job. When countries form international agreements, like trade agreements, these can also be seen as coalitions.
In Civil Society
In civil society, a "coalition" means a group of people working together who strongly believe in their cause. This term also describes partnerships between different civil society organizations, such as labor unions, community groups, and religious institutions. In France, for example, workers from different unions often join forces to make their voices heard. This kind of coalition can be very effective because it can cause big changes. Many groups of private citizens also form grassroots organizations, like the Christian Coalition of America, which is a large political group in America. Activist groups are also coalitions, united by their shared beliefs and goals.
In the Military
Military coalitions are formed when multiple countries or governments join forces under one leader. Their members can change over time. A country doesn't have to be a traditional ally to join, and nations can join, change their contributions, leave, or be replaced as situations change. A key benefit of military coalitions is that member nations have more resources for military operations.
Examples of military coalitions include the Coalition of the Gulf War. In 1991, George H. W. Bush led a military coalition in Operation Desert Storm to stop Saddam Hussein. His son, George W. Bush, also led the "Coalition of the Willing" during the war in Iraq in 2003. A more recent example is the United Nations coalition that stepped in during the 2011 Libyan civil war against Muammar Gaddafi. For military coalitions to work well, the countries involved usually need to face a very big threat, like a threat to freedom, or a dangerous leader whose actions are seen as harmful to the region or the world.
See also
In Spanish: Coalición para niños
