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coalition

/ˌkoʊəˈlɪʃən//ˌkəʊəˈlɪʃən/·noun
a temporary alliance of distinct groups formed for joint action
Fig. 1 — Small fish drift apart, each an easy mouthful, when a shark comes cruising in.
01Definition

A coalition is a temporary alliance — separate parties, factions, or nations that agree to act as one for a shared purpose and then go their own ways once it is served. It shares a Latin root with coalesce, 'to grow together', but a coalition never fully fuses: each member keeps its own identity and interests, which is what makes coalitions powerful and fragile at once. In politics it is the standard term for a government formed when no single party holds a majority and rivals must combine to rule.

02In use
  • iAfter the election, three rival parties had to coalesce into a single governing coalition.
  • iiEnvironmental groups formed a broad coalition to counteract the new drilling policy.
  • iiiThe wartime coalition began to fracture the moment its common enemy was gone.
03Collocations
  • form a coalition
  • a broad coalition
  • a coalition government
  • a fragile coalition
  • build a coalition

Family coalitional (adjective)

04Relations

=alliance, bloc, union, partnership, league

≠faction, split

06TOEFL & IELTS

A key noun for IELTS/TOEFL essays on politics, the environment and international relations. It is countable ('a coalition of NGOs') and collocates tightly with 'form', 'build' and 'broad'. Examiners reward the nuance that a coalition is interest-based and can dissolve — it is not a permanent merger, which is what separates it from a true union.

07Asked
What is a coalition government?
A cabinet shared by two or more parties because no single party won a majority. Common under proportional voting systems — Germany and the Netherlands are governed this way almost permanently — and rare under winner-takes-all systems like the UK's or the US's, where one party usually clears the bar alone. The partners negotiate a programme, divide the ministries, and govern together while remaining rivals.
What is the difference between a coalition and an alliance?
Duration and depth. An alliance is the longer, treaty-grade bond — NATO has outlived every crisis it was built for. A coalition is bound to a purpose: it forms to win a vote, fight a war, or pass a law, and its natural fate is to dissolve the day the purpose is served. Alliances are marriages; coalitions are joint ventures.
What is a famous example of a coalition?
The 1991 Gulf War coalition — roughly thirty-five nations (counts vary with the phase of the war), from the US and UK to Syria and Niger, combined under one command for a single stated aim and disbanded afterwards. It is the textbook case because it shows the form at full stretch: members with clashing interests everywhere else, aligned on exactly one thing.
Why do political parties form coalitions?
Arithmetic first: governing requires a majority, and coalition is how parties assemble one they did not win. But the mathematics has flavours — a minority coalition governs with outside support, while a surplus coalition carries more partners than strictly needed, buying stability at the price of shared spoils. Every version trades purity of programme for the ability to act.
Are coalition and coalesce related?
Same Latin root — coalescere, 'to grow together' — but the two words stopped at different depths. English took coalition in the 1600s for literal growing-together; the political sense arrived around 1715 and won the word outright. The fish in the scene above show why the political sense stuck at half-fusion: strong as one while the shark circles, separate again the moment it leaves.
How long does a coalition last?
As long as its purpose does — and its members' patience. Wartime coalitions dissolve at victory; governing coalitions write their planned lifespan into a coalition agreement, a negotiated contract of policies and posts, and still frequently collapse early when a partner walks. The fragility is not a flaw but the design: exit is what the members kept.