During the past several years, society and politics in Western Europe have entered a period of extraordinary turbulence and dramatic change. Alarming levels of mass unemployment, waves of violent skin-head and neo-nazi attacks against socially vulnerable groups, and widespread public disaffection with the political system are symptoms of severe crisis in the post-war Western European settlement. Radical populist right parties have benefitted more from this crisis than any other political group. Largely relegated to the fringes of Western European politics in the post-war period, right-wing radical and extremist parties have made an impressive comeback to become one of the most significant political phenomena of the 1990s. Radical Right-Wing Populism in Western Europe offers a comprehensive analysis of the ideologies and programs of these parties, the factors that have contributed to their emergence, and their electoral base. Drawing on a wide range of empirical evidence from eight countries, the author concludes that given the magnitude of the economic, social, and cultural transformation confronting Western Europe's public (and the depth of the malaise that it has engendered), radical right-wing populist parties are bound to play a significant role in West European politics for the foreseeable future.

One of the important recent developments in Western Europe has been the rise and rapid spread of radical right-wing parties. Crucial to this transformation in West European politics has been the political climate of the 1980s, which was marked by disenchantment with the major social and political institutions and profound distrust in their workings, the weakening and decomposition of electoral alignments, and increased fragmentation and electoral volatility. This has put party systems in the region under heavy pressure from a radical populist right. Distancing themselves from the backward-looking reactionary politics of the traditional extremist right, these parties have become a significant challenge to the established structure and politics of West European democracy today.

Over the last three decades, numerous radical right populist parties (RRPP) have emerged, developed, and strengthened their electoral weight in Western Europe. Yet, while several RRPP have managed to formally participate in government coalitions (such as in Italy, Austria, and Switzerland) or to informally support minority governments (such as in Denmark, and in The Netherlands) and while other RRPP have become highly visible opposition forces (such as in France, and Germany), the influence exercised by RRPP remain underexplored. It is essential to focus on their policy influence because of their electoral strength but also because they are often perceived by journalists, citizens, policy-makers as well as by researchers as a threat to democracy. As a reaction, mainstream parties tend to adopt specific strategies - such as measures of militant democracy towards RRPP. The aim of this book is to contribute to theoretical and empirical research in political science by bringing together a variety of contributions about the influence of RRPP in terms of policies on their core issues. To that end, we ask under which circumstances these parties are able to do so in contemporary Western Europe. This book proposes to focus on the role played by party status. Are RRPP better able to leave their imprints when they are in power or support minority governments than when they hold opposition or outsider status in Western Europe?

Over the last three decades, numerous radical right populist parties (RRPP) have emerged, developed, and strengthened their electoral weight in Western Europe. Yet, while several RRPP have managed to formally participate in government coalitions (such as in Italy, Austria, and Switzerland) or to informally support minority governments (such as in Denmark, and in The Netherlands) and while other RRPP have become highly visible opposition forces (such as in France, and Germany), the influence exercised by RRPP remain underexplored. It is essential to focus on their policy influence because of their electoral strength but also because they are often perceived by journalists, citizens, policy-makers as well as by researchers as a threat to democracy. As a reaction, mainstream parties tend to adopt specific strategies - such as measures of militant democracy towards RRPP. The aim of this book is to contribute to theoretical and empirical research in political science by bringing together a variety of contributions about the influence of RRPP in terms of policies on their core issues. To that end, we ask under which circumstances these parties are able to do so in contemporary Western Europe. This book proposes to focus on the role played by party status. Are RRPP better able to leave their imprints when they are in power or support minority governments than when they hold opposition or outsider status in Western Europe?

In the early 1980s right-wing populist parties and movements began to stage a dramatic comeback throughout a growing number of democratically-based countries. Appealing to public anxieties in the wake of rapid economic change, these movements succeeded in mobilizing and exploiting popular resentments against immigrants, minorities, and the political establishment. As a result, the radical populist Right has become a severe and potentially destabilizing threat to the democratic system. In New Politics of the Right, a top-notch array of scholars analyzes the recent wave of right-wing populist organization in four different regions of the world: Western Europe, North America, South Asia, and Australia/New Zealand. Each chapter provides a brief history of right-wing activity in that given country, an examination of the right-wing program, a discussion of its support, and an account of its impact on the established political parties. The authors then offer chilling predictions of what to expect in the future given continued upheavals in the global economy. New Politics of the Right is a comprehensive look at the dangerous spread of right-wing radicalism throughout the “free” world.