Class politics and the radical right

Summary:

One of the most significant events in European politics the past two decades is the emergence of radical right-wing parties, mobilizing against immigration and multiethnic societies. Such parties have established themselves in a large number of countries, often with voter shares exceeding ten and sometimes even twenty percent. Many of these parties exert a real influence on the policy within respective country.

The emergence of the recent wave of radical right-wing party politics has generated a large and growing literature, spanning a variety of dimensions—such as ideology, voting, and policy impact. This volume covers all these dimensions, but focuses in particular on two questions: why is it that the working class tends to be especially attracted by the radical right-wing parties? And what does the radical right-wing parties growing electoral successes mean for Social Democracy and the traditional left in Europe, which are meeting growing competition from the radical right over working class voters?