The politics of the extreme right: From the margins to the mainstream

Book abstract:

Fascist, authoritarian, anti-Semitic and extremist movements have made a powerful and devastating contribution to the twentieth century. While the events of the 1930s and 1940s removed the legitimisation for such movements, there has been a resurgence in recent years of such forces. Various factors have contributed to this resurgence, such as rapid socio-economic change, the appeal of nationalism, and the failure of mainstream political parties. Campaigns around issues such as immigration, security and unemployment have provided further fuel.

This book examines the phenomenon of extreme right movements, country by country. Most of the chapters look at Western Europe, particularly the EU Member States of France, Austria, Italy, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, Britain, and Scandinavia. These countries have shown uneven electoral performance of the extreme right at national-level elections. In France, Austria, Italy, Belgium and some parts of Scandinavia, the respective parties have enjoyed a measure of electoral success. By contrast, the British National Party and the Centre Party and Centre Democrats in the Netherlands have performed very badly. The German parties such as Republikaner and the Deutsche Volksunion might well draw substance for a future resurgence as post-unification issues such as refugee and asylum policy become more important.

The later part of the book turns to post-communist Eastern and Central Europe, looking at Russia, Romania and Serbia, in order to provide a fuller picture of extreme right forms and nature. The instability of the post-communist world has provided a context within which extremist alternatives can emerge. The final chapter covers the United States, where the various components of the far right compete for influence, and on occasion enter the political mainstream.

This book is a sequel to Paul Hainsworth's previous work, 'The extreme right in Europe and the USA' (1992). It will be an invaluable source for students, academics, journalists, activists and policy-makers interested in this key area of contemporary society and politics.