Radical right-wing populism in western Europe
Hans-Georg Betz (Author)
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
X, 226 S. graph. Darst
9780312083908, 9780312121952, 0312083904, 0312121954
246686751
1. Radical Right-Wing Populism and the Challenge of Global Change
2. Resentment as Politics
3. Immigration and Xenophobia
4. The Two Faces of Radical Right-Wing Populism
5. The Social Bases of Political Resentment
6. Political Conflict in the Age of Social Fragmentation
Includes bibliographical references and index