The electoral success of the new radical right in Western Europe: Origins, influences and trends

With a fusion of nativism, authoritarianism and populism, the new radical right (NRR) began to achieve widespread electoral breakthroughs in Western Europe in the 1980s. Over twenty years have passed since its inception, and the NRR continues to gain in strength. This paper will examine the reasons behind the NRR’s ascendancy in Western Europe. Specifically, it will focus on factors that influenced the emergence and electoral success of the French Front National, Austrian Freiheitliche Partei, and Flemish Vlaams Belang. Using results from the Eurobarometer surveys as a window into right-wing perceptions, this paper will critique the theories posed by Cas Mudde and Herbert Kitschelt to explain the demand for the NRR and consider how attitudes of nativism, authoritarianism and populism are formed. It will be argued that Mudde’s contention that NRR values are commonplace throughout Europe is not supported by the evidence, and that Kitschelt’s theory – which considers a voter’s education, economic circumstances and employment opportunities – is more useful. The paper will also examine the role of public condemnation or approbation in bestowing legitimacy on the NRR. Lastly, the impact that mainstream political parties have on the electoral success of the NRR will be considered; it will be suggested that a core divergence of major parties resulting in those on the right moving further in that direction can be of electoral benefit to the NRR.