Radical Right-Wing Populism in Western Europe

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.