Right-wing populism
Encyclopedia
Right-wing populism is a political ideology
that rejects existing political consensus and combines laissez-faire
liberalism and anti-elitism. It is considered "right-wing
" because of its rejection of social equality
and government programs to achieve it, its opposition to social integration
, and its nativist
overtones. It is considered populism
because of its appeal to the "common man" as opposed to the elites.
From the 1990s right-wing populist parties became established in the legislatures of various democracies including Canada, Norway, France, Israel, Russia, Romania and Chile, and entered coalition governments in Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Italy. Although right-wing movements in the U.S. have been studied separately, where they are normally called "radical right
", some writers consider them to be the same phenomenon. Right-wing populism is distinct from the historic Right, which had been concerned with preserving the "status quo", and mostly do not have roots in their political parties.
Classification of right-wing populism into a single political family has proved difficult, and it is not certain whether a meaningful category exists, or merely a cluster of categories, since the parties differ in ideology, organization, and leadership rhetoric. Also, unlike traditional parties, they do not belong to international organizations of like-minded parties, and they do not use similar terms to describe themselves. One commonality though is that they are more right-wing than other political parties on the left-right axis.
Scholars use terminology inconsistently, sometimes referring to right-wing populism as "radical right
" or other terms. Pippa Norris
noted that "standard reference works use alternate typologies and diverse labels categorising parties as 'far' or 'extreme' right, 'new right
', 'anti-immigrant
', 'neo-Nazi
' or 'neofascist
', 'antiestablishment
', 'national populist', 'protest', 'ethnic', 'authoritarian
', 'antigovernment
', 'antiparty', 'ultranationalist', or 'neoliberal
', 'libertarian
' and so on".
, the Italian Tricolour Flame, the National Democratic Party of Germany
. the German People's Union
, the former Dutch Centre Party
, the British National Party
, and the Belgian Vlaams Blok
in the first category. He placed the French National Front, the German Republicans, the Dutch Centre Democrats
,the Belgian Front national, the Freedom Party of Austria
, the Danish Progress Party
, the Norwegian Progress Party
, and the Swedish New Democracy
in the second category.
Right-wing populist parties in the English-speaking world include the UK Independence Party, the former Reform Party of Canada
, Australia's One Nation
, and New Zealand First
.
. In the 1973 election
it received almost 16% of the vote. In the years following its support dwindled away, but was replaced by the Danish People's Party
in the 1990s, which has gone on to be an important support party for the governing Liberal-Conservative coalition in the first decade of the 21st century. The DPP has emphasised ethnic nationalism
to an extent that the Progress Party never did, and is more supportive of elements of state intervention in the economy and the welfare state.
, radical right-wing populism played a role in mobilizing middle class support for the Nazi Party. In this case, distressed middle–class populists during the pre-Nazi Weimar period mobilized their anger at government and big business. The Nazis "parasitized the forms and themes of the populists and moved their constituencies far to the right through ideological appeals involving demagoguery, scapegoating, and conspiracism". According to Fritzsche:
The German Republicans had seats in the European parliament in 1983. In the 2000s, the Republicans' support eroded in favour of the far right
National Democratic Party of Germany
, which in 2005 held 1.6% of the popular vote (regionally winning up to 9%).
, right-wing populism won a minor representation in the 150-seat House of Representatives in 1982, when the Centre Party
won a single seat. During the 1990s, a splinter party, the Centre Democrats
, was slightly more successful, although its significance was still marginal. Not before 2002 did a party considered right-wing populist break through in the Netherlands, when the Pim Fortuyn List won 26 seats and subsequently formed a coalition with the VVD and CDA. Its success was however short-lived, and the coalition broke up already in 2003, and the party went into steep decline until it was dissolved.
Since 2006, the Party for Freedom
(PVV) has been represented in the House of Representatives. Following the 2010 general election, it has been in a pact with the right-wing minority government of VVD and CDA after it won 24 seats in the House of Representatives. The party is Eurosceptic
and plays a leading role in the changing stance of the Dutch government towards European integration
, as they came second in the 2009 European Parliament election
, winning 4 out of 25 seats. The party's main programme revolves around strong criticism of the islam, but broadened to all other fields as the party grew to its current semi-governmental state.
is commonly considered a right-wing populist party. From 2001 to 2005, the party tolerated Kjell Magne Bondevik
's centre-right minority government
. In the 1997
, 2005
, and 2009 parliamentary elections
, the FrP was the second-largest Norwegian party by votes.
the right-wing populist Swiss People's Party
reached an all-time high in the 2007 elections
. In Switzerland, radical right populist parties held close to 10% of the popular vote in 1971, were reduced to below 2% by 1979, and again grew to more than 10% in 1991. Since 1991, these parties (the Swiss Democrats
and the Swiss Freedom Party) have been absorbed by the Swiss People's Party
, whose aggressively right-wing, populist campaign catapulted it to 29% of the popular vote in 2007
, the highest vote ever recorded for a single party throughout Swiss parliamentary history.
of 2009–present had been characterized as "a right-wing anti-systemic populist movement" by Rasmussen and Schoen (2010). They add, "Today our country is in the midst of a...new populist revolt that has emerged overwhelmingly from the right -- manifesting itself as the Tea Party movement." The New York Times reports, "The Tea Party movement has become a platform for conservative populist discontent".
Ideology
An ideology is a set of ideas that constitutes one's goals, expectations, and actions. An ideology can be thought of as a comprehensive vision, as a way of looking at things , as in common sense and several philosophical tendencies , or a set of ideas proposed by the dominant class of a society to...
that rejects existing political consensus and combines laissez-faire
Laissez-faire
In economics, laissez-faire describes an environment in which transactions between private parties are free from state intervention, including restrictive regulations, taxes, tariffs and enforced monopolies....
liberalism and anti-elitism. It is considered "right-wing
Right-wing politics
In politics, Right, right-wing and rightist generally refer to support for a hierarchical society justified on the basis of an appeal to natural law or tradition. To varying degrees, the Right rejects the egalitarian objectives of left-wing politics, claiming that the imposition of equality is...
" because of its rejection of social equality
Social equality
Social equality is a social state of affairs in which all people within a specific society or isolated group have the same status in a certain respect. At the very least, social equality includes equal rights under the law, such as security, voting rights, freedom of speech and assembly, and the...
and government programs to achieve it, its opposition to social integration
Social integration
Social integration, in sociology and other social sciences, is the movement of minority groups such as ethnic minorities, refugees and underprivileged sections of a society into the mainstream of societies...
, and its nativist
Nativism (politics)
Nativism favors the interests of certain established inhabitants of an area or nation as compared to claims of newcomers or immigrants. It may also include the re-establishment or perpetuation of such individuals or their culture....
overtones. It is considered populism
Populism
Populism can be defined as an ideology, political philosophy, or type of discourse. Generally, a common theme compares "the people" against "the elite", and urges social and political system changes. It can also be defined as a rhetorical style employed by members of various political or social...
because of its appeal to the "common man" as opposed to the elites.
From the 1990s right-wing populist parties became established in the legislatures of various democracies including Canada, Norway, France, Israel, Russia, Romania and Chile, and entered coalition governments in Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Italy. Although right-wing movements in the U.S. have been studied separately, where they are normally called "radical right
Radical Right
Radical Right is a generally pejorative term used to describe various political movements on the right that are conspiracist, attuned to anti-American or anti-Christian agents of foreign powers, and "politically radical." The term was first used by social scientists in the 1950s regarding small...
", some writers consider them to be the same phenomenon. Right-wing populism is distinct from the historic Right, which had been concerned with preserving the "status quo", and mostly do not have roots in their political parties.
Classification of right-wing populism into a single political family has proved difficult, and it is not certain whether a meaningful category exists, or merely a cluster of categories, since the parties differ in ideology, organization, and leadership rhetoric. Also, unlike traditional parties, they do not belong to international organizations of like-minded parties, and they do not use similar terms to describe themselves. One commonality though is that they are more right-wing than other political parties on the left-right axis.
Scholars use terminology inconsistently, sometimes referring to right-wing populism as "radical right
Radical Right
Radical Right is a generally pejorative term used to describe various political movements on the right that are conspiracist, attuned to anti-American or anti-Christian agents of foreign powers, and "politically radical." The term was first used by social scientists in the 1950s regarding small...
" or other terms. Pippa Norris
Pippa Norris
Pippa Norris is the McGuire Lecturer in Comparative Politics at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University and ARC Laureate Fellow and Professor of Government at the University of Sydney...
noted that "standard reference works use alternate typologies and diverse labels categorising parties as 'far' or 'extreme' right, 'new right
New Right
New Right is used in several countries as a descriptive term for various policies or groups that are right-wing. It has also been used to describe the emergence of Eastern European parties after the collapse of communism.-Australia:...
', 'anti-immigrant
Opposition to immigration
Opposition to immigration is present in most nation-states with immigration, and has become a significant political issue in many countries. Immigration in the modern sense refers to movement of people from one nation-state to another, where they are not citizens. It is important to distinguish...
', 'neo-Nazi
Neo-Nazism
Neo-Nazism consists of post-World War II social or political movements seeking to revive Nazism or some variant thereof.The term neo-Nazism can also refer to the ideology of these movements....
' or 'neofascist
Neo-Fascism
Neo-fascism is a post–World War II ideology that includes significant elements of fascism. The term neo-fascist may apply to groups that express a specific admiration for Benito Mussolini and Italian Fascism or any other fascist leader/state...
', 'antiestablishment
Antiestablishmentarianism
Antiestablishmentarianism is a policy or attitude that views a nation's power structure as corrupt, repressive, or exploitive....
', 'national populist', 'protest', 'ethnic', 'authoritarian
Authoritarianism
Authoritarianism is a form of social organization characterized by submission to authority. It is usually opposed to individualism and democracy...
', 'antigovernment
Anti-statism
Anti-statism is a term describing opposition to state intervention into personal, social, and economic affairs. Anti-statist views may reject the state completely as well as rulership in general , they may wish to reduce the size and scope of the state to a minimum , or they may advocate a...
', 'antiparty', 'ultranationalist', or 'neoliberal
Neoliberalism
Neoliberalism is a market-driven approach to economic and social policy based on neoclassical theories of economics that emphasizes the efficiency of private enterprise, liberalized trade and relatively open markets, and therefore seeks to maximize the role of the private sector in determining the...
', 'libertarian
Right-libertarianism
Right-libertarianism names several related libertarian political philosophies which support capitalism. The term is typically used to differentiate privatist based forms of libertarianism from Left-libertarianism; which generally supports forms of economic democracy and...
' and so on".
In different countries
Piero Ignazi divided right-wing populist parties, which he called extreme right parties, into two categories: traditional right-wing parties that had developed out of the historic Right, and post-industrial parties that had developed independently. He placed the former Italian Social MovementItalian Social Movement
The Italian Social Movement , and later the Italian Social Movement–National Right , was a neo-fascist and post-fascist political party in Italy. Formed in 1946 by supporters of former Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, the party became the fourth largest party in Italy by the early 1960s...
, the Italian Tricolour Flame, the National Democratic Party of Germany
National Democratic Party of Germany
The National Democratic Party of Germany – The People's Union , is a far right German nationalist party. It was founded in 1964 a successor to the German Reich Party . Party statements self-identify as Germany's "only significant patriotic force"...
. the German People's Union
German People's Union
The German People's Union is a nationalist political party in Germany. It was founded by publisher Gerhard Frey as an informal association in 1971 and established as a party in 1987. Financially, it is largely dependent on Frey....
, the former Dutch Centre Party
Centre Party (Netherlands)
The Centre Party was a Dutch nationalist extreme right-wing political party espousing an anti-immigrant program. The party was founded by Henry Brookman in 1980, and was represented by Hans Janmaat in the Dutch House of Representatives from 1982, until he was expelled from the party in 1984 and...
, the British National Party
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
, and the Belgian Vlaams Blok
Vlaams Blok
The Vlaams Blok was a Belgian far-right and secessionist political party with an anti-immigration platform. Its ideologies embraced Flemish nationalism, calling for the independence of Flanders. From its creation in 1978, it was the most notable militant right wing of the Flemish movement. Vlaams...
in the first category. He placed the French National Front, the German Republicans, the Dutch Centre Democrats
Centre Democrats (Netherlands)
The Centre Democrats was a political party in the Netherlands. Founded in 1984 by members who split out from the Centre Party , the Centre Democrats was joined one month later by the only CP Member of Parliament—Hans Janmaat. Janmaat went on to become the leader of the party, which...
,the Belgian Front national, the Freedom Party of Austria
Freedom Party of Austria
The Freedom Party of Austria is a political party in Austria. Ideologically, the party is a direct descendant of the German national liberal camp, which dates back to the 1848 revolutions. The FPÖ itself was founded in 1956 as the successor to the short-lived Federation of Independents , which had...
, the Danish Progress Party
Progress Party (Denmark)
The Progress Party is a political party in Denmark, which was founded in 1972. Its founder, the former lawyer Mogens Glistrup, gained huge popularity in Denmark after he appeared on Danish television, showing that he paid 0 % in income tax...
, the Norwegian Progress Party
Progress Party (Norway)
The Progress Party is a political party in Norway which identifies as conservative liberal and libertarian. The media has described it as conservative and right-wing populist...
, and the Swedish New Democracy
New Democracy (Sweden)
New Democracy was a political party in Sweden, founded in 1991 and elected into the Swedish Parliament in its first election, falling equally fast out again in 1994....
in the second category.
Right-wing populist parties in the English-speaking world include the UK Independence Party, the former Reform Party of Canada
Reform Party of Canada
The Reform Party of Canada was a Canadian federal political party that existed from 1987 to 2000. It was originally founded as a Western Canada-based protest party, but attempted to expand eastward in the 1990s. It viewed itself as a populist party....
, Australia's One Nation
One Nation
One Nation may refer to:In politics:* One Nation , a nationalist party in Australia** One Nation NSW, a defunct splinter group of the above, operating exclusively in New South Wales* One Nation , a defunct party in Israel...
, and New Zealand First
New Zealand First
New Zealand First is a political party in New Zealand that was founded in 1993, following party founder Winston Peters' resignation from the National Party in 1992...
.
Cyprus
The National People's Front (Εθνικό Λαϊκό Μέτωπο) was formed in 2008 on the platform of maintaining Cypriot identity, opposition to further European integration, immigration, and the status quo that remains due to Turkey's invasion of a third of the island (and the international community's lack of intention to solve the issue). Its members have been frequently attacked and imprisoned due to their political views.Denmark
In the early 1970s the home of the strongest right wing populist party in Europe was in Denmark, in the Progress PartyProgress Party (Denmark)
The Progress Party is a political party in Denmark, which was founded in 1972. Its founder, the former lawyer Mogens Glistrup, gained huge popularity in Denmark after he appeared on Danish television, showing that he paid 0 % in income tax...
. In the 1973 election
Danish parliamentary election, 1973
Parliamentary elections were held in Denmark on 4 December 1973 and in the Faroe Islands on 13 December. It has since been referred to as the Landslide Election , as five new or previously unrepresented parties won seats, and more than half the members of the parliament were replaced...
it received almost 16% of the vote. In the years following its support dwindled away, but was replaced by the Danish People's Party
Danish People's Party
The Danish People's Party is a political party in Denmark which is frequently described as right-wing populist by political scientists and commentators. The party is led by Pia Kjærsgaard...
in the 1990s, which has gone on to be an important support party for the governing Liberal-Conservative coalition in the first decade of the 21st century. The DPP has emphasised ethnic nationalism
Ethnic nationalism
Ethnic nationalism is a form of nationalism wherein the "nation" is defined in terms of ethnicity. Whatever specific ethnicity is involved, ethnic nationalism always includes some element of descent from previous generations and the implied claim of ethnic essentialism, i.e...
to an extent that the Progress Party never did, and is more supportive of elements of state intervention in the economy and the welfare state.
Germany
In Weimar GermanyWeimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
, radical right-wing populism played a role in mobilizing middle class support for the Nazi Party. In this case, distressed middle–class populists during the pre-Nazi Weimar period mobilized their anger at government and big business. The Nazis "parasitized the forms and themes of the populists and moved their constituencies far to the right through ideological appeals involving demagoguery, scapegoating, and conspiracism". According to Fritzsche:
The Nazis expressed the populist yearnings of middle–class constituents and at the same time advocated a strong and resolutely anti-Marxist mobilization....Against “unnaturally” divisive parties and querulous organized interest groups, National Socialists cast themselves as representatives of the commonwealth, of an allegedly betrayed and neglected German public....[b]reaking social barriers of status and casteCasteCaste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
, and celebrating at least rhetorically the populist ideal of the people’s community...
The German Republicans had seats in the European parliament in 1983. In the 2000s, the Republicans' support eroded in favour of the far right
Far right
Far-right, extreme right, hard right, radical right, and ultra-right are terms used to discuss the qualitative or quantitative position a group or person occupies within right-wing politics. Far-right politics may involve anti-immigration and anti-integration stances towards groups that are...
National Democratic Party of Germany
National Democratic Party of Germany
The National Democratic Party of Germany – The People's Union , is a far right German nationalist party. It was founded in 1964 a successor to the German Reich Party . Party statements self-identify as Germany's "only significant patriotic force"...
, which in 2005 held 1.6% of the popular vote (regionally winning up to 9%).
Netherlands
In the NetherlandsNetherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, right-wing populism won a minor representation in the 150-seat House of Representatives in 1982, when the Centre Party
Centre Party (Netherlands)
The Centre Party was a Dutch nationalist extreme right-wing political party espousing an anti-immigrant program. The party was founded by Henry Brookman in 1980, and was represented by Hans Janmaat in the Dutch House of Representatives from 1982, until he was expelled from the party in 1984 and...
won a single seat. During the 1990s, a splinter party, the Centre Democrats
Centre Democrats (Netherlands)
The Centre Democrats was a political party in the Netherlands. Founded in 1984 by members who split out from the Centre Party , the Centre Democrats was joined one month later by the only CP Member of Parliament—Hans Janmaat. Janmaat went on to become the leader of the party, which...
, was slightly more successful, although its significance was still marginal. Not before 2002 did a party considered right-wing populist break through in the Netherlands, when the Pim Fortuyn List won 26 seats and subsequently formed a coalition with the VVD and CDA. Its success was however short-lived, and the coalition broke up already in 2003, and the party went into steep decline until it was dissolved.
Since 2006, the Party for Freedom
Party for Freedom
The Party for Freedom is a Dutch right-wing political party. Founded in 2005 as the successor to Geert Wilders' one-man party in the House of Representatives, it won nine seats in the 2006 general election, making it the fifth largest party in parliament, and third largest opposition party. It...
(PVV) has been represented in the House of Representatives. Following the 2010 general election, it has been in a pact with the right-wing minority government of VVD and CDA after it won 24 seats in the House of Representatives. The party is Eurosceptic
Euroscepticism
Euroscepticism is a general term used to describe criticism of the European Union , and opposition to the process of European integration, existing throughout the political spectrum. Traditionally, the main source of euroscepticism has been the notion that integration weakens the nation state...
and plays a leading role in the changing stance of the Dutch government towards European integration
European integration
European integration is the process of industrial, political, legal, economic integration of states wholly or partially in Europe...
, as they came second in the 2009 European Parliament election
European Parliament election, 2009 (Netherlands)
The European Parliament election of 2009 in the Netherlands was the election of the delegation from the Netherlands to the European Parliament in 2009 and took place on June 4, 2009. Seventeen parties competed in a D'Hondt type election for 25 seats...
, winning 4 out of 25 seats. The party's main programme revolves around strong criticism of the islam, but broadened to all other fields as the party grew to its current semi-governmental state.
Norway
The Norwegian Progress Party (FrP)Progress Party (Norway)
The Progress Party is a political party in Norway which identifies as conservative liberal and libertarian. The media has described it as conservative and right-wing populist...
is commonly considered a right-wing populist party. From 2001 to 2005, the party tolerated Kjell Magne Bondevik
Kjell Magne Bondevik
Kjell Magne Bondevik is a Norwegian Lutheran minister and politician . He served as Prime Minister of Norway from 1997 to 2000, and from 2001 to 2005, making him Norway's longest serving non-Labour Party Prime Minister since World War II...
's centre-right minority government
Minority government
A minority government or a minority cabinet is a cabinet of a parliamentary system formed when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in the parliament but is sworn into government to break a Hung Parliament election result. It is also known as a...
. In the 1997
Norwegian parliamentary election, 1997
A general election to the Storting, the parliament of Norway, was held on 15 September 1997. Before the election, Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland of the Labour Party, issued the 36.9 ultimatum declaring that the government would step down unless it gained 36.9% of the vote, the percentage gained...
, 2005
Norwegian parliamentary election, 2005
Parliamentary elections were held in Norway on 12 September 2005. More than 3.4 million Norwegians were eligible for vote for the Storting, the parliament of Norway. The new Storting has 169 members, an increase of four over the 2001 election....
, and 2009 parliamentary elections
Norwegian parliamentary election, 2009
The 2009 parliamentary election was held in Norway on 14 September 2009. Elections in Norway are held on a Monday in September, usually the second or third Monday, as determined by the king. Early voting was possible between 10 August and 11 September 2009, while some municipalities held open...
, the FrP was the second-largest Norwegian party by votes.
Switzerland
In SwitzerlandSwitzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
the right-wing populist Swiss People's Party
Swiss People's Party
The Swiss People's Party , also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre , is a conservative political party in Switzerland. Chaired by Toni Brunner, but spearheaded by Christoph Blocher, the party is the largest party in the Federal Assembly, with 58 members of the National Council and 6 of...
reached an all-time high in the 2007 elections
Swiss federal election, 2007
Elections to the Swiss Federal Assembly, the federal parliament of Switzerland, were held on Sunday, 21 October 2007. In a few cantons, a second round of the elections to the Council of States was held on 11 November, 18 November, and 25 November 2007...
. In Switzerland, radical right populist parties held close to 10% of the popular vote in 1971, were reduced to below 2% by 1979, and again grew to more than 10% in 1991. Since 1991, these parties (the Swiss Democrats
Swiss Democrats
The Swiss Democrats are a right-wing political party in Switzerland.The party is not represented in the Federal Assembly, but has two members of the Grand Council of Aargau....
and the Swiss Freedom Party) have been absorbed by the Swiss People's Party
Swiss People's Party
The Swiss People's Party , also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre , is a conservative political party in Switzerland. Chaired by Toni Brunner, but spearheaded by Christoph Blocher, the party is the largest party in the Federal Assembly, with 58 members of the National Council and 6 of...
, whose aggressively right-wing, populist campaign catapulted it to 29% of the popular vote in 2007
Swiss federal election, 2007
Elections to the Swiss Federal Assembly, the federal parliament of Switzerland, were held on Sunday, 21 October 2007. In a few cantons, a second round of the elections to the Council of States was held on 11 November, 18 November, and 25 November 2007...
, the highest vote ever recorded for a single party throughout Swiss parliamentary history.
United States
Moore (1996) argues that "populist opposition to the growing power of political, economic, and cultural elites" helped shape "conservative and right-wing movements" since the 1920s. The Tea Party movementTea Party movement
The Tea Party movement is an American populist political movement that is generally recognized as conservative and libertarian, and has sponsored protests and supported political candidates since 2009...
of 2009–present had been characterized as "a right-wing anti-systemic populist movement" by Rasmussen and Schoen (2010). They add, "Today our country is in the midst of a...new populist revolt that has emerged overwhelmingly from the right -- manifesting itself as the Tea Party movement." The New York Times reports, "The Tea Party movement has become a platform for conservative populist discontent".