Year: 2003
Type: article
Abstract: The Vlaams Blok in Belgium is one of the most successful examples of a new type of right-wing populist party, which during the 1990s emerged as one of the most significant new political forces in Western Europe and other liberal capitalist democracies. Initially dismissed as a fleeting phenomenon, which would soon fade away, the radical right has managed to establish itself firmly as a serious contender for votes and, increasingly, for political offices (e.g., in Austria and Italy). The growing acceptance of radical right-wing parties as serious and legitimate contenders for political power raises important questions about the nature and objectives of these parties. In recent years, there has been a great deal of scholarship devoted to explaining their rise and electoral success. Much of this scholarship has focused on the search for structural factors and developments that might help explain the remarkable surge in popular support for the radical right in the 1990s. At the same time, there has been relatively little serious comparative analysis of the political doctrines espoused by these parties, their ideological foundations and ideological justification.
Source: Socialist register
Author: Hans‐Georg Betz
Language: English
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W1560539483