The New Politics of the Right: Neo-Populist Parties and Movements in Established Democracies [Paperback]

Hans-Georg Betz (Editor), Stefan Immerfall (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 15, 1998 | ISBN-10: 0312213387 | ISBN-13: 978-0312213381

In the early 1980s right-wing populist parties and movements began to stage a dramatic comeback throughout a growing number of democratically-based countries. Appealing to public anxieties in the wake of rapid economic change, these movements succeeded in mobilizing and exploiting popular resentments against immigrants, minorities, and the political establishment. As a result, the radical populist Right has become a severe and potentially destabilizing threat to the democratic system. In New Politics of the Right, a top-notch array of scholars analyzes the recent wave of right-wing populist organization in four different regions of the world: Western Europe, North America, South Asia, and Australia/New Zealand. Each chapter provides a brief history of right-wing activity in that given country, an examination of the right-wing program, a discussion of its support, and an account of its impact on the established political parties. The authors then offer chilling predictions of what to expect in the future given continued upheavals in the global economy. New Politics of the Right is a comprehensive look at the dangerous spread of right-wing radicalism throughout the “free” world.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

These 15 essays by international scholars examine the rise and current impact of right-wing populist parties in western Europe, North America, South Asia, and Australia. In his introduction, coeditor Betz (European studies, Johns Hopkins Univ.) describes the "versatile, issue-oriented" strategy of these new parties. A charismatic leader and some media savvy soften the extremist nature of the New Right, yet as the essays illustrate, these groups depend on a "mobilization of resentment" that could become volatile. The New Right effectively targets politicians, bureaucrats, social groups, and immigrants as its foes and manipulates discontent with the economic system. The essays deal with specific countries and situations; for example, the "New Christian Right" is the focus of the piece on the United States. Voting statistics and bibliographic references are plentiful throughout the book. This will be a useful addition to the comparative government collections of most academic libraries.?Thomas A. Karel, Franklin & Marshall Coll. Lib., Lancaster, PA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Hans-Georg Betz is Associate Professor of European Studies at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Johns Hopkins University. He is the author of Postmodern Politics in Germany and Radical Right-Wing Populism in Western Europe.

Stefan Immerfall is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Passau in Germany.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan (May 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312213387
• ISBN-13: 978-0312213381
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #415,455 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)