Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Canadian Multiculturalism And The Absence Of The Far Right, Cas Mudde

Cas Mudde

The far right has never been a prominent force in Canadian politics or society. Traditionally, they more resembled the North American than the West European model: ideologically dominated by right-wing populism and white supremacy, organizationally characterized by factionalism and sectarianism. The extreme right seems an almost negligible force today, in part reflecting a similar decline in the United States, while the radical right has so far been unable to build upon the recent upsurge of Islamophobia, as in Western Europe. We argue that the failure of the Canadian radical right is primarily the result of Canada's unique multiculturalism policy, which …

Three Decades Of Populist Radical Right Parties In Western Europe: So What?, Cas Mudde

Cas Mudde

The populist radical right constitutes the most successful party family in postwar Western Europe. Many accounts in both academia and the media warn of the growing influence of populist radical right parties (PRRPs), the so-called ‘verrechtsing’ (or right turn) of European politics, but few provide empirical evidence of it. This lecture provides a first comprehensive analysis of the alleged effects of the populist radical right on the people, parties, policies and polities of Western Europe. The conclusions are sobering. The effects are largely limited to the broader immigration issue, and even here PRRPs should be seen as catalysts rather than …

The Relationship Between Immigration And Nativism In Europe And North America, Cas Mudde

Cas Mudde

Mass migration is thought to be a major factor behind the rise of the radical right. But while there clearly is a relationship (particularly in Western Europe), the connection is not as straightforward as is often assumed. Higher levels of immigration in the three regions examined in this report - North America, Western Europe and Central and Eastern Europe - do not correlate automatically to higher votes for radical right parties.

In short, the relationship between immigration and nativism is unclear and complex. Many assumptions are based on feeble empirical evidence - suggesting the need for more cross-national data projects. …

Who's Afraid Of The European Radical Right?, Cas Mudde

Cas Mudde

Many observers of European politics warn that democracy on the continent is in peril. Conservative authors argue that European governments are threatened by a spineless surrender to “Islamofascism,” while liberals fret that Europe is being overtaken by “ghosts of a tortured past,” that is, parties on the “far Right.” Whereas the Islamofascism argument lacks empirical substance and is mostly based on (Islamo)phobia, the “tortured past” claim is largely the result of conceptual confusion and an exaggeration of reality. Neither contem- porary European democracies nor the contem- porary “far Right” groups are similar to their “equivalents” in the 1930s. The contemporary …

The Single-Issue Party Thesis: Extreme Right Parties And The Immigration Issue, Cas Mudde

Cas Mudde

This article examines the single-issue party thesis for the specific case of contemporary extreme right parties (ERPs) and the immigration issue. I define the single-issue party as (l) having an electorate with no particular social structure; (2) being supported predominantly on the basis of one single issue; (3) lacking an ideological programme; and (4) addressing only one all-encompassing issue. On the basis of a comprehensive analysis of electoral studies and party literature the single-issue party thesis is rejected on all counts. At best, immigration has been a catalyst for most ERPs in certain periods of time. Their ideology and broader …