The Right Tide: Western Europe’s Political Realignment

This chapter analyses the fortune of the key right-wing parties in Austria, Italy, Germany, France, and the Netherlands. It follows Cas Mudde’s ideological explanation which considers right-wing parties as those which have an antagonistic relations with the elites, double down on nativism within their societies, and are anti-establishment in nature. It analyses the factors that have led to the rise of right-wing parties—such as economic deprivation and inequalities among voter groups, on one hand; and how they have used nationalist narratives, blurred their economic positions, and emphasised on welfare chauvinism. They have evoked cultural backlash in their narratives and called for excluding those who do not share ‘Western’ liberal values such as democracy, multiculturalism, and the rule of law.