The Far Right: Political Fringe—Societal Mainstream?

Right-wing extremism and radicalism existed long before terms like ‘far right’ entered the academic and public debates in the 1950s and 1960s. The most obvious examples are the fascist political parties that emerged across Europe soon after World War I, many of which gaining political power and establishing oppressive, autocratic-fascist regimes, such as Hitler’s NSDAP in Germany, Franco’s Falange in Spain, and Mussolini’s Partito Nazionale Fascista in Italy. But what exactly do we mean when we speak about far-right extremism, radicalism or the far right today? It is important to find a satisfying answer to this question if we want to sharpen our tools to counter it more effectively. But it is also a complicated question, worth elaborating on in more detail rather than simply offering a straightforward definition here at the beginning of this book to ensure we are all on the same page. This opening chapter draws on, but also critiques, dominant conceptual perspectives on the far right and then moves on to propose an alternative approach