The radicalisation of politics in Europe : the rise of the far-right in the age of austerity

Abstract

It is posited that the Age of Austerity has brought with it a radicalisation of politics in Europe, especially with regards to far-right political parties. The popularity of far-right parties in a number of states has increased since the start of imposed austerity measures by the Troika. The aim of this dissertation is to try and explore if there is any kind of relationship between the economic conditions of a State and the rise of support for far-right parties. Bad economic conditions, as a result of austerity, affect social and financial prospects for the general population, which turn to political leaders in order to try and remedy the situation. Far-right political parties are often the first to offer an immediate cure for this. This study, through qualitative and quantitative research, found that in France and Greece, two countries that experienced austerity measures, also have two strong far-right political parties which fared well in the Presidential and National elections respectively. Germany, on the other hand, is a country that has not carried out financial retrenchment, and the main far-right political party has the same level of popularity ratings that it had before the 'Age of Austerity'. Questionnaires with far-right movements in these countries seem to confirm that austerity measures in general have impacted on the popularity of farright parties.