Populist Parties and the Failure of the Political Elites

The author analyses why European right-wing populist parties gain support. Based on an analysis of the Austrian Freedom Party under Jörg Haider he argues that the main reason behind their electoral success was not constituted by elitism but by populism and anti-elitism.

The author analyses the reasons behind the electoral success of European right-wing populist parties. Using the Austrian Freedom Party under Jörg Haider as a case study and with a richness of primary material, he argues that their success is only partly caused by «racism». It is also, and more prominently, the result of populism i.e. a critique of the «elite». These parties and their voters should not, then, be labelled as arrogant insiders attacking downtrodden outsiders like immigrants, workers, and minorities. Instead, the right-wingers are more justly portrayed as outsiders and underdogs, raising their anger and frustration against the insiders: the «media elite» and the «leftists and the artists».

Autorentext

Göran Adamson is an Associate Professor in Sociology, with a PhD from the LSE, London. His research interests are contemporary right-wing populism, forms of nationalism, and multiculturalism.

Inhalt
Contents: The study of right-wing extremism The importance of the party leader Jörg Haider's writings Two different forms of populism Right wing populism Racism Anti-democratic ideas and fascism Rhetoric and provocation The EU sanctions against Austria Public polls How different are FPÖ voters? Elitism.