The Rise of the Far-Right and its Danger to Liberal Democracies
Today, Europe has witnessed a surge in the popularity of far-right political parties, with significant victories for the Brothers of Italy and the Sweden Democrats. The question that is therefore raised is why far-right parties are on the rise across the continent. However, before we go into the success of far-right parties in Europe, we first need to understand the far-right ideology that the Sweden Democrats and the Brothers of Italy possess.
Far-Right Ideology
Far-right parties are usually radical, seeking to change the political and economic system. This view is similar to radical left-wing parties who want to change the system with more economic intervention due to their anti-capitalist stance, as they see capitalism as an invention that drives inequality. However, the difference is that far-right parties desire an authoritarian system that is ordered around “natural differences” in society that create inequalities. The system also includes law and order against deviant behavior, which is severely punished. This ideology can be seen in the Sweden Democrats, where the visible signs of crimes and gang activity in Sweden have increased their popularity as they are seen as the party to restore law and order.
Far-right parties in Europe are notorious for being populist, where society is divided between the “people” and the “corrupt elite.” The far-right therefore directs the people’s anger towards the elites of society which includes the intellectuals, the media, and the established political parties who promote internationalism and multiculturalism, which the far-right view as responsible for all of society’s problems. An example of this can be seen as the Sweden Democrats’ chief of staff called journalists “enemies of the nation” and as the party tries to portray itself as fighting the corrupt elites.
Far-right wing parties are also usually exclusionary populists. This form of populism is where certain groups are excluded from the “people” who don’t deserve the same rights as the in-groups. The Brothers of Italy display this behavior as they want to deny Italian citizenship to people born to foreign parents and to reduce the access to benefits for foreigners.
Lastly, far-right parties are nativists, where nationalism is combined with xenophobia. Nativism calls for states to only be composed of the native group and views non-natives as a threat to its monocultural state. An example of this nativist stance can be seen once again in the Sweden Democrats, where a journalist described their recent success as a product of their supposed defense of “Swedishness.” Therefore, far-right ideologies include establishing “natural differences”, law and order, exclusionary populism, nationalism, and nativism.
Far-Right Appeal to Voters: Dissatisfaction with the Mainstream and Rhetoric
The recent popularity of far-right parties as they are accepted into the mainstream or as center-right wing parties become far-right is mainly due to voters’ dissatisfaction with the mainstream parties on issues they care about, such as immigration and the economy. Examples of this include the issue of rising economic inequality, where former middle-class voters who have sunk into poverty and instability believe that the economic system is rigged against them. They are, therefore, inclined to vote for far-right parties that offer solutions to the problems affecting them. This issue has been a cause for the popularity of the Sweden Democrats as Sweden, one of the most economically equal countries in the world, has faced the privatization of hospitals, schools, and care homes, increasing inequalities.
Secondly, there is the rise of asylum seekers and immigrants in a host country, leading to mainstream parties struggling to handle them and allay voters’ fears as natives fear strained resources and having their cultures overwhelmed. This phenomenon has also been witnessed in Sweden, where around 160,000 asylees, mainly from Muslim-majority countries, entered Sweden, the second highest asylum rate per capita of any European country after Hungary. Lastly, there is a cultural backlash where people with little education and unsocialized about changing ideas about society feel isolated from community values and as a result vote for far-right parties. An example of this is older men without a college education and who hold traditional values vote for far-right parties to preserve traditional morals and values.
Meanwhile, there is also a rhetorical strategy for success which uses populist discourse to achieve their goals. This strategy can be seen in how the Brothers of Italy described the EU as “a bureaucracy of unelected technocrats who impose their decisions on the peoples of Europe.” However, they have replaced this stance in recent years as they now describe their enemies to be left-wing parties and the unelected caretaker governments such as the one under Draghi who presided over an economic crisis.
In addition, radical right-wing parties also try to present themselves as close to the people as seen in the Sweden Democrats, who describe themselves as ordinary working-class people and defenders of the “people’s home,” calling attention to issues that traditional parties don’t address.
Giorgia Meloni describes herself as, “...I am a woman, I am a mother, I am Italian, I am a Christian, and no one will take that away from me.” This rhetoric shows that far-right parties appeal to pathos, where an emotional appeal is talked about in their speeches compared to empirical facts. This makes them popular as they are seen as anti-establishment figures. Therefore, far-right parties and politicians’ language use and presentation as part of the “people” have greatly helped their rise throughout the 21st century.
Examples of Far-Right Popularity: Italy and Sweden
With their core ideologies and methods reviewed, examining and explaining the increase in popularity of far-right parties in Italy and Sweden follows.
First, in Italy, the Brothers of Italy obtained the highest vote share of any party in 2022, allowing Meloni to become prime minister of Italy. Their win and popularity are notable as their vote share has increased over the last six parliamentary elections, with double the vote count in 2022 than they received in 2014. The Italian suffrage has been increasingly inclined to vote for new parties. This is due to economic and societal dissatisfaction with their previous governments. This was a significant factor in Meloni’s win. Other reasons for The Brothers of Italy’s victory were the low Italian turnout in the election and the unpopularity of all parties, such as Lega with 23% and Five Stars with 29% popularity.
Similarly, The Sweden Democrats obtained the second-largest vote share in 2022, and Sweden’s youth has doubled its support for the Sweden Democrats since the last election. They have gained popularity as Swedes were dissatisfied with previous government efforts on the migration issue and the subject of crime that some link to these migrants. In addition, they have also been laxer on environmental laws, making them popular in rural and working-class neighborhoods. Lastly, some have an issue with the globalization of Sweden and how these issues relate to healthcare, school, and taxes.
Conclusion and Dangers of the Far-Right
In conclusion, there is a surge in far-right populism across Europe and America, which can threaten many people as their core ideology revolves around an authoritarian model and attacks on people they view as a threat such as leaders of change and minorities. This can be seen in America as there are now attacks on politicians such Paul Pelosi which some far-right members of the GOP use their rhetoric to endorse and encourage.
Thus due to their ideology, the political far-right can threaten democracies worldwide as shown by the victories of some of their candidates who emerge as polarizing figures such as Jair Bolsanaro, or as far-right parties enact authoritarian and iliberal laws, thus threatening liberal democracies. An example of the danger of far-right parties in liberal democracies includes that of Hungary under the far-right Fidesz Party, where the media and the rule of law are under attack as the country is now only considered a partly free country, according to Freedom House. In addition to this, academic institutions are owned by Fidesz, Orban’s populist party. Hungary’s fall from democracy has been termed “an electoral autocracy.” Thus those not included in the societal or political elite face threats as far-right parties gain popularity and become increasingly authoritarian and illiberal.
Original Image Credits: Frankie Fouganthin - Edited by GorStra team