Germany is among one of the most recent countries which have turned to a far right government. (Pixabay via Pexels)
It was the late-eighteenth-century German philosopher Hegel who theorised (European) history as a succession of political powers which bounced between the poles of the right and the left wing. This certainly would explain the political trend which emerged in Europe after the Second World War – the natural reaction to the destructive extremist right-wing regimes was a period of relative liberalisation and left-leaning politics – though this slant was dampened by the cautionary and reactionary atmosphere of the Cold War.
Nevertheless, a renaissance of relative democracy flourished at the end of the twentieth-century, and is now threatened by the re-emergence and re-popularisation of political parties that haven’t had a platform since the Second World War. Most recently, the worrying news of Germany’s AfD (Alternative für Deutschland) polling for state elections has added to the list of far right groups gaining power and popularity across Europe.
The BBC reports that AfD represents change for many people in Germany whose main concerns centre around mass immigration, green policies, and military aid to Ukraine – though perhaps most importantly, it provides a space for people to come together after what has been seen as a media silencing and lack of representation (especially in the East).
“The natural reaction to the destructive extremist right-wing regimes was a period of relative liberalisation and left-leaning politics”
Though investigations have linked the party to extremist networks, and one representative has actually been fined for using a Nazi slogan, supporters dismiss (or overlook) this, accusing government interference and mainstream media for besmirching the movement. Reports generally seem to predict that competing parties will band together to block AfD’s advance, with the nevertheless conservative CDU looking most likely to take the chancellery.
This is exactly the case with France’s most recent elections. After the surprising majority of the far-right Rassemblement Nationale in France’s European Parliament elections, president Macron called snap elections for the National Assembly. This (coming once more as a surprise) saw a coalition of left-wing parties just about beat the emerging far-right party. The NPF (Nouveau Front populaire), though finally victorious, was not polling and is relatively divided on key policies, such as the Israel/Gaza issues, Ukraine war, and relationships with Russia.
Questions arise about how long Marine LePen’s Rassemblement Nationale will be kept at bay, and how the party will influence European politics – as it has already joined the hard-right Patriots of Europe in the EU Parliament.
The French political landscape is perhaps less concerning than that of Germany and Italy (as ex-Axis powers), though in the former two, these events show the first-time resurgence of the far right since the Second World War. The Italian right-wing is not new to the political spotlight, and has slowly become more and more hardline, with Meloni’s government frequently accused of state censorship and use of Fascist symbols – which are fundamentally condemned by constitutional laws.
“There is much work to be done to amend the legacy of the far-rights’ rule”
Though the prospects for European democracy seem bleak, a glimpse of hope comes from Poland. October saw the right-wing populist Law and Justice (Prawo i Sprawiedliwosc) party ousted from near-decade of power by a record number of voters.
Masses of people took to the streets outside movie theatres to celebrate the final hours of the far-right government, displaying the enormous rise in public interest in national politics; in fact, an astounding 70% of under-30s voted on the day, and boosted the numbers of YouTube livestreams following the process. Rob Schmitz of NPR says this shows that “When people care about politics, politicians care about the people. At least they appear to.”
Though this is just a small step in the right direction and there is much to be done to amend the legacy of far-right rule, it is nonetheless encouraging.
From humble contributor to Print Screen Editor, and most recently Online Arts & Lit Editor, Emily loves nothing more than rambling about her favourite books and films, as well as delving deeper into the artistic world around them, and sneaking a peek behind the scenes. Having written across various Exeposé sections, she aims to entertain and thrill readers with passionate convictions and the odd scathing cynicism, whether she is shamelessly nerding out about cinema or exploring poignant topics of the day.
Rise of the Far Right in Europe
It was the late-eighteenth-century German philosopher Hegel who theorised (European) history as a succession of political powers which bounced between the poles of the right and the left wing. This certainly would explain the political trend which emerged in Europe after the Second World War – the natural reaction to the destructive extremist right-wing regimes was a period of relative liberalisation and left-leaning politics – though this slant was dampened by the cautionary and reactionary atmosphere of the Cold War.
Nevertheless, a renaissance of relative democracy flourished at the end of the twentieth-century, and is now threatened by the re-emergence and re-popularisation of political parties that haven’t had a platform since the Second World War. Most recently, the worrying news of Germany’s AfD (Alternative für Deutschland) polling for state elections has added to the list of far right groups gaining power and popularity across Europe.
The BBC reports that AfD represents change for many people in Germany whose main concerns centre around mass immigration, green policies, and military aid to Ukraine – though perhaps most importantly, it provides a space for people to come together after what has been seen as a media silencing and lack of representation (especially in the East).
Though investigations have linked the party to extremist networks, and one representative has actually been fined for using a Nazi slogan, supporters dismiss (or overlook) this, accusing government interference and mainstream media for besmirching the movement. Reports generally seem to predict that competing parties will band together to block AfD’s advance, with the nevertheless conservative CDU looking most likely to take the chancellery.
This is exactly the case with France’s most recent elections. After the surprising majority of the far-right Rassemblement Nationale in France’s European Parliament elections, president Macron called snap elections for the National Assembly. This (coming once more as a surprise) saw a coalition of left-wing parties just about beat the emerging far-right party. The NPF (Nouveau Front populaire), though finally victorious, was not polling and is relatively divided on key policies, such as the Israel/Gaza issues, Ukraine war, and relationships with Russia.
Questions arise about how long Marine LePen’s Rassemblement Nationale will be kept at bay, and how the party will influence European politics – as it has already joined the hard-right Patriots of Europe in the EU Parliament.
The French political landscape is perhaps less concerning than that of Germany and Italy (as ex-Axis powers), though in the former two, these events show the first-time resurgence of the far right since the Second World War. The Italian right-wing is not new to the political spotlight, and has slowly become more and more hardline, with Meloni’s government frequently accused of state censorship and use of Fascist symbols – which are fundamentally condemned by constitutional laws.
Though the prospects for European democracy seem bleak, a glimpse of hope comes from Poland. October saw the right-wing populist Law and Justice (Prawo i Sprawiedliwosc) party ousted from near-decade of power by a record number of voters.
Masses of people took to the streets outside movie theatres to celebrate the final hours of the far-right government, displaying the enormous rise in public interest in national politics; in fact, an astounding 70% of under-30s voted on the day, and boosted the numbers of YouTube livestreams following the process. Rob Schmitz of NPR says this shows that “When people care about politics, politicians care about the people. At least they appear to.”
Though this is just a small step in the right direction and there is much to be done to amend the legacy of far-right rule, it is nonetheless encouraging.
Emily S Rizzo
From humble contributor to Print Screen Editor, and most recently Online Arts & Lit Editor, Emily loves nothing more than rambling about her favourite books and films, as well as delving deeper into the artistic world around them, and sneaking a peek behind the scenes. Having written across various Exeposé sections, she aims to entertain and thrill readers with passionate convictions and the odd scathing cynicism, whether she is shamelessly nerding out about cinema or exploring poignant topics of the day.
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