The relationship of the economic crisis with the rise of right-wing extremist parties: the European elections

Abstract

This article challenges the extended view that the recent economic crisis has fostered the emergence of populist, xenophobic and/or right-wing extremist parties due to their markedly anti-immigrant discourse, which has resonated with large sectors of the population. Theories that link the upsurge of extremism and the crisis have become rather popular in the media, but attempt to (simply) explain a phenomenon which certainly is more complex than suggested. After some decades now, the literature has acknowledged some fundamental aspects on this topic of research which challenge this relationship: the rise of right-wing extremist parties does not coincide with previous or contemporary crises; some cases exist where the impact of the crisis has been very hard, but no extremist party has emerged at all; and finally, several contributions emphasize suggest those social sectors leaning towards xenophobia are actually not the most deeply affected by the consequences of the crisis. The last elections to the European Parliament in 2014 are the context in which this relationship between crisis and right-wing extremism will be tested and revised.