The Populist Radical Right in Central and Eastern Europe: Ideology, Impact, and Electoral Performance

243 Pages·2015·1.961 MB·English

by  Andrea L. P. Pirro

The Populist Radical Right in

Central and Eastern Europe
Often neglected in the study of far right organisations, post-communist Europe has
recently witnessed the rise and fall of a number of populist radical right parties.
The Populist Radical Right in Central and Eastern Europe is the fi rst comparative
study to focus on the ideology, impact, and electoral performance of this party
family in the region. The book advances a series of arguments concerning the
context and text of these parties and systematically analyses the demand-side and
supply-side of populist radical right politics. Whilst populist radical right parties
in Central and Eastern Europe maintain broad similarities with their Western Euro-
pean counterparts, they come across as a distinct phenomenon worthy of study in
their own right. Parties like Ataka (Bulgaria), Jobbik (Hungary), and the SNS
(Slovakia) resort to historical legacies and contextual idiosyncrasies to frame their
ideology; interact with other parties over a number of policy areas; and ultimately
compete for public offi ce on the basis of their nativist agenda.
The book provides a novel framework for the analysis of different aspects of
populist radical right politics, notably enhancing the understanding of this phe-
nomenon by means of primary data such as personal interviews with party leaders
and original expert surveys. Using the ideological features of these parties as an
overarching analytical tool, this book is essential reading for students and scholars
researching the far right, post-communist issues, and European politics in
general.
Andrea L. P. Pirro holds an MA in Politics from the University of Sheffi eld and
a PhD in Comparative and European Politics from the University of Siena. He is
joint convenor of the European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR) Stand-
ing Group on Extremism & Democracy. His research interests include populist and
radical politics, Euroscepticism, and social and political change in Europe. His
work has appeared, amongst others, in G overnment and Opposition , E ast Euro-
pean Politics , and a number of edited volumes.
Routledge Studies in Extremism and Democracy
Series Editors: Roger Eatwell, U niversity of Bath and Matthew
Goodwin, University of Nottingham
Founding Series Editors: Roger Eatwell, U niversity of Bath and
Cas Mudde, University of Antwerp-UFSIA
This new series encompasses academic studies within the broad fi elds of ‘extrem-
ism’ and ‘democracy’. These topics have traditionally been considered largely in
isolation by academics. A key focus of the series, therefore, is the (inter-)r elation
between extremism and democracy. Works will seek to answer questions such as
to what extent ‘extremist’ groups pose a major threat to democratic parties, or how
democracy can respond to extremism without undermining its own democratic
credentials.
The books encompass two strands:
Routledge Studies in Extremism and Democracy includes books with an introduc-
tory and broad focus which are aimed at students and teachers. These books will
be available in hardback and paperback. Titles include:
Understanding Terrorism in America New British Fascism
From the Klan to al Qaeda Rise of the British National Party
Christopher Hewitt Matthew Goodwin
Fascism and the Extreme Right The End of Terrorism?
Roger Eatwell Leonard Weinberg
Racist Extremism in Central Mapping the Extreme
and Eastern Europe Right in Contemporary
Edited by Cas Mudde Europe
From Local to Transnational
Political Parties and Terrorist Edited by Andrea Mammone,
Groups (2nd Edition) Emmanuel Godin and
Leonard Weinberg, Ami Pedahzur Brian Jenkins
and Arie Perliger
Varieties of Right-Wing
The New Extremism in 21st Extremism in Europe
Century Britain Edited by Andrea Mammone,
Edited by Roger Eatwell and Emmanuel Godin and
Matthew Goodwin Brian Jenkins
Right-Wing Radicalism Today Revolt on the Right
Perspectives from Europe and the US Explaining support for the radical
Edited by Sabine von Mering right in Britain
and Timothy Wyman McCarty Robert Ford and Matthew Goodwin
Routledge Research in Extremism and Democracy offers a forum for innovative
new research intended for a more specialist readership. These books will be in
hardback only. Titles include:
1 Uncivil Society? 8 Extreme Right Activists
Contentious politics in post- in Europe
Communist Europe Through the magnifying glass
Edited by Petr Kopecky and Bert Klandermans &
Cas Mudde Nonna Mayer
2 Political Parties and Terrorist 9 Ecological Politics and
Groups Democratic Theory
Leonard Weinberg and Ami Mathew Humphrey
Pedahzur
10 Reinventing the Italian Right
3 Western Democracies and the Territorial politics, populism
New Extreme Right Challenge and ‘post-Fascism’
Edited by Roger Eatwell and Carlo Ruzza and Stefano Fella
Cas Mudde
11 Political Extremes
4 Confronting Right Wing An investigation into the
Extremism and Terrorism history of terms and
in the USA concepts from antiquity to the
George Michael present
Uwe Backes
5 Anti-Political Establishment
Parties 12 The Populist Radical Right
A comparative analysis in Poland
Amir Abedi The patriots
Rafal Pankowski
6 American Extremism
History, politics and the militia 13 Social and Political Thought
D. J. Mulloy of Julius Evola
Paul Furlong
7 The Scope of Tolerance
Studies on the Costs of Free 14 Radical Left Parties
Expression and Freedom of the Press in Europe
Raphael Cohen-Almagor Luke March
15 Counterterrorism in Turkey 22 Extreme Right Parties in
Policy choices and policy effects Scandinavia
toward the Kurdistan Workers’ Anders Widfeldt
Party (PKK)
Mustafa Coşar Ünal 23 Catholicism and Nationalism
Changing Nature of Party Politics
16 Class Politics and the Madalena Meyer Resende
Radical Right
Edited by Jens Rydgren 24 Populists in Power
Daniele Albertazzi and Duncan
17 Rethinking the French McDonnell
New Right
Alternatives to modernity 25 The Politicisation of Migration
Tamir Bar-On Edited by Wouter van der
Brug, Gianni D’Amato, Joost
18 Ending Terrorism in Italy Berkhout and Didier Ruedin
Anna Bull and Philip Cooke
26 Transforming the
19 Politics of Eugenics Transformation?
Productionism, population, The East European Radical Right
and national welfare in the Political Process
Alberto Spektorowski and Edited by Michael Minkenberg
Liza Saban
27 The Populist Radical Right in
20 Democratic Extremism in Central and Eastern Europe
Theory and Practice Ideology, Impact, and Electoral
Power to the people Performance
Paul Lucardie Andrea L. P. Pirro
21 Populism in Western Europe
Comparing Belgium, Germany
and the Netherlands
Teun Pauwels
The Populist Radical Right in
Central and Eastern Europe
Ideology, impact, and electoral
performance
Andrea L. P. Pirro
First published 2015
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
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Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2015 Andrea L. P. Pirro
The right of Andrea L. P. Pirro to be identifi ed as author of this work has
been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
Trademark notice : Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identifi cation and explanation
without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Pirro, Andrea L. P.
The populist radical right in Central and Eastern Europe : ideology,
impact, and electoral performance / Andrea L.P. Pirro.
pages cm. — (Routledge studies in extremism and democracy ; 27)
1. Right-wing extremists—Europe, Eastern. 2. Right-wing extremists—
Europe, Central. 3. Populism—Europe, Eastern. 4. Populism—Europe,
Central. 5. Political parties—Europe, Eastern. 6. Political parties—
Europe, Central. 7. Europe, Eastern—Politics and government—1989–
8. Europe, Central—Politics and government—1989– I. Title.
HN380.7.Z9P57 2015
305.520947—dc23
2015001362
ISBN: 978-1-138-83987-8 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-73315-9 (ebk)
Typeset in Times New Roman
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
For Filippo and Stijn
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Contents
List of fi gures xi
List of tables xiii
Acknowledgements xv
List of abbreviations xix
1 Introduction 1
The populist radical right in Central and Eastern Europe 3
Theory and hypotheses 11
Research design and methodology 17
Notes 22
References 23
PART I
Context and text 31
2 The context and issues of the prophets of the patria 33
Introduction 33
A matter of context 34
The declension of the populist radical right ideology in
Central and Eastern Europe 39
Towards an analytical framework 46
Notes 47
References 48
3 The ideology of the populist radical right in Bulgaria,
Hungary, and Slovakia 53
Introduction 53
Political Party Attack (Ataka) 57
Movement for a Better Hungary (Jobbik) 67
Slovak National Party (SNS) 86