Reshaping Europe Through Parliament
- Genocide Watch
- 8 minutes ago
- 1 min read
By: Alexander Smith
The far right has resurged across Europe. Over the past decade, the United Kingdom left the European Union (EU) after a wave of anti-immigrant sentiment; the National Front in France took more than 100 seats in the French parliament; Germany's right-wing became the second largest party in its parliament; dissatisfaction with mainstream governments surged across the continent; and far-right extremist attacks grew by over 300 percent.
While these statistics represent a startling pattern in recent years, the rise of contemporary far-right political ideology in Europe traces back to the late 20th century, when nationalism started brewing amid the Cold War. In the following decades, political parties tending to xenophobia and anti-globalization started popping up all over Europe. As European institutions formed and consolidated, the far right found its footing.
This year, nearly one-quarter of European voters are likely to back right-wing parties. Their favorability is near or surpassing all-time highs. Mainstream parties throughout Europe are crumbling, and extremist parties on both sides are picking up the pieces. With a far-right populist in charge of the U.S. government, the pressure is off from the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, but this meteoric rise wouldn't be complete without help from the European Parliament.
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