2008/06/23 by Andrej Zaslove · 170 citations
Social Sciences · #Populism, Right-Wing Movements #German legal, social, and political studies #Communism, Protests, Social Movements #Populism #Political science #Political economy #Democracy #Socialism #Politics #Consolidation (business) #Liberal democracy #Public administration #Law #Sociology #Economics #Communism
paper · doi:10.1017/s1062798708000288
published in European Review 16(3), 319-336 (Cambridge University Press)
openalex publication_date 2008/06/23 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/07
This article addresses the sudden and somewhat unexpected rise of populist parties in West, Central, and Eastern Europe. The first section highlights the core characteristics of populism through the construction of an ideal type. Subsequently, the focus is on the opportunity structures that give rise to populism, emphasizing the end of the post-war settlement, post-industrialism, the gradual erosion of party politics, and frustrations emanating from the consolidation of liberal democracy in Central and Eastern Europe. The final section examines three distinct forms of populism, focusing on radical-right populism (parties such as the French National Front, the Austrian Freedom Party), center-right populism ( Forza Italia ), and left populism (the German Party of Democratic Socialism).