Introduction

By the turn of the 1990s, Western democracy appeared destined to become the universal governmental norm. However, as we move into the new millennium there are growing signs that extremism is far from dead.

In recent years, the extreme right has gathered notable support in many Western countries, such as Austria, France and Italy. Racist violence, initially aimed at immigrants, is on the rise, and in the US, and increasingly in Europe, the state itself has become a major target.

This book considers the varying trajectories of the extreme right and populist parties and focuses on the problems of responses to these trends, an issue which has hitherto been neglected in academic literature.