Historical Legacies and the Radical Right in Post-Cold War Central and Eastern Europe

With an afterword by Sabrina P. Ramet
1. Auflage 2010
ISBN: 978-3-8382-0124-5
Verlag: ibidem

Buch, Englisch, Band 100, 240 Seiten, Print PDF, Format (B × H): 150 mm x 210 mm, Gewicht: 454 g

Reihe: Soviet and Post-Soviet Politics and Society

The transformation process in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) after 1989 is often clothed in terms of historical and geographical categories, either as a 'return of history' or as a 'return to Europe', or both. Either way, the radical right in CEE claims a prominent place in this politics of return. Studies of the radical right echo the more general concern, in analyses of the region, with historical analogies and the role of legacies. Sometimes parallels are discovered between the post-1989 radical right and interwar fascism. They imply a 'Weimarization' of the transformation countries and the return of the pre-socialist, ultranationalist, or even fascist past – the 'return of history'. Another interpretation argues that since some CEE party systems increasingly resemble their West European counterparts, so does the radical right, at least where it is electorally successful – the 'return to Europe'. A third line of thought states that the radical right in the region is a phenomenon sui generis, inherently shaped by the historical forces of state socialism and the transformation process. As a result and in contrast to Western Europe, it is ideologically more extreme and anti-democratic while organizationally more a movement than a party phenomenon.
This book provides insight into the role of historical forces in the shaping and performance of the current radical right in CEE. It conceptualizes 'legacies' both as a contextual factor, i.e. as part of structural and cultural opportunities for new movements and parties in the region, and as textual factors, i.e. as part of the ideological baggage of the past which is revived – and reinterpreted – by the radical right. An introductory essay by Michael Minkenberg puts the topic and the concept of legacies into a larger research perspective. Articles by Lenka Bustikova and Herbert Kitschelt as well as John Ishiyama employ the role of legacies as context, whereas the contributions by Timm Beichelt, Sarah de Lange and Simona Guerra as well as James Frusetta and Anca Glont treat legacies as text.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Minkenberg, Michael

Weitere Mitwirkende

Umland, Andreas

Ramet, Sabrina P

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Systeme Transformationsprozesse (Politikwiss.)
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Ideologien Faschismus, Rechtsextremismus
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Spezielle Soziologie Politische Soziologie
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Kultur Politische Soziologie und Psychologie
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Systeme Vergleichende Politikwissenschaft

Inhaltsverzeichnis

List of Contributors
Acknowledgments
Leninist beneficiaries? Pre-1989 legacies and the radical right in post-1989 Central and Eastern Europe: some introductory observations, by Michael Minkenberg
The radical right in post-communist Europe: Comparative perspectives on legacies and party competition, by Lenka Bustikova and Herbert Kitschelt
Historical legacies and the size of the red-brown vote in post-communist politics, by John Ishiyama
Two variants of the Russian radical right: Imperial and social nationalism, by Timm Beichelt
The League of Polish Families between East and West, past and present, by Sarah L. de Lange and Simona Guerra
Interwar fascism and the post-1989 radical right: Ideology, opportunism and historical legacy in Bulgaria and Romania, by James Frusetta and Anca Glont
Afterword – Modalities of fear: The radical right in Eastern Europe, by Sabrina P. Ramet

Über Autor(innen)

The editor:

Michael Minkenberg studied political science, history, and economics in Heidelberg, Freiburg i. Br., Bonn, and at Georgetown University in Washington DC. Currently, he is professor of comparative politics at the European University Viadrina in Frankfurt/Oder and holds the Max Weber Chair for German and European Studies at New York University. He is the author of, among other books, The Radical Right in Europe: An Overview (Bertelsmann 2009) and Die neue radikale Rechte im Vergleich: USA, Frankreich, Deutschland (Westdeutscher Verlag 1998). His articles have appeared in many international journals such as European Journal of Political Research, Comparative European Politics, West European Politics, East European Politics and Society, Comparative Political Studies, and International Political Science Review.

The author of the afterword:

Dr. Sabrina P. Ramet is Professor of Political Science at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim.