Right-wing Populism and Extremism: The Rapid Rise of ‘Golden Dawn’ in Crisis-ridden Greece

apostolos — Tue, 16 Apr 2019 22:25:18 +0000

In this paper we attempt to outline the essential features of right-wing extremism in contemporary Greece. The focus of attention will be a party that belongs to the pro-Nazi, extreme right-wing camp, the People’s Association – Golden Dawn, which until 2009 enjoyed only a marginal role in electoral politics. This party, which openly avows its support for National Socialism and has adopted symbols like the swastika and rituals like the Hitler salute, made a big leap from the margins onto the political arena of crisis-ridden Greece.

From dusk to dawn: Local party organization and party success of right-wing extremism

apostolos — Tue, 16 Apr 2019 22:25:17 +0000

A marginal racist organization, Golden Dawn, managed to attract first the votes of almost one out of 14 Greek voters and then global media and public attention. How did an extreme right groupuscule invade the political terrain of an EU-10 member state? Existing attempts to account for this phenomenon point to demand-side explanations, related to the political turmoil that followed the notorious debt crisis and the accompanying austerity measures. These explanations, however, fail to account for the genesis of this trajectory. We delve into this exact question, focusing on the election that marked the emergence of the Golden Dawn and permitted further electoral penetration. Combining qualitative and quantitative methods, we show that the party took advantage of favourable political circumstances developing a grassroots network of protection that helped it enter the central political arena.

Georgiadou, V. – To Archeio

Right-wing Populism and Extremism: The Rapid Rise of ‘Golden Dawn’ in Crisis-ridden Greece

From dusk to dawn: Local party organization and party success of right-wing extremism