ABSTRACT

This chapter compares and contrasts the nature and role of conspiracy ideation in populist nationalist movements of the United States and Europe. Through an examination of right-wing discourses, we explore the unique historical evolutions and employment of conspiracies rooted in three phenomena. The first is fear narratives about race and ethnicity, for example, “the international Jew,” an impending race war, or the Islamicization of the West. The second is collusions based on threats to state sovereignty. This would include the European Union and Agenda 21, the United Nations’ action plan with regard to sustainable development. The third is threats posed by manipulative scientific communities. Examples of these are the climate change “hoax,” and anti-vaccination movements. Ultimately, we show that the distinct political and historical climates of the United States and Europe lead to different levels of engagement with and reliance on various narratives. These findings are then used to demonstrate the context for the spread of extreme ideologies within national populist movements.