ABSTRACT
This chapter offers an overview of the study of far right political parties. First, the chapter maps the variation in far right party electoral success across Europe. Second, it examines the far right’s ideological and organisational features, identifying commonalities and also the differences that exist between parties in this broad umbrella category. Third, it examines the voter base of far right parties. Focusing on both contextual and attitudinal characteristics of the far right voter profile, the aim here is to show how the far right electorate has changed over time. Fourth, the chapter delves into explanations of far right party support broadly categorised into demand (cultural grievances, economic discontent, societal grievances and institutional grievances) and supply-side (political opportunities and discursive opportunities). Fifth, it examines the impact of far right parties on mainstream politics, both through government participation and policy influence as opposition. The chapter concludes with the identification of avenues for future research.
