ABSTRACT
This chapter helps the readers to enhance the understanding of radical left parties (RLPs) through using comparative frameworks designed to study other radical parties and mainstream parties. It shows that RLPs have continued to promote a range of Eurosceptic positions and seek to differentiate themselves from one another on European issues, and classified RLPs according to a framework of rejectionist, conditional and expansionist/integrationist Euroscepticism. This helps to show that while the Euroscepticism of some RLPs may be primarily motivated out of nationalism, others are driven by ideological considerations and belief that the only way to regulate capitalism is at European level. RLPs are classified through a qualitative approach based on analysis of existing party literature and of the parties' most recent manifestos and party programmes. This is done to shed light on their varied responses to austerity during the economic crisis.
