ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the origins, structure, leadership, goals, constituencies, governmental representation and influence on official policies of the most significant nationalist majority parties in a cross-section of states. It focuses on six countries where nationalist parties and organizations have played an important role in gaining state independence, fueling conflicts with domestic ethnic minorities, and/or exacerbating tensions with neighboring states: Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, and Albania. The emergence of political pluralism in Eastern Europe has also heralded the rebirth of ultra-nationalism. The political style of the brand of nationalism typically emphasizes fears of domination, absorption, or extinction, and thrives on the social psychology of victimization and the blaming of “others” as culprits—whether these are minorities or neighboring majorities. Several nationalist parties demanding Macedonian statehood were established during 1990 in the face of the mounting crisis of the Yugoslav state.
