ABSTRACT
In this chapter the East European radical right is introduced in an analytical and descriptive overview by carving out its distinct ideologies (compared to its West European counterpart) as well as the patterns of success and failure in electoral terms and the role of non-party formations of the radical right. The chapter then contextualizes the radical right in the region, pointing out the volatility of the party systems, the legacies of the non-democratic past, and the particular ethnic and cultural make-up of the countries. It concludes by sketching an analytical model which can be used to study effects of the radical right through the analysis of its interaction with other political actors, most notably parties and governments.
