Far-right politics

The far-right (also known as the extreme right or radical right) refers to the highest degree of rightism in right-wing politics. Far right politics involves support of strong or complete social hierarchy in society, and supports supremacy of certain individuals or groups deemed to be innately superior who are to be more valued than those deemed to be innately inferior.

The far right's advocacy of supremacism is based on what its adherents perceive as innate characteristics of people that cannot be changed. This stands as a point of difference with the centre-right's attribution of behaviours, such as laziness or decadence, as the primary sources of social inequalities. The centre right—unlike the far right—claims that people can end their behavioural inferiority through changing their habits and choices.

The original far right, which emerged in France after the French Revolution, refused to accept the French Republic and supported a counter-revolution to restore the French monarchy and aristocracy. The far right is commonly associated with persons or groups who hold extreme nationalist, xenophobic, racist, religious fundamentalist or reactionary views. The most extreme-right movements have pursued oppression and genocide against groups of people on the basis of their alleged inferiority.

Proponents of horseshoe theory interpretation of the left-right spectrum identify the far-left and far-right as having more in common with each other as extremists than each have towards moderate centrists.

Views

Far right politics commonly includes authoritarianism, anti-communism, nativism and racialism. Typically, the term far right is applied to fascists and neo-Nazis, and major elements of fascism have been deemed clearly far right, such as its belief that supposedly superior people have the right to dominate society while purging allegedly inferior elements, and — in the case of Nazism — genocide of people deemed to be inferior. The far right claims that superior people should proportionally have greater rights than inferior people. The far right has historically favoured an elitist society based on belief of the legitimacy of the rule of a supposed superior minority over the inferior masses. Far-right politics usually involves anti-immigration and anti-integration stances towards groups that are deemed inferior and undesirable. Concerning the socio-cultural dimension (nationality, culture and migration), a far-right position could be the view that certain ethnic, racial or religious groups should stay separate, and that the interests of one’s own group should be prioritised.

History

The German political scientist Klaus von Beyme describes three historical phases in the development of far right parties in Western Europe after the World War II.

From 1945 to the mid-1950s, far right parties were marginalised and their main objective was to survive rather than having any political impact. Far right policy had been discredited by Nazism, and was subsequently politically isolated. From the mid-1950s to the 1970s, the so-called "populist protest phase" emerged with sporadic electoral success. Characteristics of far right parties in this phase included charismatic leaders and a profound dislike of the political establishment, using an "us and them" model; with “us” being the “common man” and “them” being the politicians and bureaucrats. In the 1980s, electoral success of far right parties consolidated, while they used anti-immigration views as a main issue.

The Far Right in America

The far right in the United States is not adequately described by the above. Where a group or ideology lies on the political spectrum in the United States is primarily determined by the way the group or ideology views the proper relationship between the individual and the state. Those on the far right in America advocate maximum individual liberty and the absolute mimimum amount of government involvement in the lives of citizens. They are commonly patriotic, pro-life, and religious (Christian), although many on the far right are actually atheists. In the American political spectrum, Fascism, Socialism, and Communism can all be considered to be far left.

Gallery

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  Joseph de Maistre, leader of the reactionary Legitimistes after the French Revolution.
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  Supporters of the historic Russian far-right monarchist and antisemitic ultranationalist Black Hundreds movement marching in 1905.
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  Members of the American Ku Klux Klan (KKK) marching in a mass rally in Washington, D.C. in 1928. The KKK are a far right white supremacist and Christian fundamentalist organization.
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  Nazis alongside members of the far-right reactionary and monarchist German National People's Party (DNVP), in 1931 during the Nazi-DNVP alliance in the Harzburg Front.
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  Election poster of the historic Israeli far-right Zionist and Jewish fundamentalist Kach movement showing its leader Meir Kahane. The poster's text says: "This time [vote] Kahane: Because he is one of us! Give him the power to finally take care of them Arabs!"
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  Members of the Taliban, a far right Islamic fundamentalist movement of Pashtun tribesmen.
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  Members of the Japanese far right Zaitokukai demonstrating in 2010 against the right of "foreigners" (Koreans in Japan) to vote.

Bibliography

• Carlisle, Rodney P. (2005). The Encyclopedia of Politics: The Left and the Right, Volume 2: The Right. Thousand Oaks, California, USA; London, England, UK; New Delhi, India: Sage Publications.
• Hainsworth, Paul (2000). The Politics of the Extreme Right: From the Margins to the Mainstream. Pinter.
• Merkl, Peter H.; Weinberg, Leonard. Right-wing Extremism in the Twenty-first Century. Frank Cass Publishers.
• Hilliard, Robet L.; Keith, Michael C. (1999). Waves of Rancor: Tuning in the Radical Right. Armonk,New York: M.E. Sharpe Inc.
• Parsons, Craig; Smeedling, Timothy M. (2006). Immigration and the transformation of Europe. Cambridge University Press.
• Woshinsky, Oliver H. (2008). Explaining Politics: Culture, Institutions, and Political Behavior. Routledge.