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Once a marginal political coalition, the French National Front has become the most high-profile far-right organization in Europe. In Politics on the Fringe Edward G. DeClair provides the first extensive analysis of the Front's history, from its creation in 1972 & outcast status in the early 1980s to ...

Once a marginal political coalition, the French National Front has become the most high-profile far-right organization in Europe. In Politics on the Fringe Edward G. DeClair provides the first extensive analysis of the Front's history, from its creation in 1972 & outcast status in the early 1980s to its achievement of broad-based support & show of political strength in the 1997 elections. Using rare, in-depth interviews with twenty-nine members of the Front elite, as well as public opinion survey data & electoral results, DeClair examines the internal structure of the Front, its political agenda, & its growing influence in France. DeClair shows how the party has dramatically expanded its traditionally narrow core constituency by capitalizing upon anxieties about national identity, immigration, European unification, & rising unemployment. In illustrating how the rhetoric surrounding such topics is key to the Front's success, DeClair examines the Front's legacy by detailing the links between the French far-right & similar movements in such countries as Germany, Belgium, Austria, Italy, & the United States. Finally, Politics on the Fringe offers not only a complete picture of the Front's increasingly influential role in French partisan politics but also further insight into the resurgence of right-wing extremism throughout western societies in the late twentieth century. This volume will be of primary importance to political scientists & those engaged with European politics, culture, & history. It will also appeal to those concerned with right-wing populism & political movements.