Right-wing Populism as a Challenge for Civil Society

When a new type of party labelled >> right-wing populist << by political scientists and journalists, arrived on the political scene in Western Europe thirty years ago, many observers thought that it would only be a short-lived manifestation of political protest. Today these parties are present in almost all European countries. Building on an introductory definition, the contribution will assess the root causes of rightwing populism, its ideological and programmatic features, its organizational traits and ways of addressing voters as well as its effects on party systems, governmental policies and the democracy in general. Concluding thoughts offer a number of recommendations how the challengers - which will in all likelihood not disappear in the near future - could be politically contained.