On Extremism and Democracy in Europe
1st Edition
Published on 7. February 2017
Book
Paperback/Softback
164 pages
978-1-138-71471-7 (ISBN)
Description
On Extremism and Democracy in Europe is a collection of short and accessible essays on the far right, populism, Euroscepticism, and liberal democracy by one of the leading academic and public voices today. It includes both sober, fact-based analysis of the often sensationalized "rise of the far right" in Europe as well as passionate defence of the fundamental values of liberal democracy. Sometimes counter-intuitive and always thought-provoking, Mudde argues that the true challenge to liberal democracy comes from the political elites at the centre of the political systems rather than from the political challengers at the political margins. Pushing to go beyond the simplistic opposition of extremism and democracy, which is much clearer in theory than in practice, he accentuates the internal dangers of liberal democracy without ignoring the external threats. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in European politics, extremism and/or current affairs more generally.
Reviews / Votes
Never afraid to tell it like it is, Cas Mudde may be a born contrarian but he always knows what he's talking about. This collection exemplifies Mudde's trademark mix of scholarly expertise and take-no-prisoners commitment to making us all think twice before we take too much for granted. Genuinely a great read.Tim Bale, Professor of Politics, Queen Mary University of London, UK
A must-read for anyone interested in this riveting European political moment-populism, freedom of speech, far-right, far-left, religion, Euroscepticism, and euro-crisis. It's all here: well written, provocative, and engaging. Always original and thought-provoking, Cas Mudde combines wonderful political savvy with unrivalled academic expertise.
Catherine Fieschi, Director, Counterpoint, UK
Cas Mudde is the leading public intellectual drawing attention to the challenges to liberal democracy and the European project represented by populist, Eurosceptic parties. Dismissing convenient, simplistic hype over this phenomenon and highlighting the contradictory responses of governments this book defines the issues likely to dominate European politics for years to come.
Geoffrey Harris, European Parliament official (1976-2016) and author of The Dark Side of Europe.
This collection distils the essential Mudde. His characteristically forthright dissection of key political trends includes a primer on populism that will be widely cited, but he also warns of the dangers of blaming populism for all the problems besetting liberal democracy in Europe today. Mudde's analysis of the damage done by mainstream parties and politicians in the name of combatting extremism should be essential reading for all Europeans worried about the future of democracy and the EU.
Heather Grabbe, Director, Open Society European Policy Institute, Belgium
Cas Mudde is one of the leading specialists of the populist radical right. He is also a man with strong moral and civic values. The pathological normalcy theory he exposes in this collection of his articles is a key to understanding the mounting challenge of the extreme right to liberal democracy. It is also well worth reading his criticism of "undemocratic liberalism", as the reason for the successes of Left-Wing populism.
Jean-Yves Camus, Directeur de l'Observatoire des radicalites Politiques (ORAP), Paris
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
Postgraduate and Undergraduate
Illustrations
4 s/w Tabellen
4 Tables, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 10 mm
Weight
247 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-138-71471-7 (9781138714717)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Cas Mudde
On Extremism and Democracy in Europe
Book
03/2016
1st Edition
Routledge
€84.20
Shipment within 10-20 days
Person
Cas Mudde is Associate Professor in the School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Georgia, USA, and Researcher in the Center for Research on Extremism (C-REX) at the University of Oslo, Norway.
Content
Part I: The Far Right
1. The populist radical right: a pathological normalcy
2. Three decades of populist radical right parties in Western Europe: So what?
3. The myth of Weimar Europe
4. Putin's Trojan Horses? 5 theses on Russia and the European far right
5. Local shocks: the far right in the 2014 European elections
6. Europe of Nations and Freedoms: Financial Success, Political Failure
7. Viktor Orban and the difference between radical right parties and radical right politics
Part II: Populism
8. Jean-Claude Jucker and the populist zeitgeist in European politics
9. The problem with populism
10. Populism and liberal democracy: is Greece the exception or the future of Europe? (interview with Antonis Galanopoulos)
11. Populism: a primer
Part III: Euroscepticism
12. European integration: after the fall
13. The European elite's politics of fear
14. What will the European elections bring the Western Balkans?
15. The 2014 European elections in numbers
16. Electoral winners and political losers in the right-wing Eurosceptic camp
17. The key lessons of Syriza's defeat? A different Europe requires both ideology and competence
18. It's time to end the Eurosceptic illusions
19. "Weimar Greece" and the future of Europe
20. Portugal faces a political crisis, but it's the same one facing governments everywhere
Part IV: Liberal Democracy
21. The intolerance of the tolerant
22. After the storms: time to go beyond the obvious responses
23. Norway's democratic example
24. The do's and don'ts of banning political extremism
25. No, we are NOT all Charlie (and that's a problem)
26. What freedom of speech? Of foxes, chickens, and #JeSuisCharlie
27. As Europe looks fearfully outside, its liberal democracy is under attack from within
28. Epilogue: European democracy after Paris
1. The populist radical right: a pathological normalcy
2. Three decades of populist radical right parties in Western Europe: So what?
3. The myth of Weimar Europe
4. Putin's Trojan Horses? 5 theses on Russia and the European far right
5. Local shocks: the far right in the 2014 European elections
6. Europe of Nations and Freedoms: Financial Success, Political Failure
7. Viktor Orban and the difference between radical right parties and radical right politics
Part II: Populism
8. Jean-Claude Jucker and the populist zeitgeist in European politics
9. The problem with populism
10. Populism and liberal democracy: is Greece the exception or the future of Europe? (interview with Antonis Galanopoulos)
11. Populism: a primer
Part III: Euroscepticism
12. European integration: after the fall
13. The European elite's politics of fear
14. What will the European elections bring the Western Balkans?
15. The 2014 European elections in numbers
16. Electoral winners and political losers in the right-wing Eurosceptic camp
17. The key lessons of Syriza's defeat? A different Europe requires both ideology and competence
18. It's time to end the Eurosceptic illusions
19. "Weimar Greece" and the future of Europe
20. Portugal faces a political crisis, but it's the same one facing governments everywhere
Part IV: Liberal Democracy
21. The intolerance of the tolerant
22. After the storms: time to go beyond the obvious responses
23. Norway's democratic example
24. The do's and don'ts of banning political extremism
25. No, we are NOT all Charlie (and that's a problem)
26. What freedom of speech? Of foxes, chickens, and #JeSuisCharlie
27. As Europe looks fearfully outside, its liberal democracy is under attack from within
28. Epilogue: European democracy after Paris