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Radicalism and the Front National

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Radicalism and the Front National 2013 University of Ottawa, Social Sciences Faculty, School of Political Studies Elise Saint-Martin ID 2976685 PROFILE ANALYSIS THE FRONT NATIONAL: MODEL FOR THE RADICAL RIGHT? POL 7979 Research Paper 1 Elise Saint-Martin ID 2976685 – POL 7979 Research Paper Contents Contents ......................................................................................................................................................................... 1 Abstract.......................................................................................................................................................................... 2 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................... 2 1| Defining the Radical Right: Main Features and Ideologies ....................................................................................... 3 Nativism .................................................................................................................................................................... 4 Sociocultural Authoritarianism ................................................................................................................................. 5 Populism .................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Anti-Europeanization and Globalization ................................................................................................................... 6 2| Historical Development of the Front National ........................................................................................................... 7 France in the 1960s and 1970s: A Party in the Making ............................................................................................. 7 The FN in the early to mid-1980s: From Fringe to Party Politics ........................................................................... 10 The FN in the late 1980s and 1990s: Ne plus ultra? ................................................................................................ 12 The Front National in the 2000s: A new ‘Frontisme’ under Marine Le Pen ........................................................... 14 3| Research Question and Hypotheses: Ideological Features of the FN....................................................................... 16 Hypothesis 1 ............................................................................................................................................................ 17 Hypothesis 2 ............................................................................................................................................................ 18 Hypothesis 3 ............................................................................................................................................................ 19 4| Methodology ............................................................................................................................................................ 20 5| The Front National: Model for the New Radical Right? .......................................................................................... 22 Hypothesis 1: Immigration is a fundamental theme in the FN’s political ideology and discourse ......................... 22 Hypothesis 2: The Front National uses the notion of ‘insecurity’ to promote the socioauthoritarian values of the radical right. ............................................................................................................................................................ 26 Hypothesis 3: The Front National’s unique argument on euro-globalization is reflective of the radical right’s nationalist-populist traditions. ................................................................................................................................. 29 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................................... 33 List of References ........................................................................................................................................................ 36 Appendix A ................................................................................................................................................................. 41 Appendix B .................................................................................................................................................................. 42 Appendix C .................................................................................................................................................................. 43 Appendix D ................................................................................................................................................................. 44 Appendix E .................................................................................................................................................................. 45 Notes ............................................................................................................................................................................ 47 2 Elise Saint-Martin ID 2976685 – POL 7979 Research Paper Abstract The Front National (FN) has typically been studied as an archetypal model for contemporary radical right-wing parties across Europe (cf. Art, 2011; Betz & Immerfall, 1998; Hainsworth; 2008). Founded in 1972, the FN was the forerunner among a ‘new wave’ of radical right parties across the continent, becoming the most established political force of its kind (cf. Mudde & Kaltwasser, 2012; Langenbacher & Schellenberg, 2011: 30). Yet, as its political program extends over four decades, I find it apposite to challenge our conventional understanding of the Front National as a prototype for the ‘New Radical Right’ (NRR). To this end, I perform a comparative analysis of the key ideological features of the Front National in relation to those of the contemporary or radical right. That is, I intend to compare what scholars consider the most prominent features of the radical-right with those advanced by the Front National. I hope to demonstrate that the FN has conserved its core political ideology, thereby remaining a model radical-right party. I present three (3) hypotheses: 1) The Front National continues to promote an anti-immigration platform that exemplifies the nativist traditions of the radical right; 2) the FN’s discourse on insecurity typifies radical-right socioauthoritarian ideologies; and 3) the FN has created a lexicon around ‘euro-globalization’ which expands upon elements of the radical right’s nationalist-populist strategy. Together, these represent key themes of the Front National’s political program, which ultimately aims to defend the French nation and its people. Introduction The Front National (FN) is typically characterized as the forerunner among contemporary radical right- wing parties across Europe. Founded in 1972, the FN then led the ‘third wave’ of radical right parties in the early 1980s and became the most established of its kind (Bornschier & Lachat, 2009, p. 364; Rydgren, 2004: 20). The Front National succeeded, not only in breaking into, but in maintaining an electoral stronghold, in the national political sphere (cf. Perrineau, 1997; in Arnold, 2000; Kitschelt, 1995; Evans & Ivaldi, 2005: 351; Goodliffe, 2012: 137). Perrineau (2011) claims that the Front National “turned French political life upside down for 25 years” (in Hainsworth, 2012: 22). At least until the 2000s, the FN was consistently achieving around 15 percent of the national vote (Perrineau, 1997; in Arnold, 2000: 255). Consequently, the Front has steadily permeated the mainstream right discourse in both national and European politics (cf. Art, 2011; Langenbacher & Schellenberg, 2011, p. 30). For this reason, the FN has been studied as an archetypal model for other radical right parties across Europe (cf. Art, 2011; Betz & Immerfall, 1998; Rydgren, 2004; Mudde, 2012: 4). For instance, Kitschelt describes the Front as nearly “an ideal-typical realization” of what has been defined as “New Radical Right” (1995: 91). Ivaldi confirms that the FN is considered a prototype and has successfully modernized the radical-right agenda (Ivaldi, 2012). Thus, much of the academic literature describes the Front National as a leading example for radical-right parties across Europe. Yet, decades have passed since the Front National put forth its first political program. This begs the question does the FN’s core ideologies still conform to our conventional understanding of a contemporary radical-right party? Does the FN provide scholars with an adequate conceptual framework with which to study the radical right today? A review of the Front’s official websites and several mediated sources would suggest that the FN is a new and distinctive phenomenon in European politics (FN, 2013; Le Monde, May 23, 2013; Rue89, Jun 6, 2013). For instance, a recent article in Rue89 (Jun 6, 2013) suggests that the rise of a radicalized right-wing movement across European countries is steeped in the legacy of the Front National among some of the oldest extremist parties (Haski, 2013). Hence, is the Front National truly a prototypical radical right-wing party?
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