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California State University, Northridge CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE The Proliferation of Far-Right Politics in the Czech Republic: Dissension to Globalization and Cosmopolitanism A graduate project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Political Science By Luc LeFrancois August 2019 The thesis of Luc LeFrancois is approved: ______________________________________ ________________ Dr. Alexandra Cole-Macias Date ______________________________________ ________________ Dr. Tom Hogen Esch Date ______________________________________ ________________ Dr. Maria Garcia-Acevedo Date California State University, Northridge ii Table of Contents SIGNATURE PAGE ii LIST OF FIGURES iv ABSTRACT v INTRODUCTION 1 REVIEW OF GLOBALIZATION AND PARTY SYSTEM LITERATURE 3 REVIEW OF LITERATURE ON CASE OF CZECH REPUBLIC AND EUROPE 12 DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS 15 CONCLUSION 23 REFERENCES 24 iii List of Figures Figure 1 :Eurobarometer Report on Feelings About Immigrants From Outside of EU 21 iv Abstract The Proliferation of Far-Right Politics in the Czech Republic: Dissension to Cultural Globalization By Luc LeFrancois Master of Arts in Political Science Since its independence in 1992, the Czech Republic has established itself as a thriving and politically stable central European nation with substantial party competition. Though, within the last four years, the Czech Republic and the surrounding European Union nation states have also experienced a more visible rise in Euroscepticism, anti-immigrant, anti-Islam and anti- minority sentiments that were solidified and even legitimized because of the 2015 refugee crisis. v These conflicts between the larger European public and the incoming refugees depends on the facets of globalization as it relates to the greater perceived threat of immigration into Europe. Furthermore, this rise in far-right groups who voice anti-immigrant fervor has occurred because of the influx of refugees and immigrants during the refugee crisis who see these immigrant populations as an iteration of illicit globalization that is perceived to be both harmful to the country’s national security and homogenous cultural landscape. This paper will analyze the role of immigration via immigration policy put forth by the European Union and European nation state governments. In addition, the reactions by far-right groups and the public who are in opposition to the trend of immigration through Europe are also of focus where in addition to the Czech Republic’s outright opposition to the importation of immigrants, these views have also spawned iterations of the far-right in the country and an outright dissension toward the European Union immigrant quotas because of the 2015 refugee crisis. vi INTRODUCTION Globalization is defined as a contemporary structural change that allows for a greater connectedness vis-a-vis various communication, economic, production, occupational and political sectors for more open interactions among the several international actors (Swank and Betz 2003, 216). The spread of the globalization phenomenon has contributed to the integration of economic and cultural activities, the expansion of trade networks and the dissemination of ideas. As a result, globalization has contributed to shortened distances between interacting international actors, which has facilitated the dissemination of ideas and exchange of values across continents. At the same time, globalization has provided significant economic and cultural benefits to the development and expansion of various developed states. Many Europeans have become more frustrated with their states’ seeming lack of concern for national interests. As a result, the role of the European Union (EU) in instituting migrant policies has led to dissatisfaction from anti- establishment and anti-globalist segments of the population. Euroscepticism has erupted as a formidable platform that embodies nationalism and isolationism as seen from right populist and far-right parties who oppose the effects of globalization related to the EU’s influence. Euroscepticism is defined as a reactionary criticism of the European Union, European integration and its various machinations that exist as an authority for its member states. In the case of the Czech Republic, a report from the European Council for Foreign Relations (2013) adds that the growing Eurosceptic sentiment in recent years has remained attributed to the Czech Republic’s perception of the EU as a ‘marriage of convenience’ and only intended to maintain prosperity and security between member states (ECFR 2013). Therein, the resounding criticism of the EU is in fact a response to their perception that the European Union is neither effective nor cognizant of state interests. 1 Euroscepticism in the Czech Republic as with Euroscepticism in its other variations across Europe, has arisen out of dissent for EU asylum seeker distributive policies. For the Czech Republic, proponents of Eurosceptic initiatives seek to separate from the European Union as an effort to establish themselves as a sovereign nation apart from the supranational institutions that do not favor Czech Republic’s state interests. The far-right’s xenophobic platform and increasing success of right-wing leaning parties has amplified the scrutiny of globalization by a segment of the European population. This has provided the landscape for extremist parties to capitalize on anti-migrant and anti-institution sentiment throughout the European region. In the case of the Czech Republic, the right-wing political parties (RWPP) embody the frustrations from the population who perceive that this Central European state is held hostage by the European Union; along with the forces of cultural globalization, this is made tangible with the rise in immigration as evidence by the 2015 migrant crisis. For supporters of these RRWPs, they hold that the influx of migration poses imminent threats to national security and pan-European culture, while also seen as disenfranchising the European population at the expense of European Union quotas which seeks to accept non- Europeans for the sake of expanding the states’ employment gaps and other economic ventures. The phenomenon of undesirable forces entering a particular country or state via migration, arms and human trafficking, transportation of weapons across borders, and incompatible ideals from incoming migrants, for example, is asserted by Peter Andreas (2011) and his theory of illicit globalization. This paper argues that cultural globalization has influenced the recent rise in the European far-right backlash politics which seeks to maintain or preserve their sovereignty and European cultural values among the citizenry. The research question is as follows: How does illicit globalization via migration and cosmopolitanism fuel the rise of backlash far-right politics in the Czech Republic? 2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE ON PARTY LITERATURE Herbert Kitschelt (1995) discusses the formation of party systems cleavages under post- communist democracies, an interpolation of Lipset and Rokkan (1967) whereby post-industrial societies have created four prominent cleavages: 1. Centre/periphery; 2. Religious/secular; 3. Urban/rural/; and 4. Capital/labour that have remained instrumental in the manifestation and subsequent establishment of a European party system that meets the demands and interests of any one country’s electorates (Kitschelt 1995, 447). In regards to the relationship to the far-right and the cleavages posited by Lipset and Rokkan (1967), and Kitchselt (1995), urban/rural cleavages are pertinent to the far-right, reinforcing traditionalism vis-a-vis the maintaining of national identity and preservation of Western values, thereby operating against an urban populace which favors policies that value multicultural and cosmopolitan values via immigration. In the establishment of the post-communist party systems, new voters often ascribe to parties because of their sympathy with the party’s particular candidates, or the charismatic interpretation of that candidate’s perspectives on any given platform; secondly, expected personal and selective tangible and intangible advantages that would manifest with the success of that party; and lastly, whether the production of indirect advantages in the form of any collectivization of goods would be more accessible if that party of choice does in fact win the election at that given time (Kitschelt 1995, 449). Furthermore, through these considerations posited from the populace’s interests that then manifest in their support in a party, three types of parties arise as Kitschelt (1995) writes, occur in the form of the charismatic, clientelistic and programmatic parties that arise and to in turn, garner support from the public based on these precepts or demeanors ascribed to the given parties. 3 The pertinency of Kitschelt‘s (1995) presentation of post-communist party systems is in relation to the far-right in the Czech Republic, where the charismatic authority and personality of these extreme party leaders and representatives garner public support by placating to the public emotions or sensibilities of a good leader. The various extreme party leaders during the election campaigns and into their election often appear as charismatic leaders that can address their concerns with efficiency, even if their radical platforms and policies are radical. These behaviors from the extreme yet charismatic leadership from far-right parties demonstrate instability because these leaders require non-trivial or tangible policies
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