Untitled [Andreas Dafnos on Far-Right Politics in Europe]

Jean-Yves Camus, Nicolas Lebourg. Far-Right Politics in Europe. Translated by Jane Marie Todd. Cambridge: Belknap Press, 2017. 310 pp. $29.95, cloth, ISBN 978-0-674-97153-0. Reviewed by Andreas Dafnos Published on H-Nationalism (February, 2018) Commissioned by Caner Tekin (Postdoctoral Researcher) The Far Right and the influence it exerts on the reader to delve into the social processes that both domestic and international political systems influenced the trajectory of the Far Right since have attracted increasing attention in recent that moment, showing how “the frst globaliza‐ years. Although there exists an abundance of tion” of Europe allowed ideas and people to dis‐ scholarly work on the ebbs and fows of this di‐ seminate across geographic territories (p. 7). A re‐ verse phenomenon, Far-Right Politics in Europe curring theme refers to this constant exchange of by Jean-Yves Camus and Nicolas Lebourg is a use‐ ideas and the tendency of the Far Right to adopt ful addition to the existing literature due to its beliefs that may even belong to different political meticulous investigation of the numerous Far leanings along its own ideological lines. Another Right factions that have been developed over time interesting observation is the realization that and across space. With a predominant focus on some of the dominant traits of the Far Right today the European continent, the book defies easy ex‐ cannot be considered idiosyncrasies of our era; in planations and can, more generally, be ap‐ fact, national populism is shown to have been proached as an answer to the voices that indis‐ part of the French system for the last 130 years. criminately tend to treat the Far Right as a single Camus and Lebourg convincingly argue that the and unified entity. developments of the Far Right in terms of its ideo‐ The introductory chapter, titled “How the Far logical and organizational synthesis cannot be ex‐ Right Came into Being,” covers a large part of the plained if context and time are omitted from anal‐ book. This comes as no surprise however, as a ysis. fundamental premise of the book is that the mod‐ Chapter 1 turns its attention to the period af‐ ern Far Right can be better understood if viewed ter the Second World War, providing a detailed through a historical lens. Therefore, Camus and overview of the difficulties faced particularly by Lebourg position the unit of their analysis in those groups that were closer to Fascism and French history and specifically in the workings of Nazism. The Movimento Sociale Italiano (MSI) is the Constituent Assembly at the end of the eigh‐ mentioned here, and this is important because teenth century. They trace the origins of Far Right academic work has often attributed the transfor‐ thought, which was at the time portrayed as a mation of several like-minded groups to the cat‐ plea for the restoration of the ancien régime by alytic role MSI has played. But what stands out in counterrevolution advocates. The chapter invites this chapter is the effort of the Far Right to build H-Net Reviews networks beyond national borders, since “imme‐ the narration of the authors is strengthened by diately after the collapse of the Axis powers, Fas‐ the use of various case studies, helping the reader cist militants saw a united Europe as the justifica‐ engage with the material of this section. tion for their previous positions” (p. 64). Camus Much has been written in the academic litera‐ and Lebourg illustrate, for example, how these at‐ ture about the impact that the New Right had on tempts led to the New European Order (NEO), an ideological aspects of the modern Far Right, main‐ organization that decided to divert from Nazism ly as this was expressed through the idea of and to adopt a discourse for the defense of neo- ethnopluralism that “every individual is attached racism, marking a critical moment for the history to an ethnocultural group that would protect its of the Far Right as “that discourse would have identity by avoiding racial mixing” (p. 130). In many incarnations and transmutations” (p. 74). chapter 3, the reader has the opportunity to en‐ Another movement with the same purpose of es‐ gage with an important moment in the history of tablishing European presence is Jeune Europe the Far Right. Camus and Lebourg exemplify that (JE), which is also discussed at length due to its in‐ the New Right or Nouvelle Droite (as is often men‐ novative nature. The chapter concludes with an tioned) is an amalgamation of intellectual groups important observation that “despite the desire of and personalities that cannot, however, be as‐ Fascist movements, a supranational and social re‐ sumed uniform. A key fgure is GRECE (Groupe de orientation has not really taken hold. Their efforts Recherches et d'Études pour la Civilisation Eu‐ have not been fruitless, however, because, their ropéenne), which occupies a central place in this innovations were useful to both populist and ne‐ chapter. It is also interesting to see that the reason orightist factions” (p. 96). why the New Right emerged was “the organiza‐ The next chapter deals with the role of white tional failure to build a European nationalist par‐ power and the role of race as driving forces for ty in France” (p. 127). Once more the interplay be‐ the actions of some Far Right groups. Here the dis‐ tween groups is evident as well as the influence of cussion revolves around neo-Nazi groups that are historic events (for example, May 1968) on the de‐ “more cultural than political in nature” (p. 101), velopment of the Far Right. The ability of the au‐ placing emphasis on the skinhead movement. It is thors to attain accuracy is outstanding, and this is interesting to see how this type of movement de‐ evident, for example, in their narration on neopa‐ veloped across Europe, in a period of time that ganism and the New Right or the impact of Julius the “proletariat was deconstructing” (p. 104). The Evola’s theories. authors explain that, among others, indoctrina‐ Chapter 4 dissects the relationship between tion through music and participation in violent religious fundamentalism and the Far Right, be‐ practices are key characteristics of a Far Right ginning with the intriguing observation that faith skinhead, and then proceed to a more eloquent should not be associated with extremism, since it exploration of how violence is articulated through embraces the qualities of “freedom of con‐ the activities of neo-Nazi groups. This section science,” the antithesis to dogmatism, and takes shows the extent of influence that the American an “interest in individual rights” (p. 152). Howev‐ Far Right had on its European counterparts. As er, the authors show how ideological stances can one would expect at this point, there are refer‐ be fused into paths of multiple interpretations, ences to the lone wolf strategy, which “should not signifying in this way the complexity of reality. be confused (as it often is) with the question of This might explain, for instance, why compared to self-radicalization” (p. 110), and The Turner Di‐ Catholics more Protestants vote for a Far Right aries (1978), an influential book that is based on party. Camus and Lebourg also define terms that the principle of the struggle for race. Once more 2 H-Net Reviews seem to be conflated (see, for instance, on page the most important fgures of Russian neo-nation‐ 159 the differences between integrists and tradi‐ alism, Aleksandr Dugin, and his concept of neo- tionalists), while a large section looks into the as‐ Eurasianism, which “reconciles the two theoreti‐ sociation between integrism and the National cal elements of George Sorel’s thought: myth and Front. Even the issue of the Jewish Far Right is utopia” (p. 227). What is more, the analytical raised and addressed toward the last pages, de‐ prism under which numerous countries (for ex‐ scribing its true dimensions. ample, Russia, Ukraine, and Bulgaria, to name a On the other hand, scholars keen on learning few) are being approached sheds light not only on more about populism will fnd chapter 5 interest‐ the peculiarities of Eastern European Far Right ing, where the term is analyzed in depth. The groups but also on the composition of their base chapter shows how populist questions came to the of support. forefront and dominated the political debate. In‐ Finally, despite the fact that one could raise dicative of this is the speech of Enoch Powell in objections about the labels that have been used 1968, which assigned blame to nonwhite immi‐ (for example, radical Far Right and national pop‐ grants and asked for their repatriation. The latter ulism) or feel that some points are being obscured combined with the impact of the New Right think‐ by the detailed description of events, this book is ing, as discussed previously, helps the reader un‐ essential reading for those aspiring to understand derstand that the evolution of the Far Right is the the Far Right. In essence, readers have the oppor‐ result of multiple factors. The chapter also ofers a tunity to acquaint themselves with Far Right compelling account of successful and failed cases, groups that encompass varying degrees of radical‐ showing that populism is no panacea for success, ism, and to look into their differences, overlaps, and that political groups may face insurmount‐ influences, and evolution up to the present time. able obstacles and challenges when they put the populist model into practice. Particular emphasis has been fnally placed on the so-called neopulist shift that was determined by “the geopolitical cri‐ sis subsequent to September 11, 2001, and the so‐ cioeconomic recession that followed the 2008 f‐ nancial crisis” (p.

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