chap2 28/5/02 13.31 Page 31 2 Die Republikaner The ups and downs of a discorded party While the NPD was slipping further and further into oblivion in the 1980s, dissatisfaction was building up on the right of the Union parties. Their open support for the process of European integration and hidden support for (or at least acceptance of) the so-called Ostpolitik, the normalisation of relations with the communist states initiated by former SPD premier Willy Brandt, led to much criticism in as well as outside the parties. Originally, the protest was voiced
This book provides a comprehensive and detailed analysis of the five main parties of the extreme right in the Netherlands (Centrumdemocraten, Centrumpartij), Belgium (Vlaams Blok), and Germany (Die Republikaner, Deutsche Volksunion). Using primary research — including internal party documents — it concludes that rather than right-wing and extremist, the core ideology of these parties is xenophobic nationalist, including also a mix of law and order and welfare chauvinism. The author's research and conclusions have broader implications for the study of the extreme-right phenomenon and party ideology in general.
and Progress (Belgium: Flemish-speaking)/Partij voor Vrijheid en Vooruitgang RC Communist Refoundation (Italy)/Rifondazione Comunista Die Republikaner The Republican Party (Germany) RPF Reformational Political Federation (Netherlands)/Reformatorische Politieke Federatie RPF-IE Rally for France and the Independence of Europe/Rassemblement pour la France et l’Independence de l’Europe RPR Rally for the
every West European country is mentioned as there is no extreme right party in, for example, Iceland and Ireland that meets the election requirement. Nor is every party mentioned studied with equal care and attention. Parties like the FN and the German Die Republikaner (The Republicans, REP) belong to the better-known and studied political parties in Western Europe, while parties such as the Dutch Centrumpartij’86 (Centre Party’86, CP’86) and the Swiss Schweizer Demokraten (Swiss Democrats) are virtually unknown beyond (and even within) their own national boundaries
procedures carried out by Germany and Israel, the two countries have demonstrated a rather high commitment to liberal values. In the years following these disqualifications, extreme right-wing parties surfaced in both countries. In Germany there was the NPD (Nationaldemokratisch Partei Deutschland), established in 1964, the DVU (Dutsche Volksunion), established in 1971, and the REP (Die Republikaner), incepted in 1983. The authorities, on the one hand, and the political parties, on the other, committed themselves to several ground rules. While the State was not so