The price of radicalism: Inflation is driving a resurgence of far-right populists around the world

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The rise of radicalism and populism

The resurgence of radical parties in Europe began a few years ago, but 2024 represents a breakthrough for extremes on both ends of the political spectrum. Major victories were scored by Italy's Brothers of Italy (“Fratelli d'Italia”), France's National Rally (“Rassemblement national” or RN), Germany's Alternative for Germany (“Alternative für Deutschland” or AfD), and multiple others. The peak of the far-right success came on Sept. 29, when Austria's Freedom Party (“Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs” or FPÖ) secured the most votes in national elections. The party's leader, Herbert Kickl, has been called a Nazi and is known for advocating the “remigration” of non-native Austrians in order to create a more “homogeneous” society.

There are both political and economic reasons behind the far-right’s success. The ideology of modern far-right movements combines radical social policies with populist economic rhetoric. Generally, they are known to oppose immigration — especially from Islamic countries — and stand against a unified Europe while supporting protectionism within national borders. Far-right parties present themselves as the defenders of “native” citizens, who are said to have suffered from crises and are disillusioned with current leadership.

“Indigenous [Dutch] people are being ignored because of the mass immigration,” Geert Wilders, leader of the Dutch right-wing “Party for Freedom,” told the BBC last year. “We have to think about our own people first now. Borders closed. Zero asylum-seekers.”

In Portugal, a recent bid to simplify the process for obtaining humanitarian visas was thwarted in October 2024 after fierce resistance from the anti-immigration party Chega. Members of the movement branded the proposal as being championed by “traitors,” leading to the humanitarian visa initiative’s defeat in parliament.