Rise and Decline of Right-Wing Extremism in the Czech Republic in the 1990s

Abstract

Explores the recent history, regional correlates, & social background of right-wing extremism in the Czech Republic, namely of the republican party (SPR-RSC). After briefly describing the development of right-wing extremism in the Czech Republic over the last decade, sociological theories about the rise of the extreme Right in Europe are reviewed & their applicability to the SPR-RSC assessed. Findings reveal that social background does not distinguish republican voters from their counterparts in other European countries. Consequently, electoral volatility between left- & right-wing parties & the SPR-RSC is analyzed, placing the party somewhere in the Left part of the Czech political spectrum. Next, some regional correlates of Czech right-wing extremism are investigated. A higher inclination toward right-wing extremism is found in rural regions with high unemployment & crime rates. Suggested in conclusion are possible explanations for the SPR-RSC's failure in the elections for the Chamber of Deputies in June 1998. It is argued that social insecurity & rising unemployment may have led a number of SPR-RSC supporters to vote Left. Further, the SPR-RSC failed to mobilize nonvoters & first-time voters in 1998.