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The Rise of the Far-Right in Europe
The rise of the far right in Europe is due to two long-term issues related to the nature of politics in the European continent: the demographic decline and the fact that there are now or will be more people aged in their 60s and 70s than people in their 20s.
This means that, over the long term, we will witness politics in the European continent that is more conservative, reactionary, and right-wing because these tend to be the characteristics of older voters.
People tend to be products of their times and places, and older voters are very protective of their assets and of the political order.
They tend to be at the top of the food chain as they reach old age.
This is the reason why older voters are conservative by their very nature.
They wish to preserve the status quo, which is Conservative by nature, because they desire to conserve what they have.
The second issue contributing to the rise of the far right in Europe is the very nature of the electoral systems in continental Europe.
These systems are representative, which means if 5% of the national vote is for the far right, then 5% of the electoral seats within their respective parliaments will have a say in legislation.
The reasons for this is and was to prevent the rise of fascism and Nazism in Europe after the aftermath of World War II and to ensure that any political parties in power were coalitions of political parties in government.
According to the offer and geopolitical analyst Peter Zilhen, as Europe ages, it will only become more reactionary and right-wing.
