The Golden Dawn's 'Nationalist Solution' Explaining the Rise of the Far Right in Greece

What explains the dramatic rise of the extreme, ultranationalist Golden Dawn in a country that has experienced Nazi invasion and a military dictatorship? This book places the rise of the Golden Dawn in the context of the Eurozone crisis and argues that its rise is not merely the product of economic malaise. Rather, the success of the Golden Dawn is dependent on the extent to which it was able to propound plausible solutions to the three sets of crises - economic, political and ideological - that culminated in an overall crisis of democracy in Greece. The authors argue that much of the party's success can be attributed to its strategic choice to tap into the widespread disillusionment of the Greek people by offering them a 'nationalist solution': a rhetoric that emphasizes the twin fascist myths of social decadence and national rebirth.

Sofia Vasilopoulou is Lecturer in the Department of Politics at the University of York, UK. Her work examines the theme of political dissatisfaction with democracy and democratic institutions across Europe.

Daphne Halikiopoulou is Lecturer in Comparative Politics, University of Reading, UK. Her work focuses on nationalism and party competition in Europe. She is interested in the radical aspect of nationalism, right-wing extremism and the politics of exclusion.

Table of Contents
List of tables
List of figures
Acknowledgements
1. Introduction
2. The Rise of the Golden Dawn in the Context of the Greek Crisis
3. Who Supports the Golden Dawn? An Analysis of the Disillusioned Voter
4. The Myth of Social Decadence: The Golden Dawn's Populist Nation-statism
5. The Myth of National Rebirth: The Golden Dawn's Populist Ultra-nationalism
6. Conclusion
Appendix
References