Democracies in Extinction: Question or Statement?

Abstract

Democracies in Extinction is a book that attempts to unravel some of the strategies that the contemporary far right has used—and continues to use—to gain control of democratic institutions. The book not only explores the concept of the far right as such, but also discusses the consequences this may have for the health of Western democracies. From a multidisciplinary perspective, it describes processes such as the normalisation of these extremist ideas, which allow these groups to gain a foothold among the mainstream public, while also creating an international support network that unites and drives them forward. Using numerous examples, the concept of electoral autocracy is also proposed to define the model of state that the far right is trying to impose, having already succeeded in doing so in a number of countries such as Hungary, Israel and El Salvador.