Right-wing populism is a form of politics that divides society sharply into groups. On one side stands a supposedly „true people,“ on the other political elites and people who are portrayed as not belonging. Complex problems are thus often reduced to a few culprits. It thrives on the promise to regain control and explains social problems via scapegoats: elites, migrants, or other minorities. This article explains how Right-wing populism how it works and why it is so politically effective.
Was Right-wing populism distinguishes itself from populism
Populism is not automatically right. It can occur in different political camps. Populist propaganda has one thing in commona simple pattern. On one side it says „the people“on the other hand a out-of-touch elite.
By Right-wing populism remains this Get base pattern, but gets a different one political direction.Left-wing populist movements frequently attack economic power, large fortunes, or corporations. Right-wing populism is usually directed against political opponents, governments, Media, NGOs, or international institutions. The criticism is therefore directed less against those who possess much, than against those who allegedly ‚against its own people‘ work.
Is Right-wing populism the same as Right-wing extremism?
Right-wing populism and Right-wing extremism are not the same. In practice, however, they are close to each other. Right-wing populism pits a supposedly „true people“ against elites and people who are not supposed to belong. Right-wing extremist parties and movements often use precisely this language to promote their own ideas of a ideally uniform society to make politically marketable.
Right-wing extremism one more is possible One step furtherIt is directed against central fundamentals a diverse democracy. This includes the Equivalence all people, political diversity, and the protection of minorities. Right-wing extremist politics does not just want to change society, but to more strongly Origin and Authority order. The radical right frequently combines such ideas with authoritarian and anti-democratic positions.
Right-wing populism can thereby lead to political tool be. This language makes it easier to express more radical positions than normal and acceptable portray. Therefore, parties can simultaneously Right-wing populist occur and right-wing extremist Contain currents or positions. The terms are not mutually exclusive.
People become scapegoats
Right-wing populism adds to the conflict between the people and the elite third group Add: People who are unrelated marked. Such as migrants, refugees, Muslims, or other minorities.
You are not only described as different, but as a threat presented for the interests of the people: Allegedly, they are taking away social housing from Austrians, endangering public security, disrespecting Austrian culture, or abusing the welfare state.
Migration is being portrayed as a danger.
In right-wing populist narratives, immigration is often presented as Core problem explained. The FPÖ states in its party program: „Austria is not a country of immigration.“For them, immigration is not a reality that can be shaped, but rather a Danger, from which one shields oneself. The party is calling for a „Fortress Austria“ and „zero asylum quota“ to „make the country safe again.“.
In right-wing populist narratives, those considered „strange“marked groups often the idea of a „true“or„actual“toward the people. This does not simply mean the entire population of a state, but rather a more narrowly conceived community that decides who belongs based on origin, culture, language, or way of life.
Such ethno-cultural references can also be found in the FPÖ party platform, i.e., notions that belonging is determined primarily by origin and culture. It states there: „The vast majority of Austrians are part of the German ethnic, linguistic, and cultural community.“Belonging is therefore understood here not only in a civic sense but is strongly conceived through language, culture, and origin.
When Citizenship Is No Longer Enough
How far such an understanding of the people can reach is shown by the debate about ‚Remigration‘, so the political idea of reversing migration and expelling people from the country depending on their origin, residence status, or ascribed affiliation.
The right-wing extremist Activist Martin Sellner uses the term for a concept that, according to the Federal Administrative Court, also „non-assimilated citizens“includes. So people with citizenship who, in his view, have not adapted sufficiently culturally or socially. This means that belonging is no longer defined solely by citizenship, but by who is considered „assimilated“ and who is not.
I am May 30, 2026 several AfD politicians attended an event co-organized by Sellner.„Remigration Summit“in Portugal. This shows how far such ideas have already Parts of the European right reach into.
Right-wing populism and the fight for „normalcy“
Right-wing populism does not just work by making people afraid of migration. It also promises a supposedly lost „Normality“to reclaim: traditional family images, clear gender roles, national culture, and a societal view where change primarily appears as a threat.
That is why debates about gender, queer rights, or diverse family models often become Culture wars, also regarding political disputes about which values and lifestyles are considered normal. The FPÖ rejects Gender Mainstreaming so the political approach, to consider the impact of decisions on different genders.
The AfD opposes the same-sex marriage, although same-sex couples in Germany since 2017 and in Austria since 2019 may marry. This is particularly contradictory with their chairwoman Alice WeidelShe herself lives with a woman and is raising two children with her.
In this narrative, equality and minority rights do not appear as issues that a democratic society discusses and decides upon, but rather as an attack on an allegedly natural order. This creates a dual threat perception: From the outside, migration endangers the country, driven from above„woke“The elite allegedly underwent re-education.
„Woke“ originates from African American English and has been for 1920s and 1930s used. The expression called on Black people to remain vigilant against racism and social injustice. 2014 was he by the Black Lives Matter movement once again becomes known worldwide.
In right-wing culture wars, the term is mostly used today derogatory used for gender, diversity, anti-racism, or minority rights. Social change becomes a Attack scenario – and the promise of „normalcy“ into a political weapon.
Gender roles in the right-wing populist societal vision
The promise of Normality sounds harmless. In the Right-wing populism but it often means a Return to clear hierarchies: to a traditional family as a model, to national primacy, and to less recognition for minorities. The FPÖ commits in its party program to „Primacy of marriage between man and woman“and rejects a separate legal institute for same-sex relationships.
This logic is also visible in human rights protection: FPÖ politician Petra Steger explained that the European Convention on Human Rights may no longer„legal shield for illegal immigrants“. Such demands show what can lie behind the call for normality: rights are no longer understood as general guarantees but are evaluated based on whether they fit one's own image of people, family, and nation.
AuthoritarianismWhy right-wing populists rely on law and order and strong leadership
Right-wing populism does not only work with the idea of a „true people.“ Often, the idea is also included that a society needs clear rules, fixed hierarchies, and strong leadership.
There is a behind it authoritarian view of society. This refers to the idea that order and Obedience are more important than conflict, diversity, or lengthy political negotiation. Harsh punishments, a strong state, and clear boundaries between „right“ and „wrong“ fit well into this picture.
This also explains why right-wing populists often portray politicians as particularly strong portraying themselves as defying resistance, attacking institutions, or promising to „finally crack down.“ Strength is thereby shown not only as leadership quality, but as a counter-model to a democracy that relies on compromise, checks and balances, and diverse interests.
Why Right-wing populism works
Right-wing populism doesn't just work through arguments. He speaks strong Feelings fear, offense, belonging, and the desire for control. Many messages sound like common sense at first: Of course, your own family is important to you. Of course, a state should be responsible for its citizens. Right-wing populism however, sets a limit: us here, the others there.
Check out this Instagram post
He takes advantage of the fact that democracies often speak of the ‚people‘. This actually refers to all citizens who collectively decide on politics, not a culturally unified community. However, right-wing populists turn this into a closer presentation: For them there is a ‚true people‘, whose will is allegedly betrayed by elites, media, or minorities.
This is how political conflicts become a moral struggle. Right-wing populism not only offers people an explanation for their problems, but also scapegoats and the feeling of being on the right side.
„We hear you“: How right-wing populists exploit the feeling of powerlessness
On top of that comes another feeling: political powerlessness. Democracy promises participation. In the voting booth, every vote counts equally. In everyday life, however, many people experience something elseDespite working, the money doesn't last until the end of the month. You wait for weeks for a doctor's appointment. There's a lack of childcare places, and rent is going up. Many decisions seem far away — in parliaments, ministries, Brussels, or large corporations.
This is precisely where the Right-wing populism to. He claims: We hear you. We represent those who have been forgotten by the ruling politics. Out of diffuse problems, whose causes are difficult to recognize and not clearly assignable, Clear opponentsElites, migrants, media, NGOs, or political opponents.
This works because complex problems suddenly seem easily explainable. It's not structures, political failures, or economic developments that are then considered the cause, but specific groups.
When social change becomes a threat
This political offer is attractive because it makes people feel like they have influence again. Against „those up there“or„the strangers“one can apparently do something. At the same time, it relieves the effort of social changes to endure or politically negotiated. If immigration, gender, or so-called „woke elites“ are the Main problem structural issues such as distribution, housing, education, or social security are overlooked.
The political scientist Larry Bartels contradicts the simple explanation that Europe has simply shifted to the right because people have become more radical. In his book „Democracy Erodes from the Top“he shows that many basic attitudes of European citizens have not changed significantly over the years. For him, what is crucial instead is the political offerings that parties make. Equally important are the alliances that political elites form.“
What policy can the Right-wing populism Weaknesses?
That doesn't mean social policy ineffective where people secured feel where wages are sufficient, housing is affordable, and the welfare state reliably supports people, lose right-wing populist Narratives are part of their persuasive power. Good social policy It takes the ground out from under fear. But it is no panacea.
Check out this Instagram post
Then Right-wing populism lives not only from real problems, but also from Threat images. He can overstate real crises or create new enemies – from the narrative of the „great exchange“up to alleged attacks on family, nation, or freedom.
The British author Richard Seymour describes such apocalyptic narratives as„Disaster Nationalism“Politics is mobilized through disaster fantasies, regardless of whether the claimed disasters are real, exaggerated, or fabricated.
What role conservative parties play in the shift to the right
That's why it's not enough to just focus on better Policy-making to set. It is also crucial how democratic parties deal with Right-wing populism circumvent. Conservative parties take over right-wing populist Positions or make them right-wing populist Parties to coalition partners, shifts the political center to the right.
Check out this Instagram post
Bartels’ central thesis is that the erosion of democracy does not only happen from the bottom up, but often also from the top down. Not only voters' attitudes determine how strongly Right-wing populism will be, but also the behavior of political parties and elites. Social policy can reduce fear and uncertainty. Whether right-wing populist but whether parties will be normalized or participate in governing also depends on whether other parties open the door for them.
What happens when right-wing populists govern?
Right-wing populist parties do not automatically change every democracy in the same way. But where they govern longer and gain a lot of power, there is often a similar patternInstitutions that are supposed to control the government are coming under pressure.
This includes independent media, courts, NGOs, or other state oversight bodies. In Hungary, for example, Viktor Orbán's government has passed laws over the years that weaken critical media, universities, NGOs, and parts of the judiciary, or bring them under greater political influence.
The problem with this is not only that individual decisions are controversial. A democracy thrives on the government being kept in check, courts remaining independent, and minorities also having rights. If these protective mechanisms are gradually weakened, an elected government can turn into a progressively less controlled government.
That is precisely why it is called democratic erosionElections continue to take place, but conditions are becoming more unequal and the government's power is becoming harder to limit.
Right-wing populism To understand is to look more closely.
Right-wing populism lives of real concerns, ..., but he turns them into simple blame stories. High rents, overburdened systems, or political powerlessness become stories about „the foreigners,“ „the elites,“ or a supposedly lost normality.
Who this something oppose will, therefore, must do more than refute individual statements. Democratic politics must take seriously the problems from which these narratives arise: affordable housing, functioning services, social security, and the feeling of being heard.
One strong democracy It doesn't need narrow ideas of the „true people.“ It needs structures in which as many people as possible experience: I count. I belong. And my voice makes a difference.
FAQ: Right-wing populism explained simply
- What is Right-wing populism?
Right-wing populism divides society into a „true people,“ an out-of-touch elite, and people who are presented as not belonging. Complex problems are often reduced to simple culprits. - What distinguishes Right-wing populism from populism?
Populism opposes „the people“ to an elite. Right-wing populism This pattern is supplemented by groups that are portrayed as foreign or threatening, such as migrants or minorities. - Why is migration so important to right-wing populists?
Migration lends itself well as a scapegoat. It is presented as the cause of problems with housing, security, or social benefits, even when these problems have much more complex causes. - What does „the true people“ mean?
This doesn't refer to the entire population. Right-wing populists understand this to mean a community defined by origin, culture, language, or lifestyle. - What does„Remigration“?
In the extreme right, the term refers to concepts for the repatriation of migrants. In some cases, citizens who are considered insufficiently assimilated are to be affected. - Why do right-populists talk about „normalcy“ so often?
„Normality“ refers to traditional family images, fixed gender roles, and national supremacy. Societal change is portrayed as a loss or threat. - Why does it work Right-wing populism persuades many people?
He addresses feelings like fear, anger, resentment, and the desire for control. At the same time, he provides simple explanations, clear opponents, and a sense of belonging. - What role does political powerlessness play?
Many people experience that elections alone do not solve their problems. Right-wing populists tap into this feeling and claim that they alone represent the forgotten. - can good social policy Right-wing populism Weaknesses?
Yes, social security, affordable housing, and functioning public services can reduce anxiety and uncertainty. However, they do not automatically prevent right-wing populist Enemies are politically disseminated. - What role do conservative parties play?
Conservative parties can Right-wing populism strengths when they take over its positions or right-wing populist Treat parties as coalition partners. This shifts the political center to the right.
