More than 25 years have passed since the tragedy, yet a web of conspiracy theories that has been spun around the disaster has fueled the Swedish radical right’s imagination. On the night of September 27-28, 1994, the ferry MS Estonia, carrying 989 passengers between Tallinn and Stockholm, sank in the Baltic Sea, hit by hard weather and… Continue reading “The Sinking of MS Estonia: The Swedish Radical Right’s Favorite Conspiracy”
Today, generations often mark difference in ethics, politics and expectations for the future. “Historical generations are not born; they are made. They are a device by which people conceptualize society and seek to transform it,” argued historian Robert Wohl in “The Generation of 1914,” his classic analysis of the young men who grew up around… Continue reading “OK, Boomer: Understanding Today’s Generational Divide”
One. Every second article written about fascism starts by complaining that there is no consensus about what fascism is, then agrees with Roger Griffin’s definition of fascism as an ideology of national regeneration before going on to prove, once again, that fascism involved an ideology of national regeneration. Two. Scholars stubbornly refuse to separate… Continue reading “Ten Things I Hate About Fascism Studies”
Mass shootings like that of El Paso show the grave consequences dangerous narratives circulating on the Chanosphere can be. The imageboard 8chan shut down after the El Paso shooting, but its users did not lose hope that it would reappear. Rumours were rife on Twitter that 8chan would be reincarnated as 8kun. The Qanon conspiracy theory… Continue reading “Endchan: narratives of the Chanosphere”
From Marine Le Pen to Donald Trump, a common claim among right-wing populists is that they represent true democracy. This is based on the idea that an allegedly corrupt elite, usually the established government, does not justly represent “the people”. More often than not, “the people” is defined in narrow ethnic terms, making such populist… Continue reading “When Ethnic Minorities Vote For Right-Wing Populism”
A descriptive and benign term, “family” has been turned into the primary frontier of social wars by the radical right. In March 2019, the World Congress of Families (WCF), in collaboration with the International Organization for the Family (IOF), organized its 13th conference, “The Wind of Change: Europe and the Global Pro-Family Movement,” in Verona, Italy.… Continue reading “Turning Family Into a Political Weapon”
Unlike yesterday’s fascists, today’s radical right-wing leaders propagate neither territorial expansion nor anything close to the racial laws of the 1930s. Björn Höcke is public enemy number one in present-day Germany. At least that’s what German media suggest. Höcke is a leading exponent of the “völkisch” wing of Alternative for Germany (AfD), the country’s radical right-wing populist… Continue reading “Have We Seen the Eternal Return of Fascism?”
The murder of Walter Lübcke, a member of Merkel’s political party, highlights the long history of radical right terrorism against German politicians. On 2 June 2019, Walter Lübcke, the acting district president of Kassel (Hesse) and member of Angela Merkel’s CDU, was murdered in front of his house door with a headshot. A couple of… Continue reading “The Neo-Nazi Murder Of A German Politician Highlights Threat Of Radical Right Terrorism”
When it comes to Trump, Republicans choose to either leave the party or twist themselves into sycophancy. We rarely see them speak out and stand firm. The impeachment of President Donald Trump and his impending trial in the US Senate has created a crisis atmosphere in the GOP. Fortunately for those of us observing these… Continue reading “Republican Impeachment Crisis: Exit, Voice, Or Loyalty”
The tradition of German historismus (often translated in English as historicism) was the leading method of historical study in Germany through the 19th and well into the 20th century. Its reputation for rigour made it attractive to historians across Europe, notably in Britain through the advocacy of Lord Acton, Regius Professor of Modern History at… Continue reading “Historismus. Part One: Historismus, Ranke and its Roots at the University of Berlin”