Abstract
The increased success of far-right parties in contemporary Western Europe presents a dual challenge for political sociology. Empirically, it confounds the freezing hypothesis of Lipset and Rokkan as well as the postmaterialist theories of Ignazi, Inglehart and Minkenberg. Theoretically, it points to the limitations of an overconcentration on voter alignments in political sociology. A comparative study of far-right parties in Western Europe (especially France, Italy and Great Britain) demonstrates the separate importance of leadership, competition within political niches and the partisan segmentation of society. The sociology of political parties need not abandon the study of voter alignments, but it should broaden its focus by recognizing that parties play an active role in their own success.
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