A marginal racist organization, Golden Dawn, managed to attract first the votes of almost one out of 14 Greek voters and then global media and public attention. How did an extreme right groupuscule invade the political terrain of an EU-10 member state? Existing attempts to account for this phenomenon point to demand-side explanations, related to the political turmoil that followed the notorious debt crisis and the accompanying austerity measures. These explanations, however, fail to account for the genesis of this trajectory. We delve into this exact question, focusing on the election that marked the emergence of the Golden Dawn and permitted further electoral penetration. Combining qualitative and quantitative methods, we show that the party took advantage of favourable political circumstances developing a grassroots network of protection that helped it enter the central political arena.
AbadieA (2003) Semiparametric instrumental variable estimation of treatment response models. Journal of Econometrics113(2): 231–263.
2.
AllenC (2011) Opposing Islamification or promoting Islamophobia? Understanding the English Defence League. Patterns of Prejudice45(4): 279–294.
3.
AnastasakisO (2002) The politics of extremism in Eastern Europe: A reaction to transition. Papeles del Este3: 3–16.
4.
ArapoglouVKavoulakosKIKandylisGMaloutasT (2009) The new social geography of Athens: Immigration, diversity and conflict. Contemporary Issues107: 57–67. [in Greek].
5.
ArtD (2008) The organizational origins of the contemporary radical right: The case of Belgium. Comparative Politics40(4): 421–440.
6.
ArtD (2011) Inside the Radical Right. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
7.
ArzheimerKCarterE (2006) Political opportunity structures and right-wing extremist party success. European Journal of Political Research45: 419–443.
8.
BackesUSteglichH (2007) Die NPD: Erfolgsbedingungen einer rechtsextremistischen Partei. Baden-Baden: Nomos.
9.
BetzH-G (1994) Radical Right-Wing Populism in Western Europe. New York: MacMillan Press.
10.
BetzH-G (1998) Introduction. In: BetzH-GImmerfallS (eds) The New Politics of the Right: Neo-Populist Parties and Movements in Established Democracies. London: Macmillan, pp.1–10.
11.
BlumlerJGKavanaghD (1999) The third age of political communication: Influences and features. Political Communication16: 209–230.
12.
CarterE (2002) Proportional representation and the fortunes of right-wing extremist parties. West European Politics25: 125–146.
13.
CarterE (2005) The Extreme Right in Western Europe: Success or Failure?Manchester: Manchester University Press.
De DeckerPKestelootCde MaesschalckCFVrankenJ (2005) Revitalizing the city in an anti-urban context: Extreme right and the rise of urban policies in Flanders. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research29 (1): 152–171.
16.
De WitteHKlandermansB (2000) Political racism in Flanders and the Netherlands: Explaining differences in the electoral success of extreme right-wing parties. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies26(4): 699–717.
17.
DinasESpanjeVan J (2011) Crime story: The role of crime and immigration in the anti-immigration vote. The case of the Dutch LPF in 2002. Electoral Studies30(4): 658–671.
18.
EatwellR (2003) Ten theories of the extreme right. In: MerklPWeinbergL (eds) The Revival of the Radical Right. London: Frank Cass, pp.47–73.
19.
EatwellRGoodwinMJ (eds) (2010) The New Extremism in 21st Century Britain. London & New York: Routledge.
20.
EllinasA (2012) LAOS and the Greek Far Right since 1974. In: MammoneAGodinEJenkinsB (eds) Mapping the Extreme Right in Contemporary Europe: From Local to Transnational. London: Routledge.
21.
EllinasA (ahead of print) ‘The Rise of Golden Dawn in Greece: The New Face of Far Right in Greece’. South European Society and Politics(ahead-of-print): 1–23.
22.
FarrellDM (1996) Campaign strategies and tactics. In: NiemiRGNorrisP (eds) Comparing Democracies. Elections and Voting in Global Perspective. California: Sage Publications, pp.160–183.
23.
GambettaD (1993) The Sicilian Mafia: The Business of Private Protection. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
24.
GemenisK (2012) The 2010 regional elections in Greece: voting for regional governance or protesting the IMF?. Regional & Federal Studies22(1): 107–115.
25.
GoodwinFord MRCuttsDavid (2013) “Extreme right footsoldiers, legacy effects and deprivation: a contextual analysis of the leaked British National Party membership list”. Party Politics19(6): 887–906.
26.
GreenDPStrolovitchDZWongJS (1998) Defended neighbourhoods, integration and racially motivated crime. American Journal of Sociology104(2): 372–403.
27.
HeckathornDD (1997) Respondent-driven sampling: A new approach to the study of hidden populations. Social Problems44(2): 174–199.
KitscheltH (1986) Political opportunity structures and political protest: Anti-nuclear movements in four democracies. British Journal of Political Science16: 57–85.
30.
KitscheltHMcGannAJ (1995) The Radical Right in Western Europe: A Comparative Analysis. Ann Arbor, MI: The University of Michigan Press.
31.
KoustenisP (2011) Municipal elections 2010 in Athens: L.A.O.S. or Kolonaki?Greek Political Science Review37: 41–68.
ReifKSchmittH (1980) Nine second-order elections: A conceptual framework for analysis of the European election results. European Journal of Political Research8: 3–44.
40.
RichardsB (2013) Nationalist extremism and the hatred of the liberal state. In: DemertzisN (ed.) Emotions and Politics. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
41.
RydgrenJ (2007) The sociology of the radical right. Annual Review of Sociology33: 241–262.
42.
RydgrenJ (2009) How party organization matters: Understanding the ups and downs of radical right-wing populism in Sweden. Working Paper Series No.17, Department of Sociology, Stockholm University, Sweden.
43.
SchwankDBetzH-G (2003) Globalization, the welfare state and right-wing populism in western Europe. Socio-Economic Review1: 215–245.
44.
TarrowS (1998) Power in Movement: Social Movements and Contentious Politics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
45.
UhlinA (2006) Post-Soviet Civil Society: Democratization in Russia and the Baltic States. Oxford: Routledge.
46.
VaiouD. (2007) Intersecting Patterns of Everyday Life and Socio-Spatial Changes In The City. Migrant and Local Women in the Neighbourhoods of Athens. Athens: L-Press.
47.
Van der BrugWFennemaMTillieJ (2005) Why some anti-immigrant parties fail and others succeed: A two-step model of aggregate electoral support. Comparative Political Studies38(5): 537–573.
48.
WarmenbolL (2009) Populist radical right’s neighbourhoods: Considering meso-level explanations through an Antwerp case-study of Vlaams Belang’s success. Paper presented at ECPR General Conference, Potsdam, Germany.
