It has become somewhat normal now to say in European political circles that the rise of the far-right, especially in countries such as France, mirrors the rise of the extreme-right of the 1930’s. At first glance, this cliché seems to have some merit. The extremist parties of the 1930’s rose to prominence with a very simple strategy: blame all of their countries’ woes on a weak and vulnerable minority. No matter what, the fascist parties of the 1930’s could not even countenance the idea that perhaps they themselves were responsible for the issues that faced their country. Instead, they increased people’s fears and prejudices by blaming anyone who did not fit their preconceived idea of the “norm”. Although a remarkably simple tactic, it ultimately proved successful and caused untold human suffering and destruction. The extreme-right of today, whether it be in America, France or anywhere else in the world, still uses the exact same tactic today: refuse any responsibility to actually try and find real solutions and simply blame the easy targets. One only needs to look at Marine Le Pen’s Front National and their recent call to ban the holding of dual-nationality as if the concept of someone holding joint Algerian and French nationality will tear the social fabric of the French Republic apart. So, should we all worry about the rise of a new political extreme that will take power just as we saw in the 1930’s?
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