On Extremism and Democracy in Europe

<p><em>On Extremism and Democracy in Europe</em> is a collection of short and accessible essays on the far right populism Euroscepticism and liberal democracy by one of the leading academic and public voices today. It includes both sober fact-based analysis of the often sensationalized rise of the far right in Europe as well as passionate defence of the fundamental values of liberal democracy. Sometimes counter-intuitive and always thought-provoking Mudde argues that the true challenge to liberal democracy comes from the political elites at the centre of the political systems rather than from the political challengers at the political margins. Pushing to go beyond the simplistic opposition of extremism and democracy which is much clearer in theory than in practice he accentuates the internal dangers of liberal democracy without ignoring the external threats. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in European politics extremism and/or current affairs more generally.</p>