Right-Wing Terrorism and Violence in Western Europe: A Comparative Analysis

Abstract

Using new and unique events data, this thesis examines the evolution of right-wing terrorism and violence in post-WWII Western Europe. Notably, the thesis shows that that the number of deadly events has declined in Western Europe under conditions commonly assumed to stimulate right-wing violence, such as increased immigration and growing support for radical right parties. It also shows that some countries have experienced considerably more right-wing violence than others between 1990 and 2015. To explain this variation, the thesis identifies two explanatory models. In Northern Europe, right-wing violence has been most extensive in countries characterized by high immigration combined with low support for anti-immigration parties and public repression of radical right actors and opinions. In Southern Europe, right-wing violence has been most extensive in countries characterized by authoritarian legacies combined with socio-economic hardship and extensive left-wing terrorism. Finally, the thesis offers an in-depth study of the Nordic countries aimed at explaining why right-wing terrorism and militancy have been more widespread in Sweden than in Denmark, Finland, and Norway.