Backfire: How the Rise of Neoliberalism Facilitated the Rise of The Far-Right

Authors

Jacob FullerFollow

Abstract

Since the election of President Donald Trump in 2016, it is indisputable that there has been a notable rise in the visibility and activity of the far-right in the United States. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, there was a 30% increase in the number of operating hate groups across the United States, a number that has coincided with the rise of the Trump campaign and his subsequent election as President of the United States.¹ Therefore, much attention has been drawn to the rise of these movements and thus scholars have sought to seek out and identify the root cause of these movements and what can be done to prevent them. One of the most compelling and popular explanations for the rise in the far-right is that it has emerged as the result of decades of neoliberalism as the dominant form of economic ideology across the globe. This paper will examine the debate as to the cause of the increase in the far-right, specifically in regard to the role of neoliberalism, and will ultimately argue that neoliberalism acts as a parsimonious explanation for the rise in the far-right and has created the conditions for the rise in far-right groups.

Recommended Citation

Fuller, Jacob (2023) "Backfire: How the Rise of Neoliberalism Facilitated the Rise of The Far-Right," The Compass: Vol. 1: Iss. 10, Article 3.
Available at: https://scholarworks.arcadia.edu/thecompass/vol1/iss10/3