This collective volume discusses the phenomenon of the new far right, as it is ideologically, politically, and programmatically reflected primarily in mature democracies in Europe (France, Austria, Italy, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Great Britain, Scandinavian countries) and the USA.

Furthermore, the new far right is examined with a focus on newly established post-communist regimes (Russia, Romania, Serbia), which have entered a process of parliamentary development and a gradual yet unstable democratization following the collapse of "existing socialism" in Central Eastern Europe and the Balkans.

The editor of the English edition, Paul Hainsworth, compares the far right to "a complex alchemy." The far right, in terms of ideological discourse, political positions, and programmatic objectives, as well as in terms of electoral appeal to voters, is presented as a mixture of heterogeneous elements.

Although the book highlights the difficulties in defining and categorizing the far right, its political parties have emerged post-war with sometimes the morphological characteristics of right-wing authoritarianism emphasizing "law and order" issues, sometimes with those of welfare chauvinism seeking the exclusion of migrants from welfare state services, and at other times with the traits of populist anti-statism directed against representative institutions and political leadership.

The overt intention of far-right parties is to restructure the political system and shift it towards their own ideas. The political leadership significantly contributes to the fulfillment of such a goal. Figures like Fini, Haider, or Le Pen are capable, with their rhetorical and "media" skills, of undermining the commitment of a part of the electorate to the rules and values of liberal democracy and pluralistic society.

[Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the edition]