INTRODUCTION

The puzzle to be explored in this book is why radical right (RR) parties have had more success in France and Austria (and Denmark) than in Germany. Chapter 2 introduced the radical right parties, showing that they have had varying levels of success in attracting voters, despite similar appeals. This chapter explores who votes for the radical right across the three countries. This type of inquiry has been central to the study of radical right parties in Western Europe. To understand why radical right parties have had increasing success in the last two decades, authors such as Herbert Kitschelt (1995), Hanspieter Kriesi (1995), and Hans-Georg Betz (1994) have studied the voters for these parties and the motivations behind the vote. Kitschelt also has looked at differences in radical right parties' constituencies to explain differences in these parties' levels of success.

The main argument in this chapter, however, is that differences in who votes for the radical right cannot explain the difference in the radical right's level of success. It is difficult to show systematically that differences in the level of success of radical right parties are caused by differences in the types of voters they attract. I argue that what is remarkable about radical right parties in Western Europe is not the differences in their electorates, but the similarities, no matter the level of electoral success.

To support my argument, I compare the electorates of radical right parties in France, Germany, and Austria during the 1980s and 1990s.