The French Front National (or FN) has been, and currently is, the most successful extreme.
right-wing party in post World War Two Europe. Indeed, not since Nazi Germany has such .
an extremist party gained mass support, or caused other political rivals such concern over .
it's success in elections. Essentially the FN have proved that, given the circumstances, there.
is still room for right-wing extremism in today's politics. The question is though, how have.
the Front and its founding leader, Jean-Marie Le Pen, been able to penetrate into the .
mainstream politics of modern day democratic France?.
This essay will attempt to answer such a question by analysing three main areas of the .
Front:.
.
Firstly, we will look at its increasing popularity during election results since the party was.
founded in the Seventies .
Secondly, we will analyse why the party has gone from strength-to-strength over the years .
by looking at its policies, it's voters and Le Pen himself.
And thirdly we must come to the conclusion of whether the Front has played a significant .
roll in French politics and society and look at the parties future prospects.
The FN and Electoral Performance:.
As stated earlier, the Front National was formed by Jean-Marie Le Pen (who still .
remains its currant leader) in 1972. It was an attempt to form a coalition of extreme.
right-wing groups and raise the profile of extreme nationalism into mainstream politics.
However, Le Pen was careful to distance himself traditional right-wing parties, and was also.
careful to steer the FN away from claims that they were a fascist party. As Alistair Cole .
explains:.
"From its inception the FN leader, Jean-Marie Le Pen, strove to demarcate the Front from .
earlier, especially violent manifestations of the extreme-right tradition."1.
Indeed Cole refers to the FN as a "Reluctant anti-establishment party,"2 and it is clear that.
Le Pen had a strategy to resurrect the French extreme-right on the, "basis of an electoralist .
