Contagious populism? The influence of the populist radical right on mainstream parties in France (1988 – 2012)

Populist radical right parties are electorally successful in Western democracies since few decades. But does this success influence the mainstream parties? This thesis focuses on the case of France and the growing success of Front National. Scholars mention a possible populist Zeitgeist and the spread of populism into mainstream politics, but the conceptualization of populism is still ambiguous. Based on analyses of parliamentarian discourses and party programmes, this thesis demonstrates that the Front National does not necessarily influence the populist rhetoric but might generate political pessimism towards parties in government. The populist Zeitgeist and the FN’s success seem to have an influence only on the right of the ideological spectrum.