Im Osten was Neues: Die radikale Rechte im Wahljahr 1998

International comparisons of new radical right-wing parties usually focus on differences in electoral fortunes, party organizations, and leadership styles and conclude that Germany stands out as a special case of successful marginalization of the new radical right. Explanations for this German anomaly point at the combined effects of German history and institutional arrangements of the Federal Republic of Germany, of ideological dilemmas and strategic failures of the various parties of the new radical right, and the efforts of the established political parties to prevent the rise of new parties to the right of them. By implication, this means that, whereas in countries like France or Austria the new radical right plays a significant role in politics to the point of changing the political systems themselves, the German counterpart has a negligible impact and has little or no effects on politics and polity.