“The fascism that we thought we had left behind is now the third political force in Europe”- said by Pedro Sanchez, the prime minister of Spain. In the 50th commemoration of Franco’s death, he unequivocally accentuated this statement. In the inauguration speech, he warned of the dangers of a potential reversal of democracy in the face of the rise of fascism and dictatorial ideals in Europe. When a prime minister in Europe fears a revival of fascism on European soil, it clearly indicates the current political condition that’s surmounting all over Europe. One may see this speech or the fear as a mere safe statement or a political one to keep his people united, even keeping the ball in his court against its opponents; however, the reality is solely different. There’s an unprecedented popularity of the far-right wing in Europe, and the fear is nonetheless a realistic one. People who are well-versed in history might also identify with the anxiety sparked by the current political climate in Austria and Germany, two European nations with a long history of fascism.

In Austria, the far-right party “Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ)” has been called to form a coalition government. And in Germany, the far-right party “Alternative for Germany” is looking towards the Bundestag with a sharp eye. Two allied states in both World Wars were allies. In the first, they were allied as empires; next time, Germany annexed and incorporated Austria till 1945. These two cases are the primary samples of a wind of change in Europe, and definitely the wind’s blowing with some juicy fascist smell in it.

On 29th September, 2024, a parliamentary election was held in Austria. And for the first time in their history after World War II, a far-right party has won the majority, around 28%. The Conservative People’s Party came second with 26% of the vote. The president of Austria Alexander Van der Bellen tasked the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) to form a coalition government, after the former chancellor and the leader of Conservative People’s Party Chancellor Karl Nehammer’s attempt to form a coalition government collapsed completely. The leader of FPO, Herbert Kickl in September, accoladed his voters as optimistic and courageous. He may not have been able to form the government back then, but his party is in the driving seat of Austria’s political train.

The election in Germany is in February. On 7th November 2024, Scholz fired his finance minister, who was a minister from the Free Democratic Party (FDP)—which was one of the three parties that formed a coalition government. Consequently, the government collapsed. The final pin on the coffin was finalized when Olaf Scholz, the chancellor and the leader of the Social Democratic Party lost a no-confidence vote. On 16 December, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called for a vote of confidence in the German Parliament. He was defeated 394–207, with 116 people abstaining. And the next election was scheduled on 23rd February, 2025– almost seven weeks earlier than the fulfilled time of the government.

The third major party in the election of 2021 was Alternative for Germany (AfD), who are in this election, is being seen as the decisive and histories “new chapter opener” party in February’s election. Stigmatized with far-right ideology, often known for their relation with neo-Nazi parties in Germany, some analysts are essentially fearful about AfD’s huge popularity in Germany, especially in the eastern part. It’s obvious; a party with neo-Nazi alignments can never be a party to be confined or assured about their intention.

So can the two far-right parties be seen as fascist sympathizers or fascism enablers?

What is fascism? Basically, it is the idea of an “organically unified national community, embodied in a belief in strength through unity.”. It’s tagged as anti-liberal, anti-rationale, anti-communist, and so on. Ironically, fascism is an ideology seen as an anti-character ideology; sometimes it’s been doubted as an ideology. The last European fascist was General Franco. In the twenty-first century, neo-fascism has erupted in Europe. Especially in the central European states. Some dub autocracy or totalitarianism as fascism; however, that’s not the only case. Illiberal democracies like Hungary are also seen as far-right, Eurosceptic states. This is a fact that traditional fascism isn’t feasible in modern Europe (if we take only Europe as a case study); nevertheless, neo-fascism shrouded by far-right symptoms can be called modern-day fascism. The main characteristics are based on anti-migrant, racist, ultranationalist, right-wing populism. In most cases the far-right government follows liberalism in only one sector, that is economics. Some argue that it is not even a perfect liberal economy. The most they follow is tax regulations or reduce government spending. Austria’s Freedom Party, however, doesn’t advocate for a perfect classical liberal economy.

Already some governments in Europe have earned a reputation as far-right regimes. Victor Orban’s Hungary is the frequently used example of a far-right regime. In 2022, Giorgia Meloni became the prime minister of Italy. She led the party Brothers of Italy, which is designated as an anti-migrant, populist, violator of freedom of expression. In October 2022, the government approved a decree providing for a penalty of up to six years of imprisonment for illegal parties and rallies. This decree brought so many critiques all over the world; nevertheless, she couldn’t perfectly comply with her manifested policies. Italy once was the state led by Benito Mussolini, a renowned fascist known for grave human rights violations to war crimes. One of the core perpetrators behind World War II. There are four other countries in Europe that recently came under the umbrella of the far-right camp.

But the case of Austria and Germany is a different situation than other states. Germany is the strongest economic power in Europe. Austria was always an esteemed democratic power in central Europe. This sudden far-right insurgency frowns upon world leaders. The core principles that are followed by the far-right parties have been seen. The manifesto of Alternative For Germany (AfD) didn’t conceal the intentions of their far-right alignment, even vocalized their position after the fall of Scholz’s coalition government. They have elected their co-leader, Alice Weidel for the chancellor position. Back in 2013, Weidel’s email was leaked. Where she used racist and anti-democracy remarks. “The reason why we are overrun by culturally foreign people such as Arabs, Sinti, and Roma is the systematic destruction of civil society as a possible counterweight from the enemies of the constitution by whom we are governed.” In the recent AfD’s manifesto, the highlighted areas were mostly-

• Strict anti-migration policy
• Seeing a way to Frexit or Germany’s exit from the EU as the most extreme measure to deal with the EU
• The AfD has been skeptical of renewable energy policies, particularly Germany’s transition to renewable sources (Energiewende), arguing that it leads to higher energy prices and economic hardship.

The election manifesto hasn’t been published yet; notwithstanding, the policies they have maintained since 2013, won’t be compromised at all. In a recent interview with Elon Musk, Alice Weidel insisted on her far-right principles. Like not sending weapons to Ukraine, returning to nuclear energy, etc. Critics say the AfD may not be able to form a government by themselves– they sure now have a great stake in the state after winning the provisional seats in Eastern Germany. They are now second in the poll, waiting to pawn their dark hands on Germany’s future.

The Freedom Party of Austria(FPÖ)’s far-right position has a more welfare-oriented economy. They manifested for a free market economy but with conditions applying. Though this may conflict with more market-oriented strategies, the FPÖ supports preserving or bolstering social safety nets in terms of welfare and social programs, especially for Austrian nationals. Overall, the party’s protectionist and nationalist views make it more economically populist than strictly liberal, even though it does have some aspects that may appeal to voters who are economically liberal (such as tax cuts).

To sum up the whole fiasco, the whole of Europe is getting the heatwave of far-right extremism on their soil, which obviously is a direct threat to the principles that European states follow. Will AfD become the core player in German politics like what the Freedom Party of Austria has done? Are many other countries going to join the far-right camp like these newly joined states? Only time can put the answer on the table.