THE RECENT RISE OF THE FAR-RIGHT IN EUROPE: CAN IT BE ATTRIBUTED TO THE MIGRANT CRISIS, THE EUROPEAN DEBT CRISIS, EUROSCEPTICISM, OR SOMETHING ELSE ENTIRELY?

This study aims to determine if the migrant crisis, the European debt crisis, and Euroscepticism are major factors contributing to the rise of the far-right throughout Europe. In order to answer this question a comparative case study is conducted with three case study countries: Italy, France, and Sweden. Each country was chosen for geographical, social, and economic reasons; then each countries respective far-right party was examined by their election results. The result of this study found that there is a positive correlation between the migrant crisis and the rise of the far-right in Italy, France, and Sweden. It also found mixed results when looking at the European debt crisis and Euroscepticism. It must be concluded that more research is needed on other European countries, more election results, and more variables to fully understand the resurgence of the far-right in Europe