The Great Recession exacerbated concerns over economic inequality. Unemployment skyrocketed during the recession, particularly in some Eastern European and Mediterranean countries, driving increasing disparities in income inequality. Frustrations over economic problems can perhaps explain the rise in support for radical parties in hard-hit Eastern and Southern Europe (when compared to Western Europe, which did not see as strong a surge in support for radical parties).

How the Great Recession Revealed Economic Inequality Across Europe

The 2015 refugee crisis revealed long-standing racism across Europe and fueled the rise of far-right parties. In Hungary and Poland, for instance, autocratic leaders cast refugees as dangerous “others” to garner support. The speed with which the public came to largely oppose refugee resettlement suggests that anti-refugee attitudes and xenophobia had been long-standing in these countries prior to the refugee crisis.

How the 2015 Refugee Crisis Revealed Extant Racism

Crises can expose long-term issues that democracies have failed to address, provoking frustration with democracy among voters. Crises can therefore contribute to unrest that would-be autocrats can then take advantage of.

Wesleyan University

Autocrats have benefitted from a rising perception among citizens of democracies that democracies struggle to govern, particularly on addressing long-term issues and immediate crises. Autocrats have capitalized off of this frustration to convince voters to elect non-democratic candidates.

Disillusionment With Democracy and The Rise of Autocrats

Voters living in democracies have become frustrated by the perceived inability of democracies—particularly advanced democracies—to cope with emergencies. Two major crises that democracies apparently struggled to cope with were/are the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Democracy’s Perceived Inadequacy: Emergency Response

Voters living in democracies—particularly young democracies—have become disappointed with their governments’ ability to govern, particularly when addressing corruption, unstable economies, racism, and other long-term issues.

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