Right-wing populism in Europe: The case of the Freedom Party in the Netherlands

Populism is increasingly influencing world politics today. This thesis examines PVV in the Netherlands within the framework of the rise of populist politics around the world and especially in Western European countries. It aims to reveal why the movement is considered populist by discussing the Freedom Party's party programs, strategy and the discourses of its leader. PVV is an example worth examining due to its differences in terms of populist features from other populist movements, parties and politicians seen in Western European countries. While the aims and programs of the PVV pursued a more moderate right-wing policy in the first years of its establishment, in the following years it transitioned to a policy approaching far-right politics and became a party against immigration, the EU (European Union) and globalization. In this context, the thesis consists of three parts. In the first chapter, various perspectives of populism, which have been defined differently and handled with different approaches by researchers, are included and the historical emergence of the concept and its types are examined. In the second part, the distinction between right and left is examined and then the types, policies and discourses of right-wing populist parties are included within the framework of the reasons for the rise of right-wing populism, a phenomenon that is met with concern specifically in Western Europe. In the third chapter, the emergence of populism in the Netherlands, which forms the basis of the study, is examined. In addition, the establishment of PVV, its transformation into a political party, and local and national election programs, election processes and the discourses of leader Geert Wilders between 2006 and 2023 are examined.