The Impact of Le Pen and the National Front on French Politics

Over the last fifteen years the Front National in France has risen from being an
obscure and insignificant actor to one of the more visible and most discussed parties in
French politics. The Front, led by Jean-Marie Le Pen, has managed to attract a sizable
proportion of the electorate in nearly every election at every level of government over this
time period. The support the FN has garnered can be attributed to the populist themes it
addresses in its policy platform - law and order, immigration and unemployment. This
essay examines the rapid ascent of Le Pen and his party, and the c…