This book, by noted German sociologist Wilhelm Heitmeyer, analyses capitalist development in Western Europe, with a focus on Germany, since the 1990s and its consequences for open society and liberal democracy. Following Heitmeyer’s long-term interest in extremism, this book highlights two main threads of discussion: the causes and distribution of authoritarian tendencies, and the processes and steps of escalation of these tendencies through right-wing alliances. It critically views capitalism and capitalist governance in times of crises against problems of political representation and...