Social Cleavage and the Revival of Far Right Parties: The Case of France's National Front

Does the left-right cleavage still structure citizen political behavior? What are the explanatory limits of cleavage politics? These questions are examined in light of support for a contemporary far right party, France's National Front. Though the predominance of former moderate right voters testifies to the cleavage's enduring influence, the weight of former left voters (especially those from the non-Communist left) indicates the importance of citizen concern with crosscutting political issues. Beyond voter movement from left and moderate right parties alike, however, explanation of far right success must also attend to the contribution of previous non-voters as well as the emergence of a new partisan loyalty.