Bernd Wagner's two very informative essays on East Germany set the standard for this book which brings together a number of excellent contributions. In the first part, Jens Mecklenburg and Fabian Virchow introduce the DVU, Benno Hafeneger the NPD, and Hajo Funke and Claudia Dammann Die Republikaner. In the second part, Ralf Ptak analyses the
socio-economic aspects of these parties' programmes and rhetoric, and Richard Stöss, Benno Hafeneger and Trosten Niebling the candidates and results of the extreme-right in the 1998 Bundestag elections. Christoph Butterwege and Benno Hafeneger examine the activities of right-wing extremists in regional and local parliaments, while Claudia Dammann investigates the success of the extreme-right among trade union members and Frank Jansen reports on 'everyday experiences' of right-wing extremism in East Germany. Wolfgang Wippermann criticises the approach of the German Verfassungsschutz (constitutional protection organisation), and 'extremism studies' to the problem of right-wing extremism. Hajo Funke concludes the volume by proposing a four-point programme of action against right-wing
extremism.
Among the most interesting of the chapters are those by Ralf Ptak and Claudia Dammann that link the ultra-nationalist and socio-economic dimensions of the extreme-right's programmes. Ptak argues that economics has been a secondary, subordinate issue to ethnocentric politics,
while Claudia Dammann uncovers a variety of effects that trade union membership has on support for the far-right, which challenge the traditional stereotype of trade unionism as a shield against right-wing extremism.
In conclusion, Mecklenburg's collection can be characterised as a very timely, varied and informative contribution to the study of contemporary German right-wing extremism that will become an obligatory point of reference for future studies in this field.