European Trumpists: Or, Nationalist International, then and now

The whole idea of a “nationalist international” is weird on its face. But there are lots of weird things about the radical right in all kinds of countries. But as Juliette Bretan reminds us, this was the case with the fascists movements and governments of the 1920s and later:

For all their authoritarianism, nationalism, and racism, the Nazis made considerable efforts to appeal to other countries for support, and kindle fascist thinking, during the interwar era. And there were times when it looked as if this strategy would work. Nazi Germany capitalized on existing dissatisfaction with the Treaty of Versailles, which was almost universally seen as unfair before the ink had even dried. The party promoted an anti-liberal and antidemocratic politics that in fact proved rather popular across national borders. They also flattered international supporters and foisted their ideas on the world at every opportunity. In the US alone, there were numerous fascist hubs. An organization called the Friends of New Germany was established in the 1930s by a German immigrant to the United States; it later became the German American Bund and received support from Hitler’s deputy Rudolf Hess. The American architect Philip Johnson reviewed Mein Kampf (1925) positively and reported from Germany on the “stirring spectacle” of the Nazi invasion of Poland. (1)

Doctrines matter to political movements. But political parties and political movements aren’t schools of philosophy. And their focus on national power means that they inevitably have to pick friends and enemies in particular situations. Mussolini and Italian fascism were a major model for Hitler. His failed “Beer Hall Putsch” in Munich in 1923 was an attempt to copy Mussolini’s March on Rome in 1922. Mussolini continued to be the senior political partner in the Germany-Italy relationship immediately after Hitler took power. He was also the model for Engelbert Dollfuss’ “Austrofascist“ regime, which Austrian and German Nazis attempted to stage a coup against that government. Mussolini backed Dollfuss against Hitler and threatened to send Italian troops to Austria to block a German takeover.

1935 became a turning point, though, when Italy found itself financially dependent on Germany once Italy began its colonial war against Abyssinia/Ethiopia. And the dependence grew in 1936 when Germany and Italy joined to actively support Franco’s rebels in the Spanish Civil War. Before the end of the Second World War, Mussolini was reduced to heading a rump state controlled by the Germans.

Hitler’s government could be ruthlessly pragmatic, most dramatically in the 1938 Nonaggression Pact with the Soviet Union, ideologically the Nazis’ worst enemy. (Obviously, the Soviets could also be ruthlessly pragmatic!)

Angel Munárriz reported on today’s de facto Trumpist International, a key player in which is the American Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) reporting on a CPAC conference in Buenos Aires in 2024:

CPAC is an example of that desire to weave together the alliances that [far-right anarcho-libertarian Argentine President Javier] Milei praises. But the clean-cut and smiling [Matt and Mercy Schlapp] are far from alone in this endeavor. “The international integration of the far-right through think tanks and allied foundations [intends] to drag the parties into their positions: neoliberal in economic terms and reactionary in social terms. This is a phenomenon that dates back to the 1970s in the United States but has spread to Latin America and Europe. It’s now experiencing a strong acceleration,” explains Anna López, a professor of political science at the University of Valencia.

One of the entities that’s stepping on that accelerator is the Political Network for Values (PNfV). Two days before the meeting in Argentina, the PNfV held a summit in Madrid, where European, American, and African far-right figures gathered. Many activists participated, as well as politicians from two of the three far-right parties represented in the European Parliament. There were also smaller delegations from the European People’s Party bloc. The most prominent political leader present was José Antonio Kast, the runner-up in the 2021 Chilean presidential elections. He was among a list of 50 speakers, some of whom are defenders of conversion therapy and opposed to abortion even in cases of rape. (2)

Notes:

(1) Bretan, Juliette (2026): It Really Can Happen Here. Los Angeles Review of Books 02/27/2026. <https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/transnational-fascism-united-states-nazis-hungary-yugoslavia-germany/> (Accessed: 2026-27-02).

2) Munárriz, Angel (2026): The far right is moving closer to the old dream of a ‘nationalist international’. El País International 12/22/2024. <https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-12-22/the-far-right-is-moving-closer-to-the-old-dream-of-a-nationalist-international.html> (Accessed: 2026-37-02).