DEVELOPMENT AND BASIC FEATURES OF GREEN IDEOLOGY AND GREEN POLITICAL PARTIES IN EUROPE

Abstract

Since the 1980s of the XX century, there is an intense development of the green ideology. Speaking of the protection and survival of planet Earth, the green ideology becomes more and more interesting for the voters in periods of excessive damage to the environment. The rebellion against the process of industrialization and consumerism, as well as the promotion of ecological ethics, eco-centrism, and a holistic approach to nature, are becoming the basic ideological features of green ideology. This popularization of green ideology at the same time was followed by the emergence and development of green political parties. For now, green ideology and green political parties are becoming attractive in developed democracies. This contributes that the green political parties in these countries become part of the government coalitions by wining between 5 and 20 percent of the votes in the elections. Strong green political parties can be noticed in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, Latvia, Lithuania, Ireland, and Croatia. In the last decade, such political parties have often appeared to be an interesting option for the citizens who are disappointed with the traditional political parties and scared by the rise of the radical right. In addition, it is to be expected that the environmental problems will become more visible, thus this ideology will become more attractive. Therefore, the conclusion that the green ideology has managed to leave an initial mark for the time being and that it is expected to take a more important role on the political scene in the future is the best description of the current state of this ideology.