DEVELOPMENTAND BASIC FEATURES OF GREEN IDEOLOGYAND 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.