"History was written today." That was the triumphant call of Giorgia Meloni after an election on Sunday swept her to power in Italy.

Meloni is no ordinary candidate. She is leader of the Brothers of ItalyA right-wing populist party that split off from the mainstream conservative party The People of Freedom in 2012., a far-right movement.¹ She has praised Benito MussoliniThe fascist dictator of Italy from 1922 to 1943. , the world's first fascistFollowing fascism, a set of ideologies that advocates dictatorial power, political violence, suppression of opposition, traditional gender roles, and official racism. leader who ruled Italy from the 1920s to the 1940s.

The result was received with glee by other far-right politicians across Europe. For everyone else, it was a moment of dread.

Far-right movements have mounted serious challenges in Spain, France, Germany and Austria. They have taken power in Hungary and Poland. But this is the first time one of the European UnionA political and economic union of 27 countries.'s founding members, and one of its most important economies, has elected a far-right government.

Now some fear they could take advantage of the economic chaos caused by the energy crisis to stir up people's fears and win power across Europe.

Although some call this the "resurgence" of the far right, in truth it never really went away. In the 1950s, despite all the horrors they had caused, fascists did not give up.

Instead, they tried to expand their appeal by rebranding as defenders of "European civilisation". They denounced the threat to "Europe" from communismThe system of organising society so that all property is owned by the community and everyone receives things according to their needs. and decolonisationThe action of withdrawing from a colony and leaving it as an independent nation. . As early as 1951, these neo-fascists organised a pan-European organisation, the European Social MovementA pan-European neo-fascist alliance that came to prominence in the 1950s, but broke down due to infighting..

Indeed, fascist governments continued to rule much of Europe. From 1967 to 1974, Greece was ruled by a neo-fascist military juntaA government that has taken control by force. It derives from a Spanish word meaning "council".. And Spain remained under the rule of Francisco FrancoA Spanish general who became the country's dictator in 1939, a position he held until his death in 1975. until 1975.² Fascists made their way into the Italian government as early as the 1990s, and came close to winning the French presidency in 2002.

Nonetheless, until recently the mood was optimistic. Many believed that with the collapse of the Soviet Union, the era of totalitarianWhen a political system or leader requires complete subservience to the state. In a totalitarian system, people are not allowed to express their own opinions. ideologies had come to an end. They were confident that fascist movements would wither away.

Instead, the opposite has happened. The far right has become a major force in European politics. They form the second-largest party in France and Sweden, and the third-largest in Spain.

So does the future belong to the far right? Not necessarily. There is still little appetite for their policies in Europe. The most successful far-right parties have won by watering down their ideas and presenting a moderate face to the world.

This creates internal tensions between the pragmatistsPeople who act based on practical concerns rather than ideals. who want to win elections, and the true believers who think they should stand up for their ideas. Many far-right movements have split under this pressure.

Now that she has won power, Meloni will also have to persuade Italians that she can do better than previous governments. Italy is in the grip of a prolonged economic crisis, labouring under huge debt and now struggling with rocketing energy costs.

Since 1945, Italy has had a new government every 1.11 years. The instability that brought Meloni to power could still bury her party - and with it, the aspirations of the far right.

Yes: The far right has been hoping to take power in a country as important as Italy for years. Now it will be emboldened across the whole continent. This is only the beginning of a far-right wave.

No: Extreme right-wing parties have only been able to win elections by jettisoningAbandon something that is no longer needed. their most controversial policies. Even then, very few have managed to come to power.

Or... Far-right parties have had mixed electoral results. Even in Italy, the far right is only one party in a coalition. It is too early to say whether this is their high tide point, or if they can keep developing further.