With the runoff election in France coming up on May 7, the far-right National Front party is seeing unprecedented levels of support: their candidate Marine Le Pen is polling (at press time) 41% to centrist Emmanuel Macron’s 59%. You may have seen this described as part of a global right-wing surge that’s included Brexit and the election of Donald Trump, or read that some of Trump’s staff have connections to right-wing parties in Europe. But what are the characteristics and history of the European far right? And what can figures like Marine Le Pen tell us about contemporary American politics? Hold your nose, because today’s workout is all about some of the more odious personalities and ideas we can find in politics today.