Alternative for Germany (AfD): The Rise of the Far-Right in German Politics

Gist The far-right Alternative for Germany AfD party recently secured its strongest-ever state election result, winning 43.8% of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt . This massive surge threatens the political dominance of mainstream parties and severely tests the traditional "firewall"—a long-standing democratic agreement among established parties to never ally with the far-right. For an aspirant, this development is crucial for understanding the resurgence of right-wing populism in Europe, its roots in regional economic anxiety, and its potential impact on the European Union's geopolitical unity. Background The Alternative for Germany AfD was founded in 2013 originally as a Eurosceptic party, heavily critical of the European Union and Germany's handling of the eurozone financial crisis. The party shifted sharply to the anti-immigrant far-right during the 2015 refugee crisis, riding a wave of populist sentiment to enter the Bundestag German national parliament in 2017 . Post-World War II German politics has been defined by a strict "firewall"—an unwritten democratic consensus where mainstream parties outright refuse to form coalitions or cooperate with far-right extremist parties to prevent any mainstreaming of Nazi-adjacent ideologies. Key Pointers The…