Thanks Grant. A useful post. Thoughts for what it is worth.
The success of the AFD in former East Germany is seriously concerning but unsurprising. While it is tempting to see their supporters simply as bigots and racists and Neo-Nazis (which some of them are), it also reflects the very real economic and social disadvantages that many in the East face. Reunification was a powerful moment historically in the West - the hope for a new beginning - but for many working people in the East it was devastating. The neo-liberal policies West Germany imposed on the East in the 1990s (asset stripping etc) was not unlike what happened in Russia - it saw factory closures, loss of key infrastructure, rising unemployment, reduction in health/education services. It was grim. And it undermined their sense of identity.
If you are interested I recommend 'The Perfect Crime' on Netflix - A good watch that captures how disorientating this process was for the East.
I am always struck when i am in Germany that once you get off the beaten track how run-down roads etc. are in the East compared to the West. People are poorer and the disadvantage they endure is largely ignored in the West. The AFD in reality does not have much in the way of realistic economic alternatives but they draw on the sense of resentment and bitterness that many in the East feel. This may explain why the AFD enjoy significant support among young people who don't feel much confidence in the future and feel left behind.
Thanks for the tip about that doco, Mark, it looks good. And for your comments. I saw figures online (somewhere) showing that the youngest voters were the most supportive of AfD. And now a left version too. Rather than call for these parties to be excluded or banned, a better response is to say to their supporters "we get it" and then do something about it.
Definitely. Ignoring these voices is exactly what the extreme left and right are looking for but addressing some of their concerns - especially those of alienated young people - would go along way.
The AfD & its hangers-on have long been strongest in the former East Germany. 4 decades of Soviet-imposed autarky, followed by 30+ years of economic & political upheaval, have contributed to the current state of affairs.
Unemployment rates in the former East breached double digits following reunification, when industries propped up by the GDR couldn't compete with West Germany's. Tightly closed borders during the Cold War meant limited contact with foreigners, meaning that the diversity taken for granted in the West & South is alien to the former East. There's little else for "Ossis" to fall back on... except reactionary politics including ethno-nationalism.
I like it. On the German issue as is the case in other places, but even more so perhaps there due to its history being divided into East and West, with the West ascendant and effectively occupied by the US it should escape no one's attention that the extraordinary ongoing and increasing impact of their economic decline, accelerated significantly by actions such as the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline with the West complicit, if not directly responsible for it, and the German government adopting a "nothing to see here" mentality has lead to dystopian feelings among its population. That'd be enough to drives hordes to anything but the establishment IMO.
Thanks Grant. A useful post. Thoughts for what it is worth.
The success of the AFD in former East Germany is seriously concerning but unsurprising. While it is tempting to see their supporters simply as bigots and racists and Neo-Nazis (which some of them are), it also reflects the very real economic and social disadvantages that many in the East face. Reunification was a powerful moment historically in the West - the hope for a new beginning - but for many working people in the East it was devastating. The neo-liberal policies West Germany imposed on the East in the 1990s (asset stripping etc) was not unlike what happened in Russia - it saw factory closures, loss of key infrastructure, rising unemployment, reduction in health/education services. It was grim. And it undermined their sense of identity.
If you are interested I recommend 'The Perfect Crime' on Netflix - A good watch that captures how disorientating this process was for the East.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/23/a-perfect-netflix-to-examine-germanys-answer-to-jfk-assassination.
I am always struck when i am in Germany that once you get off the beaten track how run-down roads etc. are in the East compared to the West. People are poorer and the disadvantage they endure is largely ignored in the West. The AFD in reality does not have much in the way of realistic economic alternatives but they draw on the sense of resentment and bitterness that many in the East feel. This may explain why the AFD enjoy significant support among young people who don't feel much confidence in the future and feel left behind.
Thanks for the tip about that doco, Mark, it looks good. And for your comments. I saw figures online (somewhere) showing that the youngest voters were the most supportive of AfD. And now a left version too. Rather than call for these parties to be excluded or banned, a better response is to say to their supporters "we get it" and then do something about it.
Definitely. Ignoring these voices is exactly what the extreme left and right are looking for but addressing some of their concerns - especially those of alienated young people - would go along way.
The AfD & its hangers-on have long been strongest in the former East Germany. 4 decades of Soviet-imposed autarky, followed by 30+ years of economic & political upheaval, have contributed to the current state of affairs.
Unemployment rates in the former East breached double digits following reunification, when industries propped up by the GDR couldn't compete with West Germany's. Tightly closed borders during the Cold War meant limited contact with foreigners, meaning that the diversity taken for granted in the West & South is alien to the former East. There's little else for "Ossis" to fall back on... except reactionary politics including ethno-nationalism.
Read some of Wagenknecht's book and tell me what you think:
https://books.google.co.nz/books?id=yQuqAQAACAAJ&redir_esc=y
I like it. On the German issue as is the case in other places, but even more so perhaps there due to its history being divided into East and West, with the West ascendant and effectively occupied by the US it should escape no one's attention that the extraordinary ongoing and increasing impact of their economic decline, accelerated significantly by actions such as the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline with the West complicit, if not directly responsible for it, and the German government adopting a "nothing to see here" mentality has lead to dystopian feelings among its population. That'd be enough to drives hordes to anything but the establishment IMO.
This helps explain some of it:
https://www.politico.eu/article/olaf-scholz-germany-american-long-range-missiles-social-democratic-party-bundestag-russia/
All I can say is it is a horrendous roll back from the INF treaty that’ll make the world a far less safe place. ..