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No, you don’t have to worry – there are no swastika flags hanging off of German buildings and no one is walking through the streets in brown Nazi uniforms. Germany has not fundamentally changed in the week following the parliamentary election. The fear, both domestically and abroad, that Nazis have again taken power in Germany, is nonsense.
But of course, many people are shocked – especially here in Germany – that for the first time in almost 60 years, a far-right populist party will be represented in the German Parliament. The party “Alternative for Germany” (AfD) won 13 percent of the vote – but 87 percent of German voters vehemently rejected their nationalistic slogans. On Twitter under the Hashtag #87percent, countless people have voiced their intention to continue to stand up and take action for a peaceful and tolerant society.
More importantly, there is no political party, no political group, simply nobody who wants to work together with this protest party. This is because 70 years after the end of World War Two, the vast majority of people in Germany react with an allergic sickness to all forms of nationalistic and populist politics. This is no wonder considering the darkness of German history under the Third Reich and the arduous path the country has taken in coping with it.
The protest party “Alternative for Germany,” received its votes mostly in areas with above-average unemployment among untrained and unqualified people. For example, in in the Ruhr region located in the west of Germany, the transition from a coal and steel production-based economy to a business-based economy was not accomplished sufficiently enough to foster increased employment.
But most AfD voters come from the east of Germany. And even though money has poured into the region since German reunification in 1990, beautiful buildings and streets don’t make up for a lack of jobs and perspective. Additionally, in the former East German (GDR) state, there were hardly any foreigners. Foreign contract workers were only supposed to work there, not live there.
Now, the AfD is taking political advantage of this fear of foreigners and lack of perspective. It is interesting to note that in the last German parliamentary election, this disillusioned voter group in eastern Germany voted in the totally opposite direction. At that time it was the left-wing populist party, “The Left Party,” that provided a mouthpiece for disappointed and alienated voters.
Far-right populist parties have long been a reality in Europe
Far-right populist parties in Europe have similar traits, combing deep xenophobia with Euroscepticism, while providing a political reservoir for disappointed and alienated voters. They pretend to have simple solutions and use foreigners and outsiders as a scapegoat for social problems. Mainstream society in each European nation takes a different position against right-wing populists. For example to the west of Germany in France and the Netherlands, right-wing parties like the French “Front National” (FN) or the Dutch “Party for Freedom” (PVV), are still ostracized by the mainstream political establishment.
But to the north, parties like the “Danish People’s Party” in Denmark or the radical right-wing “Finns Party” in Finland, have for years been a part of creating majority coalitions for conservative parties in parliament. And to the south in Italy and Austria, parties like the “Northern League” (LN) or the “Freedom Party of Austria” (FPÖ), have long been a part of the political mainstream.
The populist appeal that nations should withdraw into a shell and place their own interests above all else recently received a strong boost with the election of the national-conservative US President Donald Trump. His “America First” strategy is perceived by people around the world, including in Europe, as being anywhere on the spectrum from outlandish to disastrous.
It may be that with “America First,” Trump intends to address the vacuous needs of many US citizens who feel left behind or believe their identity is being threatened. But it sends a dangerous signal to the world. Of course in democratic societies, every government is adherent first and foremost to its own people, who vote them into power. But every government must first do its homework.
For example, the downfall of the US steel and coal centers was not primarily caused by competition from Asia, but rather from the domestic inability to initiate a process of long-term viable, structural change.
But conversely, the largest challenges and crises facing nations in a globalized world can only be solved multilaterally and not nationally. Sticking only to national interests or seeking isolationism cannot work in a globalized world.
The establishment needs to listen
With 75 percent of the electorate casting a vote, the 2017 German election was clear affirmation of democracy. The success of populists doesn’t demonstrate a weakness in democratic systems, but rather the problem of the establishment in reaching disillusioned segments of society. This phenomenon primarily concerns established political parties, but ultimately it pertains to the entire establishment, or the so-called “elites.”
In a rapidly changing world, many people feel that the establishment no longer represents them. Political parties try hard to get closer to citizens, but are often too far removed from the concerns of many voters. The mainstream media also tries to create more interaction, but they too find trouble connecting with a disillusioned audience.
The same estrangement is seen in civic organizations, unions and religious communities, which evidently no longer offer support to many people. These disillusioned parts of society are frustrated and feel left behind. In their view, the state and established institutions do too little to address their concerns. And instead, the establishment and “others” are the only ones profiting. In this sense, “others” are foreigners.
One shouldn’t downplay far-right parties like AfD, but at the same time one shouldn’t overestimate them or, even worse, align with them. This is true for Germany, along with many other democracies. There will always be people everywhere who feel disillusioned and unrepresented. And there will always be protest parties ready to profit from these fears.
In their need, in their despair and in their anger, these people are susceptible for populist slogans of all kinds. But only demagogues and populists promise that everything will be better for everyone in the future. This is simply an illusion in a globalized world.
But the disappointed and disenchanted must at least be heard. They have to not only feel represented by the so-called establishment, they also need to actually be represented by those responsible for making decisions. At a national level, we have to do our homework. That won’t help everyone, but at least it will help many more.
(DW)
