The rise of the AfD: why Germany’s hard right keeps gaining ground

Why are the Alternative for Germany so popular — and where will they go next?

A recurring theme of this newsletter is the rise of the Alternative for Germany (AfD). This article sets out why the party has grown so quickly, why efforts to contain it have backfired, and what its continued rise means for Germany’s political system — regardless of whether one views the AfD as a symptom, a threat, or a corrective.

The origins of the AfD

Founded in 2013 as an anti-Euro party, the Alternative for Germany have become best known internationally for their rejection of mass migration, particularly when it comes from the Muslim world.

More than that though, they oppose many, if not all, the major developments that German society has undergone over the past two to three decades. They argue that Germany’s green energy policies - and the nuclear shutdown - are driving the country into poverty; they want to re-establish normal relations with Russia; and they remain highly sceptical of both the single currency and the EU as a whole, which they see as unaccountable institutions tha…