Germany's Alt-Right after the Holocaust and Now
Like many other nations around the world, Germany is currently dealing with an upsurge in conservative, right-wing sentiment. Representation comes largely in the form of the AfD party (Alternative for Germany), a far-right movement that earned 12.6% of the national vote in 2017. Some view AfD as a group that showcases the diversity a democratic institution can encourage; others see it as extremist.
Germany has a tradition throughout the 20th century of creating numerous balances to any hints of extremism. After World War II, prevention of another Nazi regime was a foremost priority of political reorganization. Therefore, under the German constitution, extremist parties can be monitored and even banned, and its hate speech restrictions are stronger than almost every other country. Theoretically, the German system should be set up to prevent any encroachments upon democracy. However, where to define the limits of democratic protections is a constant struggle.
Last month, Germany's domestic intelligence chief announced that their agency would begin to surveil the party, supposedly to fulfill his "democratic duty". This was seen by many on the right as a move to suppress alternative viewpoints, especially because AfR is not explicitly pro-Nazi or pro-Hitler. Yes, some party leaders have questionable revisionist views; but that doesn't necessarily delegitimize an entire political movement. On the other hand, far-right movements veer very easily into extremism, and the government has to determine when it's appropriate to draw the line. Seeing how Germany deals with the AfR will be educational when looking at whether post-WW2 democratic systems can last when threatened by what they are simultaneously supposed to protect.
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2019/02/german-intel-chief-plan-surveil-far-right-afd/583456/
Germany has a tradition throughout the 20th century of creating numerous balances to any hints of extremism. After World War II, prevention of another Nazi regime was a foremost priority of political reorganization. Therefore, under the German constitution, extremist parties can be monitored and even banned, and its hate speech restrictions are stronger than almost every other country. Theoretically, the German system should be set up to prevent any encroachments upon democracy. However, where to define the limits of democratic protections is a constant struggle.
Last month, Germany's domestic intelligence chief announced that their agency would begin to surveil the party, supposedly to fulfill his "democratic duty". This was seen by many on the right as a move to suppress alternative viewpoints, especially because AfR is not explicitly pro-Nazi or pro-Hitler. Yes, some party leaders have questionable revisionist views; but that doesn't necessarily delegitimize an entire political movement. On the other hand, far-right movements veer very easily into extremism, and the government has to determine when it's appropriate to draw the line. Seeing how Germany deals with the AfR will be educational when looking at whether post-WW2 democratic systems can last when threatened by what they are simultaneously supposed to protect.
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2019/02/german-intel-chief-plan-surveil-far-right-afd/583456/
This is such a great blog post! I really like how you explain Germany's system of government, and how it changed after World War II. I think it's really interesting that a far-right movement only earned 12.6% of the vote in 2017; this shows how far Germany has come since Hitler became chancellor of Germany during WWII. As we learned this semester, hard times often bring desperate measures; in Germany's case, the Nazis came to power because they kept making promises to make Germany a better place to live. Since Germany was already in a depression economically, people thought that things couldn't get any worse.
ReplyDeleteGermany's Alt right movement has in fact spread farther than just Germany. With Neo-Nazi groups surfacing in the US, France and more, Former rivals of Hitlers principles, new white supremacist movements have actually adopted these ideas and began to spread them. Conservative agendas in the US, and France have countered the wide spread globalization and liberalization that is happening in the modern world and even almost succeeded in taking control of governments. Just like you described how in Germany during World War 2, Germans blamed their suffering on other people, current plight gets similarly blamed on immigrants and such which spreads this neo-Nazi sentiment.
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ReplyDeleteThis is such an interesting post. 12.6% is a significant portion of the national vote and shows that there is clearly a part of Germany's population that is seeking political change. It is difficult to determine where exactly to draw the line in this situation, as the government intends to protect democracy by preventing extremist parties from coming to power, yet some would argue that banning certain parties contradicts the very idea of democracy. Nonetheless, if a country does strive to prioritize democracy above all else, it should be understandable to prevent parties from gaining power when it is obvious that they do not represent democratic values.
ReplyDeleteIn the linked article, the second image down shows someone holding an alarming sign about closing the borders to refugees. According to the article, "The AfD wants to seal the EU's borders, institute rigorous identity checks along Germany's national borders and set up holding camps abroad to prevent migrants from leaving for Germany in the first place." While Germany is certainly not the only country where there is discussion and controversy regarding immigration and the specific practices described, it is haunting to picture these ideas being implemented in the same country where dangerous views towards specific groups of people, extreme emphasis on people's "identity" as determined by the government, and the institution of "holding camps," to prevent certain groups of people whom the Germans viewed as undesirable from entering the country, ultimately led to the atrocities of the Holocaust.
https://www.dw.com/en/afd-what-you-need-to-know-about-germanys-far-right-party/a-37208199