{"id":27629,"date":"2026-09-12T16:42:41","date_gmt":"2026-09-12T16:42:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/uit-ci.org\/?p=27629"},"modified":"2026-09-12T16:42:41","modified_gmt":"2026-09-12T16:42:41","slug":"germany-the-significance-of-the-far-rights-breakthrough","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uit-ci.org\/index.php\/2026\/09\/12\/germany-the-significance-of-the-far-rights-breakthrough\/?lang=en","title":{"rendered":"Germany: The Significance of the Far Right\u2019s Breakthrough"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Miguel Sorans<\/strong>, a leader of Aocialist Left (IS) (Argentina) and the International Workers\u2019 Unity\u2013Fourth International (IWU-FI)<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

11 September 2026. <\/span><\/i>In the regional election in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, Alternative for Germany (AfD) secured 43.8 per cent of the vote, marking the first decisive victory for a far-right party in a German state since the Second World War.<\/span><\/p>\n

The result, which aligned with most pre-election polling, reflects the ongoing decline of German capitalism\u2014a trend increasingly described as \u00abthe end of the German economic miracle\u00bb. The flip side of this economic and social crisis is the plunging popularity of Chancellor Friedrich Merz\u2019s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) government, which succeeded Angela Merkel\u2019s administration. Approval ratings for Merz stand at just 13 per cent, the lowest recorded for any chancellor in recent history.<\/span><\/p>\n

While the far-right AfD more than doubled its 2021 result, the CDU collapsed to 17.2 per cent, down from 37.1 per cent in 2021. The Social Democrats (SPD) also continued their slide, taking 9.2 per cent. The Greens polled 8.9 per cent, The Left (<\/span>Die Linke<\/span><\/i>) won 8.5 per cent, and the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) received 5.2 per cent.<\/span><\/p>\n

Far-right politician Ulrich Siegmund secured 39 of the 83 seats in the state parliament, leaving him three seats short of an absolute majority.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Far-Right Surge and the Legacy of the Former GDR<\/b><\/p>\n

The anticipated advance of the German far right mirrors broader international trends seen with figures such as Donald Trump, Giorgia Meloni, and Marine Le Pen in the European Union; Milei, Katz, de la Espriella in Latin America. It represents a protest vote by a working-class electorate disillusioned with mainstream parties that have overseen falling living standards and social stagnation. In Germany, this trend takes a distinct neo-Nazi form, particularly in the east. The region consists of former German Democratic Republic (GDR) territories that were governed under Soviet-style rule from 1945 to 1989, and which remain economically disadvantaged today.<\/span><\/p>\n

Following the fall of the Berlin Wall, promises of social equality between east and west were never realised.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After the collapse of Nazism in 1945, Germany was divided into the capitalist West (Federal Republic of Germany) with Bonn as its capital; and the state-controlled East (GRD), with Berlin as capital, part of the countries where the bourgeoisie was expropriated (Poland, Romania, Hungary, etc.) under the control of the former USSR. Although the GDR operated under an authoritarian regime of fake socialism, state measures guaranteed basic needs such as employment, housing, health, and education. Life was grey and with no democratic rights and repression of dissent.<\/span><\/p>\n

When mass mobilisation brought down the Berlin Wall in 1989, capitalist restoration followed, instead of advancing to a superior form of socialism. State-owned enterprises were privatised within four years, leading to the loss of 70 per cent of regional jobs and plunging entire areas into economic decline. Millions believe capitalism would bring about prosperity.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thirty-five years later, the east-west divide persists. According to a recent study by the Bertelsmann Foundation, eastern workers earn nearly 16 per cent less than their western counterparts. Meanwhile, broader economic instability is impacting the entire country.<\/span><\/p>\n

AfD strategists have leveraged this discontent, tapping into nostalgia for former state-guaranteed protections. In Saxony-Anhalt, Siegmund campaigned on a Simson moped\u2014a iconic vehicle from the GDR era\u2014to signal cultural affinity with local voters.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nationally, the AfD\u2019s momentum has also grown since it was founded in 2013. After securing 20.6 per cent in the February 2025 federal elections, recent polls now place the party at 27 per cent.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This triumph strengthens Trump in Europe and his policy of creating conflicts among the member states. AfD\u2019s anti-immigration platform and \u00abGermany for Germans\u00bb rhetoric echo the \u00abMake America Great Again\u00bb messaging of Donald Trump, who has publicly offered support to the party.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Berlin Offers Potential Counterweight for the Left<\/b><\/p>\n

Despite the AfD’s gains, a far-right government is not guaranteed. Anyway, its growth is worrying, particularly for workers and the youth in Europe.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Political fragmentation across Germany means alternative shifts are occurring simultaneously. In the upcoming Berlin state election on 20 September, <\/span>Die Linke<\/span><\/i> has gained ground in opinion polls.<\/span><\/p>\n

The party’s candidate for mayor in Berlin, Elif Eralp\u2014a 45-year-old lawyer born to Turkish immigrant parents\u2014has gained popularity with proposals to <\/span>expropriate housing from investment funds and establish subsidised neighbourhood canteens offering meals for three euros<\/span><\/i> in the Kietzkantinen<\/span><\/i> (La Rason, Spanish State, 27 August 2026).<\/span><\/p>\n

This reveals that sectors of the working class, women and youth a polarisation and the search for left options. In the February 2025 federal elections, <\/span>Die Linke<\/span><\/i> secured 8.5 per cent nationally, yielding 64 seats in parliament. The party performed particularly well among younger voters, capturing 25 per cent of the youth vote and strong support from women opposing the far right’s social platform. At that election, <\/span>Die Linke<\/span><\/i> secured a 19.9 per cent.<\/span> Die Linke <\/span><\/i>is a centre-left alliance of Maoists, Trotskyist groups and independents.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Capitalist Economic Stagnation Drives Political Volatility<\/b><\/p>\n

Germany\u2019s political shifts come against a backdrop of broader economic difficulty, as part of the global crisis of capitalism-imperialism. Europe’s largest economy entered recession in 2023 and is experiencing its prolonged period of weakness since the post-war era. Corporate insolvencies have reached a 20-year high.<\/span><\/p>\n

Major industrial employers have announced substantial workforce reductions:<\/span>
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