Since the end of World War II, many nations in the Western world have held an aversion to far-right thought, especially in Europe. In no country is this more apparent than Germany. After the war, there was an intense denazification process that took place with the help of Allied nations. The Nazi flag was banned, and laws were enacted prohibiting the spread of propaganda and holocaust denial, among others. Far-right parties, while present, were largely unpopular and kept out of government, a trend that has stuck until somewhat recently.

In 2013, economist Bernd Lucke and journalist Konrad Adam established the Alternative für Deutschland (Alternative for Germany) party. While initially kept moderate, over time the AfD has embraced right-wing policies and rhetoric, espousing nationalistic, xenophobic, anti-LGBTQ+, anti-environmental, and pro-Russian views. While these views are off-putting to many, ultimately they have worked. In the year it was founded, the AfD narrowly missed the 5 percent of votes needed to garner a presence in the German parliament, the Bundestag.

Their popularity soared following the 2015 Syrian Refugee Crisis, in which the AfD challenged Chancellor Angela Merkel’s decision to let more than one million refugees into the European Union, three hundred thousand of whom sought asylum in Germany. Her response to the crisis left many feeling alienated by the government that was supposed to protect their interests. And with the AfD being the only party to protest, those who felt alienated found a party they believed would better represent their interests.

This strategy paid off two years later; in the 2017 federal elections, the AfD won 12.6 percent of the federal vote, marking the first time a new political party had entered the Bundestag since Germany’s unification in 1990. In the most recent federal elections in 2021, they lost popularity but still maintained 10.3 percent of the vote. Their rise in popularity can also be seen with the European Union parliamentary elections; in 2019, they garnered 11 percent of the vote in Germany, and in this year’s elections, they increased their share to 15.9 percent, the second most popular party in the election.

These victories for the AfD signal a changing attitude in Germany. While, for decades, Social Democrats and Moderate Christians have dominated the political scene, their failures to address key domestic issues have left many Germans disillusioned with the current status quo. Housing is becoming increasingly unaffordable and difficult to find, with a shortage of over 800,000 apartments in Germany and more than 9.5 million people living in cramped conditions. While the government ambitiously promised the construction of 400,000 new homes each year, they haven’t been able to meet this goal; only 245,000 were built in 2023, and 210,000 this year. The economy has also suffered from contracting growth, high energy prices, shrinking industrial production, rising costs, and massive job layoffs, making it difficult to afford available housing.

Many in Germany consider rampant immigration to be a primary cause of economic woes and widespread housing shortages, and they have been left unimpressed by the responses of current leadership. While Germany reintroduced border control on November 12, only time will tell if it’s enough to satisfy any grievances. It was ultimately the 2015 Syrian Refugee Crisis that scored the AfD major points and allowed them to more than double their votes in four years, a sentiment they continue to capitalize off of. The AfD still campaigns with nationalism and anti-immigration as a focal point, and for those that wish to see sweeping change, the AfD provides that change with its radical and unorthodox promises and policies.

While currently unable to form a serious opposition against any of the mainline political parties in power, their startling and rapid success could signify that Germans are again ready to embrace far-right thought. But what would their continued popularity mean for Germany, the EU, and international politics? While it’s unclear whether they will act on their promises, speculations can be made.

An AfD-controlled Germany would mean the end of free borders and immigration, and the possible expulsion of many current immigrants in the country. Such a change in policy could put millions at risk of deportation or expulsion, and would likely affect thousands more who wish to enter Germany seeking refuge or asylum.

As for the wider political scene, the AfD has made it clear that they wish to rely on the United States less and are largely against Germany’s involvement in the European Union. They have also suggested fostering closer ties with Russia and China, going so far as to call for the ceasing of embargoes placed on Putin’s regime in 2014 and 2022. Alleged AfD connections to the Kremlin and Beijing have been a source of much controversy and investigation and threaten to derail the party entirely.

But should the AfD prove successful, the West could face problems. Despite its recent economic issues, the German economy is still strong. It’s the largest in the EU, comprising 24.9 percent of its GDP in 2022. Germany is also the United States’ largest European trading partner and sixth largest market for US exports. To lose such a vital economic contributor would severely shake up Western economies, and likely for the worse.

Ultimately, the growing popularity of the Alternative für Deutschland party represents a troubling trend present in Western world. The normalization and promotion of far-right thought is an issue that plagues countries like Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Not only do political parties like the AfD threaten to undermine Western security in the face of growing Chinese and Russian influence, but they also endanger millions of immigrants and first-generation individuals fleeing unstable situations. While the supremacy of parties like the AfD, National Rally, or UKIP are far from certain, large issues like immigration are driving voters away from liberal inclusivity and towards the right. And should Western leaders be unable to find amicable solutions, a new, far-right order could supplant the moderate status quo that so many in the West have come to take for granted.