Future of Germany: Rise of the Far Right Movement

This brief looks at Germany’s current political and economic challenges, focusing on the country’s economic recession in 2023. This is compounded by the internal divisions within the governing coalition. Discourse between fiscal policies led to the firing of the Finance Minister Christian Linder and the crumbling of the ruling coalition with the withdrawal of the Free Democratic Party has caused grumblings of a lack of confidence in the coalition government. This has caused the current coalition to be ruling in the minority. This is the most recent issue that has propelled the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party which has gained significant support over the last few election cycles. They have capitalized on issues such as high energy prices, immigration, and the economic strain of green energy transition policies. The party’s populist message, largely surrounding anti-immigration and against Germany’s EU contributions, has resonated with citizens in economically struggling regions such as Thuringia. The paper examines the implications of the AfD’s rise, what it means for democracy, how to address the issues, and the challenges that occur that have caused the lack of trust in the government to not serve the interests of the people.