Date of Award
5-2024
Document Type
Thesis
Primary Advisor
Candice Ortbals-Wiser
Secondary Advisor
Suzie Macaluso
Committee Reader
Leslie Senter
Abstract
Support for Germany’s contemporary far-right party, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) has become more salient in recent years due to multiple crises in the European Union and changes in the German political landscape. The rise of the AfD is met with significant pushback from the majority of the German public due to its similarity to the Nazi party in rhetoric, policy, and action. However, opposition to the party is not unanimous; the AfD polled at 22 percent in January 2024. Through a qualitative analysis of 16 interviews with German citizens on their perspectives of the party, I find there exists dealignment within the German party system, tensions in civil discourse, and collective anxiety over the pariah approach of the AfD. These conclusions emerge through participants' expression of frustration with their choices in parties, a lack of relationship to AfD members, and the belief in the importance of listening to those with different views than oneself. Participants express that although the AfD appears to address issues that could be considered justifiable, the party utilizes the wrong approach towards these issues and inevitably threatens Germany’s liberal democracy in the process. The research reveals implications for the state of the German party system, the EU, and the state of civil society in Germany.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Hodgson, Isabel Erin, "Dissatisfaction and Eroding Institutional Confidence: Examining German Perspectives of the Alternative für Deutschland and Its Impact on the German Party System" (2024). Honors College. 79.
https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/honors/79