The rise of far-right parties in Europe : the case of Germany

Abstract

Populist Radical Right parties have recently re-emerged across Europe. United by their anti-immigration stance, these parties attract huge masses of the electorate. Germany has in the past been resistant to this trend, however, following the foundation of the AfD and its entrance into the German Bundestag in 2017 with 12.7% of the total votes, Germany now has a far-right party in its parliament. To explore the reasons of why the AfD has been elected and by whom, the methodology used consists mainly of document-based research and a survey conducted among a small sample of voters in the Bundestag election in 2017. The main reasons behind the AfD’s success are its anti-immigration stance and the political dissatisfaction by large segments of the population within the established parties. Euro-scepticism and social downward mobility constitutes a role of lesser importance. The main occupational group who cast their vote for the AfD are the working class. In addition to that, male and younger people are more susceptible to vote for the AfD. The AfD’s electorate is generally marked by a medium education and a medium or good income.