The Fuel That Feeds Europe’s Far Right: Nostalgia and Lost Pride

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The populist emphasis on national identity and threats to it, real and imagined, finds a deep response in voters adrift in a world they no longer understand.

Screenshot taken from this NYT article. | Attendees at a rally for the far-right Alternative for Germany party on Saturday in central Schwerin, Germany. Credit: Lisi Niesner/Reuters
The rise of a far-right party in Germany, the Alternative for Germany, represents a skewing of history, fueled by its own, sometimes imaginary vision of the past. It feeds, analysts say, on widespread alienation from a liberal, multicultural, united Germany committed to the memory of the Holocaust and Nazi crimes.

The AfD is now the most popular party nationwide, polls say, close to governing a German state for the first time, and did well again in two more state elections on Sunday. It has benefited from economic and industrial decline and a sense of insecurity, which the party blames on the extensive migration of young Muslims in the last decade.

The party came first in the small eastern German state of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania and a good third in Berlin, while the Christian Democratic Union of Chancellor Friedrich Merz did poorly, in what he himself called “a disaster.” The results will heighten talk of the party’s replacing the unpopular chancellor before the end of his term.

The AfD has thrived on a key element that ties most populist parties together, especially those of the far right: nostalgia for a society and nation lost to time, even if they exist only in gilded memory or fantasy. » | Steven Erlanger | Steven Erlanger, based in Berlin, writes about European security, diplomacy and politics. | Monday, September 21, 2026

German Chancellor Merz Calls State Election a 'Disaster' for His Party but Vows to Stay | BBC News

Sep 21, 2026 | German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has called two local election defeats for his party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), a "disaster" but vowed to remain in post.

In the north-eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the CDU fell short of a 5% threshold to enter parliament, underperforming against what had already been projected to be the party's worst ever result in the area.

Far-right Alternative for Germany was on track to win the most votes in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, but it is unlikely to govern as other parties refuse to work with it.

Meanwhile in Berlin, the ruling CDU was on course to be beaten by Die Linke (The Left).

Friedrich Merz Vows to Stay in Office after CDU ‘Disaster’ in German State Elections

THE GUARDIAN: Far-right AfD wins in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and leftwing Die Linke on course for victory in Berlin

Screenshot taken from this Guardian article. | Trust in our country’s institutions is waning and is being actively undermined by radical parties on both the left and the right,’ Merz said after the results. Photograph: Hannibal Hanschke/EPA
Germany’s embattled chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has vowed to stay in office and fight for future-proofing economic changes despite heavy losses for his conservatives in two state elections, one to the far right and the other to a leftwing party.

Preliminary results indicated Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) tallied just over the 5% threshold to enter the state parliament in the coastal region of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, its worst-ever state score, which he called a “disaster”.

The anti-immigration, Kremlin-friendly Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party extended a streak of strong showings by coming in first in the former communist region with nearly 38%, more than doubling its previous score.

In the capital, Berlin, one of Germany’s 16 federal states, the far-left Die Linke looked on course to win with about 25% of the vote, ahead of the incumbent CDU by a five-point margin. The AfD made headway there too, with a clear double-digit result.

The deeply unpopular Merz has been fighting for his political survival after a humiliating series of setbacks with voters this year.

Speculation about his ability to hold on as chancellor reached fever pitch after Saxony-Anhalt state’s AfD chapter routed the CDU with a record 44% for the party in an election two weeks ago. » | Deborah Cole in Berlin | Sunday, September 20, 2026

From the Rhine to the Reich: German Jewish Life before 1871 | The German History Podcast: 24

Premiered Aug 25, 2026 | In this episode, Katja and Chris trace the long and sometimes misunderstood history of Jews in German-speaking Europe, from Roman Cologne to the founding of the German Empire in 1871.

They explore how Jewish communities settled along the Rhine under Frankish and medieval rulers, survived cycles of expulsion and violence including the Crusades and the Black Death pogroms, and gradually built livelihoods as traders, doctors, and financiers who were excluded from land ownership and the guild system.

Along the way they examine the Reformation's impact on Jewish-Christian relations, the Enlightenment-era friendship between Moses Mendelssohn and Gotthold Lessing, and how the French Revolution and Napoleon's armies spread the idea of Jewish civic equality across the German lands.

The episode also looks at the 19th-century process of emancipation, the amicable social relations between Jews and Christians recalled by memoirists of this period, and how the deep, centuries-old entanglement of Jewish and Christian life made the antisemitism of the later Nazi era so emotionally devastating for German Jews.

AfD’s New State MPs Include Ex-Stasi Officer, Former Porn Actor, Neopagans and Neo-Nazis

THE GUARDIAN: Far-right German party’s newly elected representatives face fresh scrutiny as it tries to form government in Saxony-Anhalt

The Alternative für Deutschland is facing scrutiny over the suitability of some of its prospective new MPs – including a former Stasi officer and a former pornography actor – just days after its historic win in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt.

Presented by the AfD’s lead candidate, Ulrich Siegmund, for a photocall in the state capital of Magdeburg on Thursday, some of the members-elect were revealed to have a range of questionable backgrounds, including criminal records, Stasi pasts and connections to far-right networks.

German media has revealed that among the 39 parliamentarians who will represent constituencies across Saxony-Anhalt in the state parliament, is a man alleged to have participated in pornography films and falsified academic qualifications; a former officer for the East German secret police, the Stasi; and several members under criminal investigation for their involvement in neo-Nazi organisations. » | Kate Connolly in Berlin | Friday, September 11, 2026

Inside the Far-right Blueprint for Germany’s Eurasian Future | DW Analysis

Sep 6, 2026 | Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is surging, with breakthroughs in regional and EU-wide elections. Party leader Alice Weidel says her goal is national power, eyeing the 2029 federal elections.

Despite its growing support, the AfD’s vision of foreign policy remains little known around the world. So in this new special report, DW takes a forensic microscope to the party’s blueprint for Germany’s future.

What this reveals is the party’s profound skepticism about the key Western alliances — NATO and the EU — and an outspoken openness to a Eurasian outlook, fostering deeper relations with Russia and China and the international institutions they lead, from the Belt and Road Initiative to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Eurasian Economic Union: prime sources of prestige for Vladimir Putin in Moscow and Xi Jinping in Beijing.

In exclusive interviews with Alice Weidel, foreign policy spokesman Matthias Moosdorf and powerful ideologue Björn Höcke, DW’s Richard Walker and Rosalia Romaniec scrutinize the AfD’s views on Germany’s alliances and NATO Article 5 commitments to the Baltic states and Poland, its skepticism of the United States, possible future architectures for European defense, who should have nuclear weapons, future ties with Russia and China, and how Germany should act in a Taiwan conflict scenario.

Includes analysis from leading international experts on Russia, China, the US and Europe: Alexander Gabuev (Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center), Amanda Hsiao (International Crisis Group), Katarzyna Pisarska (Warsaw Security Forum), Peter Rough (Hudson Institute), and Judy Dempsey (Carnegie Europe).

The Far Right’s Terrifying Breakthrough in Germany | Thomas Zimmer & Susan J. Demas

Sep 9, 2026 | Germany’s far-right AfD has “broken containment”—and historian Thomas Zimmer says the normalization of extremism should alarm democracies on both sides of the Atlantic. Zimmer joins Susan J. Demas to explain the connection between MAGA and Germany’s far right, Elon Musk’s manufactured “vibe shift,” Trump’s struggle to consolidate authoritarian power and why Democrats should stop accommodating extremists and start showing some fight.

Jesse Dollemore: Trump Celebrates Germany's Far-Right Party Win by Invoking Hitler

Sep 9, 2026 | Jesse Dollemore discusses the far-right victory in Germany for the AfD party, which American Nazis love and support, including Elon Musk and now Donald Trump, who celebrated the German win by posting a familiar phrase: Make Germany Great Again!

Merz Accuses AfD of ‘Ethnic Cleansing’ Policy and Cancels Call with Trump

THE GUARDIAN: German chancellor attacks Alternative für Deutschland after far-right party’s win in Saxony-Anhalt election

Germany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has accused the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) of seeking “ethnic cleansing” with its “remigration” drive, after the nativist party’s seismic weekend victory in a state election.

In his first public confrontation with the AfD since Sunday’s shock outcome in Saxony-Anhalt, Merz said at a raucous parliamentary debate that the far-right party would take an axe to one of the pillars of the German economy with a racist campaign of mass deportations.

“The term ‘remigration’ is nothing but a synonym for ethnic cleansing based on origin and skin colour,” he said on Wednesday to applause from the other parties in the Bundestag lower house.

In a fiery speech addressed to the AfD parliamentary group, which repeatedly interrupted him with loud taunts and heckling, Merz said millions of working immigrants were crucial to German society.

“If those working in Germany have to leave the country again because you are championing ‘remigration’,” Merz said, “then the skilled trades in Germany will no longer be able to function: not a single care home will remain open, not a single hospital in Germany will remain operational, and not a single restaurant in Germany will be able to stay in business.”

He said the AfD’s rhetoric, which propelled it to the strongest showing for a far-right party in a German state since the Nazi period, “is precisely what is dividing our society so deeply”.

The AfD has repeatedly called for large-scale expulsions of irregular migrants, a policy that would face stiff challenges under German law. » | Deborah Cole in Berlin | Wednesday, September 9, 2026

Global Ripples from a Small German Election | DW News

Sep 8, 2026 | The far-right AfD's success in recent regional elections in Germany has drawn praise from the United States. American tech billionaire Elon Musk congratulated the AfD after its strong result in Saxony-Anhalt with a brief German message: "Gut gemacht!", or "Well Done!" in English. The AfD state leader Ulrich Siegmund responded by thanking Musk and suggesting future economic cooperation. President Donald Trump also drew attention by posting a screenshot of German election projections on Truth Social. Together with Eric Langenbacher from the American-German Institute, DW's Ben Fajzullin discusses what the reaction says about transatlantic ties between right and far-right political movements.

Donald Tusk Slams Poles Who Celebrate German Far-right Election Win | DW News

Sep 8, 2026 | Some of Germany's neighbours have also been reacting to the AfD's shock victory in the Saxony-Anhalt regional election. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk posted on X: "In Poland, only idiots or traitors can rejoice at the triumph of the AfD in Germany."

We get the view of DW correspondent Michal Gostkiewicz. And one of Germany's leading pollsters, Roland Abold, breaks down the election results.

German Far-right's Breakthrough Shakes Europe to Its Core • FRANCE 24 English

Sep 7, 2026 | Not enough to win outright but enough to shake Germany and Europe to their core: the far-right Alternative für Deutschland trouncing the ruling conservatives in the impoverished former East German region of Saxony-Anhalt. We’ll ask about the consequences of voting for an anti-immigrant, pro-Russian party that wants schools to teach less about the ills of Hitler and more the glory of Bismarck.

Will Sunday’s result further fuel the momentum of the far-right in places like Sweden which votes next Sunday or here in France where the far-right’s the odds-on favourite in next spring’s presidential election? Here you see the president of Marine Le Pen’s party Jordan Bardella who, after dropping in on Nigel Farage Reform UK party, was invited to speak to Italian business leaders at a weekend forum. A further normalization of a party that once seemed fringe?

As for the mainstream, be it France or Germany, what’s it got to offer to win back voters from MAGA and Putin-backed formations? You might ask who is on shakier ground: Germany’s Friedrich Merz or France’s Emmanuel Macron?

German Fascists Are Back - Will They Take Power?

September 7, 2026

How Will the Far-right AfD's Electoral Rise Impact Germany? | Inside Story

Sep 7, 2026 | The Alternative for Germany is on top in Sunday's election in the east German state of Saxony-Anhalt, with about 44 percent of the vote. It's benefited from voters' economic concerns and anger over immigration. The party is also leading in national polls. But Germany's domestic intelligence agency has classified its branch in Saxony-Anhalt as a proven right-wing extremist group, a label the AfD rejects. Chancellor Friedrich Merz insists there can be no co-operation with the AfD, and mainstream German parties have been maintaining a 'firewall' against forming coalitions with the far-right. But it's not clear if the strategy will hold.

Presenter: Rishaad Salamat

Guests:

Olaf Boehnke - Berlin Director of the political consultancy Rasmussen Global and former Senior Advisor in the German Bundestag
Max Otte - Founder of Privatinvestor Capital and a 2022 German presidential candidate
Ulrich Brueckner - Professor of European Studies at Stanford University in Berlin

The Far-right Win Big in Germany - and It's Sending Shockwaves through Europe

Sep 7, 2026 | Germany’s far-right party has won a major victory in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, although it remains to be seen whether the AfD will be able to form a government there.

Nevertheless, the result has sent shockwaves not only through Germany, but across Europe too. For the first time since the end of the Second World War, a far-right party could gain power in a German state.

Why is the AfD surging? How much is its success being driven by immigration, economic frustration and anger at the political establishment? And what could its rise mean for Germany’s relationship with Russia, NATO and the EU?

Matt Frei is joined by author and commentator John Kampfner and Dr Sarah Wagner, a researcher in political science at Queen’s University Belfast, to examine whether this is a political blip or a watershed moment for Germany and Europe.

Far-right AfD Win in Germany Is ‘Grave Moment’ for Europe, Politicians Warn

THE GUARDIAN: Mainstream politicians express alarm while lead candidate in Saxony-Anhalt welcomes congratulations from Elon Musk

Screenshot taken from this Guardian article. | Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party co-leaders Alice Weidel (right) and Tino Chrupalla, and lead Saxony Anhalt candidate, Ulrich Siegmund (left), at a press conference on Monday. Photograph: Liesa Johannssen/Reuters
Mainstream politicians around Europe have expressed alarm after the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) swept to a historic state election victory in Germany, while nationalist figures cheered the result as a mandate for change.

While falling just short of an absolute majority, the AfD surged into first place in the Saxony-Anhalt state election on Sunday, exit polls ⁠showed, putting the far right within reach of power at the state level for the first time since the second world war.

Spain’s socialist prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, told a party gathering in Madrid on Monday that the result showed that “the extremist threat, largely thanks to the surrender of the traditional right, is gaining ground in Europe and in the world”.

France’s finance minister, Roland Lescure, said it “clearly sends out a very, very worrying signal … This shows that we face a major challenge in the face of a populist wave which is spreading around the world today and which we must resist.”

Lescure’s comments echoed similar remarks on Sunday evening by France’s European affairs minister, Benjamin Haddad, who posted on social media: “To see the far right ⁠prevail in the German regional election marks a very grave moment for Europe.” » | Jon Henley | Europe correspondent | Monday, September 7, 2026

Es kommen wieder die Nazis! Mir ist ganz klar, und es sollte Ihnen auch ganz klar sein, dass etliche Deutsche wenig oder gar nichts von ihrer Geschichte gelernt haben. Dass sie bereit sind, alles aufs Spiel zu setzen ist nichts weniger als erstaunlich! Es ist auch beunruhigend. — © Mark Alexander

AfD Dominates Saxony-Anhalt: A Turning Point for Germany? | DW News

Sep 6, 2026 | The AfD has emerged as the dominant force in Saxony-Anhalt, but election victories do not automatically translate into political power. What drove voters to back the party, and what does the result mean for Germany's political future?

Brent Goff speaks with political correspondents Matthew Moore and Bernd Riegert, DW Berlin bureau chief Max Hofmann, and historian and author Katja Hoyer. They break down the results, reactions from party headquarters, the challenge of forming a government, the pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the wider implications for German politics.

Germany’s Far Right Tops Key State Race, but Falls Short of Power

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The Alternative for Germany party is projected to finish first in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt. But lacking a majority, without the help of other parties it cannot become the first far-right party to govern a state since 1945.

The Alternative for Germany party dominated a crucial state election on Sunday, according to near-final results, but fell short of the absolute majority that would have made it the first far-right party to govern part of the country since the Nazi era.

If those results hold, the AfD, as the party is known by its German initials, could still assume power in the eastern Saxony-Anhalt state in the coming weeks, depending on the outcome of negotiations among rival parties that have vowed not to support an AfD government.

Saxony-Anhalt is a relatively small state, and the heart of the AfD’s power base in eastern Germany. But the result has sent shock waves through the country’s political system, which was designed after World War II to prevent extremist parties from ever returning to power.

The political establishment has treated the AfD as a pariah, but the party tapped into voter frustration on a wide range of economic and social issues to win about 44 percent of the vote in the state, and was set to claim 39 of the 83 seats in the Parliament.

“We’ve made history, and we’re taking our country back,” Ulrich Siegmund, the party’s candidate to lead the state, told a cheering crowd on Sunday evening. “It all starts here in Saxony-Anhalt.” Live Updates » | Jim Tankersley and Christopher F. Schuetze | Reporting from Berlin and Magdeburg, Germany | Sunday, September 6, 2026

MEGA EPISODE: Third Reich: Inside 12 Years of Terror I SLICE HISTORY

Adolf Hitler was appointed Reich Chancellor on 30 January, 1933. Once they had seized power in Germany, the Nazis no longer relinquished it until their demise on 8 May, 1945. The Third Reich lasted for 12 years, 3 months and 9 days. It began with great hopes and unprecedented jubilation and ended after a world war in which 50 million people were killed, Germany was destroyed and the European Jews murdered.

To mark the 75th anniversary of the seizure of power by the Nazis, SPIEGEL TV embarks on a unique journey through the bleakest chapter of German history. Michael Kloft traces the story of the Third Reich, painting a picture of Nazi dictatorship behind the propaganda by utilizing what in some cases is previously unpublished footage. In describing the politics, day-to-day life, the war years and the crimes of the Nazi state, he is aided by three famous historians: Sir Ian Kershaw has set worldwide standards with his biography of Hitler, Brigitte Hamann illuminates the background to the fascination with the Fuehrer in her groundbreaking studies and Götz Aly describes the “feel good dictatorship” of the thirties and mercilessly shows how the Germans plundered the rest of Europe in his book “Hitler's Beneficiaries”.

Documentary: Chronicle of the Third Reich Part 1-4 (2010)
Directed by: Michael Kloft
Production: SPIEGEL TV

The Nazis, The Rabbi and the Camera (Re-upload) | ARTE.tv Documentary

Sep 6, 2026 | An American photographer and rabbi undertook a lengthy investigation to find the descendants of Jews who were saved thanks to the director of the Leitz family business, which manufactured the iconic Leica camera.