What makes eastern Germany so different with the far-right AfD? | DW News

The far-right Alternative for Germany is heading for electoral success in eastern Germany. If current polls hold true, the AfD will take the most votes in two eastern states on September 1. Why is the AfD so attractive in the east?

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[HuskyOwner-bljf]

Kind of a dumb question
What makes East Germany different?
Try decades of Russian occupation

[TheHouseAlwaysWins]

Isnt it ironic that all the former soviet countries are all super right wing lol

[Darknimbus]

Here’s a great answer to why the AFD is so successful in East Germany: Because they’ve been there and done that with socialism/communism, and they understand how crappy it is!

[nvmtt]

I mean, people living under communism tends to be its most fervent opponents once they get out of it. this is true for almost every red balkan states. this isnt necessarily a unique thing. most of east europe is fervently right wing compared to central or western europe.

[BDude]

Couldn’t help notice that when you have right wing leaders on screen that you have very scary music in the background, but when you have liberal and left-wing leaders or individuals, the music appears to be very pleasant.
Pretty sure it’s not by design.
I mean, you’re just reporting the news in an unbiased manner, right?

[Cryptid]

To me it's actually very concerning that Germany does not like the idea of Germans first. That does not mean you have to hate immigrants or hinder their ability to move in but how on earth could a country not be for its own citizens first. Germany must get over this PTSD from world war II. You guys are okay to be proud of your country wave a German flag and say yes Germany first. How on earth has that been demonized

[rafaromanozademelmac]

Nationalism often arises among people who feel marginalized or inferior to other compatriots in their own country. This applies to the US, Germany, Poland, and many other nations.

[John_Pace]

considering that East Germany was so heavily occupied by Soviets and 1953? why is it so pro-Putin AFD compered with other Eastern countries like Poland?

[josepedrosantiagosilva]

In Europe, there's a growing sense of neglect towards the younger generation. They face lower salaries, longer work hours, and increased responsibilities while witnessing a surge in billionaires, particularly in countries like Germany.
The housing market adds to their woes, as property prices soar, making it difficult to afford homes, let alone start families. To compensate, cheap labor from abroad is often favored, leading to frustration among the youth, who feel betrayed.
People aren't inherently racist, but this frustration arises when governments prioritize external labor over addressing domestic issues. It's high time politicians acknowledge and tackle these pressing concerns rather than resorting to distractions. The younger generation deserves meaningful change.

[sfadam]

Instead of asking AfD supporters, they only ask anti-AfD political and NGO figures. I'm not a right winger, but this very biased. This DW reportage is aimed at English speakers. They failed to inform.

[zenster]

The West still has strong support for the AfD.

[Thesecret-telm]

"West german" DW tells east german why they are like they are?

One mistake about the German reunification can still be corrected is that west German public media took over, and it's still a problem. RBB don't even know the street names of former East Berlin correctly, and so on. The only fully eastern German regional public radio and TV channel MDR is also the one that has the highest rating among all the regional channels.

It would be super easy to let MDR form an additional national German public media channel, letting eastern German culture be part of all of Germany and not a regional exception. Also why not formalize ARD as having rightist views, ZDF as having neutral views, and as a country wide MDR having leftist views?

Also: AfD is just CDU on steroids, without religion.

[maxasaurus]

Extremism is what we should fear, right or left.

[ExplosiveSalami]

Far right = every opinion I don't like

[horstholztrager]

An interesting fact not mentioned is that the AfD is starting to make inroads in many states in 'West Germany' as well. I would disagree largely that people do not want to take responsibility for themselves (there are exceptions, for sure). One should also remember that the former "East German" states were Protestant and largely agrarian. They have a long history and tradition of rebelling against what they don't believe in, communism was only one aspect in many. Many of Germanies greatest thinkers, writers, and philosophers came from the ex East German states.

[tzaristalarmist]

Aren't the preferences of 1/6 of the nation or 1/3 of a federal state, by definition, not extreme but one branch of major public opinion?

If the use of the label is meant about the content of the ideas, regardless of the merits, then the use of the term extreme is pejorative and a political argument, not anything of objective value.

[orestezanardo]

The difference between East and West Germany goes back hundreds if not thousands of years. It starts with the roman conquest of the territories west of the river Rhine

[rrajan]

Poland is doing very very well, in fact it is expected to overtake UK in 5 years. So, what did these guys do?

[icephoenix]

More of the indigenous society resides there by percentage.

[nan]

They say white old men from Est Germany are reluctant to embrace the leftist ideology, however they didn`t try to explain why this is.

Here are a few reasons:
1. They lived in comunism (leftists wet dream)
2. They had to provide for their families and saw the hardship of unemployment after reunification, this is why they value job security and stability
3. They lived enough to know that war is not a solution no matter what (lots of people treat war as a football match)
4. They genuinely want the younger generation to have stability and a family of their own (this will reduce the current pressure on public services)

Now think about what the leftist are saying with “there is no more stability/predictability in current times” and why they are pushing for this.