Why the Beast Keeps Growing: Understanding the AfD’s Appeal — and What Might Stop It

Alternative für Deutschland is the far-right, populist party that continues to grow in the polls, no matter how controversial and scary their policies actually are

Non members can read this story here. This article is also available in German.

Call it what you will — the Alternative für Deutschland political party, also known as the AfD, Germany’s most successful postwar right-wing insurgency, or simply the political party that keeps turning Czech-mate into coalition angst — has only grown in popularity. Founded in 2013, in twelve years the AfD has gone from an East-German grievance party to a nationwide force that now chews into the vote shares of parties across the spectrum. The latest sign of that spread: in North Rhine-Westphalia the AfD nearly tripled its vote share compared with the last state contests, making sizable inroads in the country’s most populous state. It is also polling neck and neck with the CDU right now.

How did a party that was born in the economically struggling east become a national headache?

There are several, overlapping answers.

The politics of grievance
Much like MAGA, the AfD speaks the language of loss and grievance and further communicates this clearly, including…