Germany's Far-Right Gains Are Not 'Historic' in a European Context

The far-right has been rising in Europe -- it's up to mainstream parties to respond.

A mass gathering against the AfD in Stuttgart, Germany in January 2024. (Creative Commons 4.0/Wikimedia Commons/Fyrtaarn)

On September 1, Alternative für Deutschland came in first in a German state parliamentary election, the first time a far-right party has done so since World War II. It is now the strongest party in the eastern state of Thuringia, and second strongest in neighboring Saxony. However, its chance of governing in either of these states is slim: while winning nearly a third of the votes, all major parties have pledged that they will not join in a coalition with the AfD.

On election night, the AfD's top candidate in Thuringia, Björn Höcke, hailed his party's victory as a "historic success." News headlines echoed that the win was historic, though somewhat more ominously than Höcke, who has been repeatedly fined for using Nazi slogans. While it is understandable to be wary at the rise of a German far-right party, its rise is not unusual given how the far-right has risen -- and become mainstream -- in many European countries.