Presenter(s)

Mitchell O'Brien

Comments

9:00-10:15, Kennedy Union Ballroom

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Description

Right-wing nationalism has been on the rise in Germany in the last twenty years. A range of factors have contributed to this, similar to factors in Europe and around the globe. While the mainstream parties have traditionally had a firewall policy, the “Brandmauer,” recent events have seen that weaken. The far right has polled well among older and younger Germans, as well as in the states that made up the former East Germany. Germany’s economic stagnation and immigration policies have led to distrust and disillusion with the government and other mainstream parties. Because of this rise it is important to explore how the mainstream German political parties have responded. As one of Europe’s largest and wealthiest democracies, it is important to see how the mainstream shifts policy positions and talking points. If Germany normalizes far right parties, then there is no telling how both large democracies and smaller states will interact with more fringe elements of their societies. By using academic research, economic data, opinion polling and recent election results, I will explore how rightwing nationalism has shaped the current German political discourse. It is important to examine the rise of right-wing nationalism, as it will help understand the current global political undercurrents.

Publication Date

4-23-2025

Project Designation

Capstone Project

Primary Advisor

Masha I. Kisel

Primary Advisor's Department

Global Languages and Cultures

Keywords

Stander Symposium, College of Arts and Sciences

Institutional Learning Goals

Critical Evaluation of Our Times; Scholarship

German Mainstream Political Response to the Rise of Far-Right Nationalism

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