Sophie Schmalenberger, a PhD candidate at Aarhus University’s Department of Global Studies, joins “Right Rising” to comprehensively break down the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. Along with host James F. Downes, she takes us on a deep dive into the significance of the contemporary German political landscape and the ideological evolution of the AfD. Schmalenberger discusses her latest research on the party and the important regional differences (West vs. East) that have historically underpinned German politics.
Schmalenberger also looks at the landmark electoral success of the AfD in becoming the first modern far-right party to achieve electoral representation in the Bundestag, the German national parliament, in the 2017 national parliamentary election. She then discusses the current COVID-19 situation in German politics and what this means for the future of the AfD.
*[Fair Observer is a media partner of the Centre for Analysis of the Radical Right. Click here for a full list of episodes. This episode first aired in December 2020.]
The views expressed in this post are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Fair Observer’s editorial policy.










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