The Rise of the AfD and the Choice of Radicalism
Founded in 2013, the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) has become increasingly radical as crises have unfolded. Since 2015-2016 and the massive influx of immigrants into Germany, it has positioned itself as a virulently anti-migrant party and continues to consolidate its foothold in the German political system, particularly in parliaments. While its roots are very strong in the eastern regions, where its main strongholds are located, it is also attracting more and more voters in the west, against an overall backdrop of normalization of the far right and a national context marked by strong economic and political destabilization.
According to opinion polls, the far-right party could achieve an unprecedented score in the early parliamentary elections on February 23, 2025. Although kept out of power by an anti-extremist consensus – albeit one that has been severely shaken in recent weeks – the AfD has a degree of blocking power and has steadily extended its influence through its policy of entry into political and public institutions and its propensity to ally itself with the most radical forces in the pre-political arena. The current election campaign is being used as a vehicle to disseminate its ethno-nationalist program based on anti-European, racist and security-oriented sovereignty, anti-social economic liberalism and an ultraconservative vision of society. It is led by a candidate, Alice Weidel, whose profile within the AfD is very atypical. Adulated by her supporters for her “disruptive” communication, she is conducting a very controlled campaign and is benefiting as much from powerful support from abroad as from the extreme polarization of the political debate in Germany on the issue of migration.
Valérie Dubslaff is a graduate of the École Normale Supérieure with the Agrégation and holds a doctorate in German studies and contemporary history. Since 2018, she has been a Maîtresse de conférences in German civilization at the University of Rennes 2 / ERIMIT. Her research focuses on the history of women and gender, as well as the evolution of the far right in Germany after 1945.
- This publication is available in French (pdf): "La montée en puissance de l’extrême droite : l’AfD et le choix de la radicalité"
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Notes du Cerfa, No. 184, Ifri, February 2025
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The Rise of the AfD and the Choice of Radicalism
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The Study Committee on Franco-German Relations (Cerfa) was created in 1954 by an inter-governmental agreement between the Federal Republic of Germany and France, in order to raise awareness of Germany in France and analyze Franco-German relations, including in their European and international dimensions. In its conferences and seminars, which bring together experts, political leaders, senior decision-makers and representatives of civil society from both countries, Cerfa develops the Franco-German debate and stimulates political proposals. It regularly publishes studies through two collections: Cerfa notes and studies as well as Franco-German visions.
Cerfa maintains close relations with the network of German foundations and think tanks. In addition to its research and debate activities, Cerfa promotes the emergence of a new Franco-German generation through original cooperation programs. This is how in 2021-2022, Cerfa led a program on multilateralism with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Paris. This program is aimed at young professionals from both countries interested in the issues of multilateralism in the context of their activities. It covered a wide range of themes relating to multilateralism, such as international trade, health, human rights and migration, non-proliferation and disarmament. Previously, Cerfa had participated in the Franco-German future dialogue, co-led with the DGAP from 2007 to 2020, and supported by the Robert Bosch Foundation and the Daniel Vernet group (formerly the Franco-German Reflection Group) which was founded in 2014 upon the initiative of the Genshagen Foundation.
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