3️⃣ Weak Party Attachments 🗳️
Unlike West Germans, who have decades of partisan tradition, East Germans only began voting for (West) German parties 34 years ago. Without deep-rooted party loyalties, new parties—like the AfD—can attract voters more easily.
Unlike West Germans, who have decades of partisan tradition, East Germans only began voting for (West) German parties 34 years ago. Without deep-rooted party loyalties, new parties—like the AfD—can attract voters more easily.
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East Germans went through a double transition: political and economic. Wages and pensions in the East are still lower than in the West, and East Germans remain underrepresented in politics. This fuels resentment and distrust.
https://www.tagesschau.de/wirtschaft/arbeitsmarkt/lohnluecke-ost-west-100.html
The AfD has successfully undermined trust in traditional media and moved its supporters into closed social media spaces that spread misinformation and propaganda. This has mobilized and radicalized voters, making them harder for mainstream parties to reach.
BUT still doesn't explain why other East European countries (who have had same or much worse time post 1990) did not or do not turn to far right to the extent that East German states do and these states got got the most support post 1990.
Nostalgia is a dangerous drug.
But why the AfD? Other flavours of populism are available.
I worry we are still not accepting that there is a deep rooted problem with nazi ideology in the East. People vote for it today like they did in 1930 Thuringia. They like nazis.
"Tough on fascism, tough on the causes of fascism."
https://datajournal.org/schon-wieder/
My opinion.
https://bsky.app/profile/grusel20.bsky.social/post/3livumcho722j
Age 60+ voters in East Germany who lived in the GDR and witnessed the transition as adults have been rather stable and mostly democratic voters.