East Germans' AfD support stems from post-reunification grievances, not an inherited authoritarian mentality
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/carolin-w-rfel. "I know why many east Germans vote AfD. And no, it’s not an inherited longing for dictatorship | Carolin Würfel | The Guardian." September 15, 2026. www.theguardian.com
The Gist
The author argues that east Germans aren't voting for the far-right AfD because they secretly long for dictatorship—instead, they're reacting to decades of being economically shortchanged and condescended to by the west since reunification. She says west Germany, which actually founded and leads much of the AfD, needs to look in the mirror too, instead of just blaming the east.
Conclusion
Many east Germans vote AfD not because of an inherited longing for dictatorship, but because of legitimate grievances rooted in the mishandled reunification process and ongoing west German condescension—and west Germans, who helped found and lead the AfD, bear equal responsibility for its rise.
Premises
- The AfD was founded in west Germany, and a large share of its leadership was born and raised in western states, showing the party is not purely an eastern phenomenon.
- Reunification was economically devastating for east Germans: 94% of East German companies were taken over by West German or international investors, only 6% remained with East Germans, and roughly 2 million jobs were eliminated.
- Reunification was imposed rather than negotiated, with laws and decisions dictated by the west, creating a lasting sense of being treated like a child by a 'wiser' western parent.
- AfD politicians like Ulrich Siegmund succeeded by tapping into feelings of being patronised and unheard, offering attention, recognition, and community (e.g., free food, parties) rather than substantive policy.
- Most AfD voters don't know or care about the party's actual programme; their support is driven by emotional validation ('I hear you, I see you') rather than ideological alignment.
- The narrative that west Germany has always been better at handling democracy and extremism (as argued by historian Magnus Brechtken) ignores these historical facts and avoids harder questions about west German responsibility for the party's rise and spread.
- Rightwing extremism in the east has been continuous since reunification (NPD, Pegida, AfD), suggesting unaddressed structural grievances rather than a fixed cultural trait.
Assumptions
- Economic and political grievances can sufficiently explain political extremism without invoking cultural or ideological predispositions.
- The framing of east German AfD support as revenge/grievance politics is a more accurate causal account than psychological or historical-cultural explanations.
- West German institutions and denazification efforts, despite their claims, have structural failures that allow extremist parties to flourish.
- Voters' stated or implied motivations (feeling patronised, wanting attention) can be reliably inferred from campaign rhetoric and the author's anecdotal observations.
- The AfD's success in the east is best explained by the region's particular history of inequality rather than any distinctive susceptibility of east Germans to authoritarianism.