The world repudiated fascism in World War II, but extremism returns to my country Germany

Sometimes, you can see clearer from afar. I find this especially to be true when it comes to observing the role your native country has on you – and evaluating events at home.

As a German journalist, I am currently based in Nashville for two amazing months thanks to a fellowship for young journalists, and I am embedded at The Tennessean to experience American journalism culture.

So when two states in the former communist East Germany had elections recently, I watched from afar. The results came as no surprise but were nonetheless shocking for me: The far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, was very successful in both states.

Extremism prevails despite the lessons from World War II

Less than eight decades after the Allied Forces ended Nazi Germany, these results fill me with shame as a German. Explaining the developments to my American colleagues, I could not help but feel guilty by association although no one suggested this to me. It was just a feeling I had, although I wasn’t even eligible to vote.

The pivotal phrase “never again” can be heard often in German politics and society and refers to lessons learned from the atrocious crime of the Holocaust committed by Nazi Germany – but it becomes more and more hollow in the face of the AfD’s rise.

In Thuringia, the AfD had its best statewide showing ever with nearly 33% of the vote. The party came in first place since no other traditional party had more votes – although the Thuringia state chapter is classified as “extremist” by Germany’s domestic intelligence. In Saxony, the AfD gained 31% of votes.

Interestingly, the newly founded and extremist left party called Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance also had a very successful night, with winning 16% of the vote in Thuringia and 12% in Saxony.

This problem is not contained to the east of Germany

Only about 7% of all Germans were eligible to vote in these two state elections. But it would be a mistake to – once again – look down on Germany’s former east and classify the problem of rising extremism as “a problem of the East,” as many Germans in the western part of the country like to do.

Germans should rather see this as a warning sign and a trend foreshadowing a development that could engulf the whole country. The AfD is popular throughout the nation and we as a nation have to tackle this problem.

The traditional parties have to win back voters – not by copying the extremists’ agenda but by finding compatible policies that combat the rising economic and social divide and investing heavily in education and equal opportunities for the young.

And with all due respect for voting rights: Although voters might be dissatisfied with their current politicians, they must pull themselves together and understand that voting for a right-wing extremist party is no acceptable solution.

Angela Gruber is a German journalist and reporter embedded with The Tennessean in Nashville, as a recipient of the Arthur F. Burns Fellowship for international journalists. She works for Der SPIEGEL in Hamburg, Germany. Call her at (615) 364-4325 or email her at angela.gruber@spiegel.de.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: German election of extremists sends a warning to democracies worldwide