Germany's Unfinished Denazification and the Resurgence of Far-Right Extremism

Monday 11 March 2024 - 12:40

Amidst predictions of a 22% vote share for the far-right AfD party in the upcoming European elections and ongoing protests against the "remigration" project, historian Emmanuel Droit asserts in an op-ed for Le Monde that Germany faces a persistent far-right problem that cannot be ignored.

As Germany commemorates the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in 2025, it also grapples with an accelerated erosion of the foundations that facilitated its post-1945 rebirth and departure from the pitfalls of nationalism and genocidal imperialism. Coined in the 1970s, the "German model" embodies a comprehensive political, economic, social, and geopolitical system characterized by efficiency, consensus, and stability. For decades, it served as a guiding principle for French political and economic elites seeking to emulate Germany's success.

However, the integrity of the "German house" is now under serious threat due to a confluence of events – including the war in Ukraine and its energy ramifications, the imperative of ecological transition, and the resurgence of the far-right – which collectively challenge the very essence of this "German model."

The declaration of a "Zeitenwende" (change of era) by Social Democratic Chancellor Olaf Scholz on February 27, 2022, signifies a moment of uncertainty and apprehension for Germany as it confronts an increasingly unpredictable global landscape. This pivotal juncture necessitates a "return to history," prompting a reassessment of its political-military and economic strategies to assume significant geopolitical responsibilities within Europe.

This "shock of responsibility" looms large, particularly in light of Germany's tumultuous 20th-century history, marked by two world wars, two genocides in Africa and Europe, and four decades of artificial division into two states.

"The Merkel years," spanning from 2005 to 2021, represented both the pinnacle and the commencement of the decline of the "Modell Deutschland." In 2013, German jurist Christoph Schönberger observed that Germany had inadvertently assumed a "hegemonic power" status within Europe. The era of the Berlin Republic concurrently epitomized a stable parliamentary democracy resilient to extremist inclinations, a globally integrated and efficient economy, and a society characterized by consensual and trust-based relationships among diverse social groups.