With the recent elections in Germany, there is a clear growth in favor of populist leaders. The election saw record-breaking voter turnout, with 82.5% of eligible voters participating. This is a significant jump from 76.6% in 2021. This shows that the German public is growing concerned about the current state of the government and economy since the German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier dissolved the German parliament to prepare for the February 2025 elections. He did this at the request of Chancellor Olaf Scholz, after his three-way coalition with his Social Democrat party, the Free Democrats, and the Green Party fell apart.

There has been a significant amount of instability in the normally very stable German government cause by the collapse of the government. This collapse led to a great feeling of uncertainty for the coming months, especially the election. The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) won the majority of seats in Germany’s parliament. However, the big winner from the election was the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. The AfD is a far-right political group, led by populist leaders. The CDU won 28.6% of seats, but the AfD was not far behind at 20.8%. This is double the percent they previously had. 

In order to have full majority in the German parliament, or the Bundestag, the CDU will have to align with another party. Having already ruled out the AfD, this leaves a two-way coalition with Social Democrats (SPD). Whoever they decide to align with will ultimately determine what kind of coalition government Germany could have. The CDU ruling out a coalition with the AfD is a promising sign. However, several parties have already worked with the AfD to pass bills. This cooperation could be the beginnings of a disaster for the Bundestag if the AfD is able to join a majority coalition somewhere down the line. 

The AfD became the first far-right party to win this many seats in the Bundestag since World War II. The last time a far-right party took over Germany, it ended with Hitler and the Nazis murdering millions of people. While this does not currently seem to be the same case, it is still important to remember Germany’s history with far-right leaders. While it may not end the same as last time, populism is still a killer of democracy. According to What is Populism by Jan-Werner Müller, populists use the wants and interests of the “common people” to rise to power, stating that elites have too much power and are not representing the people. They claim that they are the only ones that can truly represent the people. Populism uses democratic processes, such as elections, to hide that they are inherently anti-democratic. In defining the people, populists often exclude a lot of people, e.g., those that disagree with them. This is anti-democratic

It slowly takes over and eats away at the democratic processes before anyone can realize what has happened. Despite this and the research done, people still elect populist leaders into power. Researchers know what populism does to democracy, yet populists are still going unchecked. According to “How Democracies Fall Apart” by Taylor and Frantz, from 1945 to 1999, 64% of democracies fell apart as the result of coups. For the last two decades, populism has been on the rise, and from 2006 to 2016, populist-feuled authoritarianization, or the “dismantling of democratic norms and practices by democratically elected leaders,” accounted for 40% of anti-democratic trends.

While populist leaders may not be doing exactly the same as Hitler and the Nazis, AfD leaders like Björn Höcke are echoing Nazi sentiments and inspiring people to take radical action. One of the party’s biggest issues is immigration. They have been promoting anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim sentiments for years. Some people have taken it upon themselves, inspired by the AfD, to commit attacks on immigrants, Muslims, and Jews. In 2019, a pro-refugee politician, Walter Lübcke, was assassinated by a neo-Nazi gunman.

Just months after this attack, another gunman struck. This time, it was on the Jewish religious holiday of Yom Kippur in the city of Halle. While reading the Torah in the synagogue, members started to hear a gunman trying to shoot his way into the building with the intention of killing everyone inside. Unable to break in, he shot and killed two passersby on the street. 

Months after the attack in Halle, there was another attack in the city of Hanau. A gunman opened fire on two people, killing them. He then went to a hookah bar where he killed a third. He went to his car, the kiosk, and the Arena Bar, killing three more people. Inside the Arena Bar, he shot two more people, before returning home to shoot his mother and himself. Of the nine people he murdered, all were of migrant background. Six of which were Muslim. He attacked in this area for a purpose: to kill migrants and make a statement. 

Before this killing spree, the killer, Tobias Rathjen, posted a video of himself online talking about far-right conspiracy theories. He posted his manifesto, stating that Muslims need to be wiped out of Germany altogether. He was fueled by the far-right rhetoric and propaganda from the AfD party and its leaders. The social media aspect is also fueling this migrant hatred, as well. Through sites like Telegram and Whatsapp, people are able to form chat rooms where they discuss the attacks and promote other radical far-right ideas. 

Populism has taken a stronghold in Germany, especially in the area of Thuringia. Is there any way to reverse the damage or, at least, prevent any more damage from being done? It is important for Germany to invest in proper political education, especially in the younger generation and those that are voting for populist leaders. The reason people choose these leaders is because they are especially appealing to them by saying that they are a party for the “common folk.” But, if the government would address the concerns of these people more head-on, they could prevent the rise of populism. It is also important to have proper education of the implications this has for its democracy. 

While defense of democracy in Germany is a battle, it is merely a reflection of what is happening in the rest of Europe. Populist leaders are taking over in many European countries, and they are only supporting and helping one another. Before anyone can realize it, democracy will have eroded far beyond the point of salvation.