Historian: AfD's Rise Echoes Weimar Republic's Political Dynamics

Historian Eckart Conze sees worrying echoes of the past in Germany's current political landscape, particularly concerning the rise of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. When presented with recent polling data showing the AfD at 27 percent, ahead of the CDU at 23 percent and the SPD at 13 percent, Conze acknowledges that the parallels to the Weimar Republic are striking.

Conze points out that the AfD's trajectory in recent years reflects the political dynamics observed during the final years of the Weimar Republic. However, he emphasizes that the historical situation unfolded at a much faster pace. The Nazi Party, for instance, grew from a fringe party with 2.6 percent in 1928 to its peak of 37.4 percent in the July 1932 elections, a dramatic surge within just four years.

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Yes, because the rise of the AfD certainly reflects the dynamics in the final years of the Weimar Republic – only that it happened much faster back then.

While the AfD's growth has been significant, Conze attributes the extreme speed of the Nazi Party's ascent partly to the unparalleled intensity of the crisis following the 1929 stock market crash. This historical context serves as a stark reminder of how rapidly political landscapes can shift during periods of economic and social instability, prompting reflection on contemporary political trends.

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This speed also had to do with the unequally greater intensity of the crisis after the stock market crash of 1929.