Analysis of the Alternative for Germany’s controversial vocabulary: from the far right to the definition of fascism

(Central News Agency, Berlin, June 6, Comprehensive Foreign News Report) The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD)'s victory in the local elections caused shock. The controversy surrounding this controversy is filled with terms such as far-right and fascist. Deutsche Welle (DW) specially compiled a glossary and let scholars analyze the meaning and applicability of these labels in depth.

Far-right extremist

The AfD is often classified as a "far-right extremist party," however, this term is not clearly defined. In the broadest sense, it means a party whose positions are far to the right of the center of the political spectrum.

Far-right parties are often associated with strong nationalism, racism, authoritarian views of the state, and rejection of liberal and pluralistic societies.

Armin Pfahl-Traughber, a political scientist at the Federal University of Applied Administrative Sciences in Germany and one of the leading scholars on extremism in Germany, believes that far-right parties are not necessarily anti-democratic.

In an interview with Deutsche Welle, he explained why he believes that the term "far-right extremist" is more appropriate when discussing the AfD: "When it comes to rejecting the core values of modern democracy, such as democratic institutions, separation of powers, human rights and pluralism, and overemphasis on ethnic identity, I will use the label 'far-right extremist.'"

In his view, the AfD has undergone transformation since its founding in 2013. He said: "Originally, it started as a right-wing democratic party with a small number of far-right extremists. Over the years, it has evolved into a far-right extremist party, with only a few right-wing democrats remaining within it."

Right-wing populist

The word "populism" comes from the Latin word populus, which means "the people." In addition, the word has no clear definition and is often used to describe politicians or political parties who try to cater to the public.

Fal-Tobel pointed out that right-wing populism has several core characteristics: it regards the people as a single entity (thus rejecting pluralism) and sets up the opposition between "them" and "us", which usually means "the people" against the "elite".

In addition, right-wing populists often try to get closer to the "common people" directly and claim to know what the people think and want. This term is also often used to describe the AfD because the AfD's political style shows these distinctive characteristics.

Right-wing conservative

The term "right-wing conservative" is usually used for politicians or parties that emphasize conservative values such as hometown and traditional family, as well as nationalism, a strong state, and "law and order."

Unlike right-wing extremists, right-wing conservatives do not necessarily view the people as a racially or ethnically monolithic community. Generally speaking, these people accept the basic principles of democracy and the existing constitutional order.

However, there have been anti-democratic movements originating from right-wing conservatism in history: for example, supporters of the "conservative revolution" in Germany, represented by Oswald Spengler, Ernst Jünger and Carl Schmitt. These scholars rejected parliamentarism, modernity, and social pluralism, and called for a state ruled by authoritarian leaders.

blood nationalism (Völkisch)

Völkisch is the adjective form of the German noun das Volk, which means "people or nation"; however, since the end of the 19th century, das Volk has been used to refer to an ethnic community of pure blood, and it has been strongly anti-Semitic from the beginning.

This blood nationalist movement was the precursor to the brutal National Socialist movement led by Adolf Hitler.

Today, politicians and experts accuse the AfD of holding ethnic supremacist views because AfD party officials have repeatedly divided Germans into two categories: those with immigrant backgrounds and those without.

Fascist

This term describes an extreme political stance that appeals to nationalism and an anti-democratic worldview. It is derived from the Italian word fascio, which means "to bind".

Originally, this was a self-title associated with the movement of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini in the early 20th century.

The core characteristics of fascism under Mussolini included ultranationalism, support for the principle of leadership, rejection of democratic institutions, and glorification of violence and war. National Socialism in Germany, led by Hitler, drew on the Italian fascist movement and was subsequently classified by historians as an extreme form of fascism.

Today's application of the term to far-right extremist movements remains controversial in academic circles.

"In most cases, the groups involved cannot be equated with Hitler's or Mussolini's movements," Farr-Tobel contends. Many academic colleagues agree with this assessment.

"Suspected case of right-wing extremism"

This label is used by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, an intelligence agency in Germany, where the AfD has been listed as a suspected case of right-wing extremism.

Falr-Tobel explained the meaning of this classification: "It means that there are concrete reasons to suspect an intention to undermine the basic order of liberal democracy, and these reasons require further investigation."

According to the findings of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the AfD violated the German constitution by trying to give Germans with immigrant backgrounds a secondary legal status. This determination was upheld by the Münster Higher Administrative Court in 2024.

"Confirmed right-wing extremist"

Fal-Tobel said that the classification of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution is "the conclusion after an assessment that the relevant political actors are indeed extremists."

In Germany, this classification has real legal consequences, meaning that "intelligence agency means will be used to monitor this party in the future," including monitoring phone communications or gathering intelligence through informants.

In addition, members of political parties listed as "confirmed cases of right-wing extremism" may be refused employment as teachers, police officers or soldiers because their loyalty to the constitution cannot be guaranteed.

The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution's assessment of the AfD as a "confirmed case of right-wing extremism" is currently under judicial review by the Cologne Administrative Court.