I do not think that generalisation quite holds. The Left was never part of a federal government, and the party consistently advocated higher wages, stronger workers’ rights, and broader social protections.
That said, to be fair, The Left was often part of state governments in eastern Germany. In that context, it did have at least limited opportunities to legislate in favour of ordinary people. Many of those people nevertheless grew frustrated and felt let down, because their economic situation did not improve under left-led governments. I would argue, however, that this is only secondary. Primarily, I’d say the rise of the AfD is due to factors rooted in federal politics, flawed decisions made after German reunification, globalisation, deficits regarding political education, and in more recent years: Russian influence.
I do not think that generalisation quite holds. The Left was never part of a federal government, and the party consistently advocated higher wages, stronger workers’ rights, and broader social protections.
That said, to be fair, The Left was often part of state governments in eastern Germany. In that context, it did have at least limited opportunities to legislate in favour of ordinary people. Many of those people nevertheless grew frustrated and felt let down, because their economic situation did not improve under left-led governments. I would argue, however, that this is only secondary. Primarily, I’d say the rise of the AfD is due to factors rooted in federal politics, flawed decisions made after German reunification, globalisation, deficits regarding political education, and in more recent years: Russian influence.