Rise of the AfD Amid Refugee Crisis - Factors Strengthening Populist Forces
In the tumultuous political landscape of 2015, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) found itself at a crossroads. The party, originally formed around the Euro as a primary issue, was no longer resonating with the public. This shift, marked by the election of Frauke Petry as party spokesperson at the federal party congress in Essen, signalled a move away from the Euro and towards a more nationalist and right-wing orientation. This change was closely associated with the rise of Petry and the Flügel group within the party.
This intriguing period in the AfD's history is explored in detail in the documentary titled "[...]". The film, released in 2025, offers an inside look at the AfD between 2015 and 2017, featuring key figures such as Jörg Meuthen, Beatrix von Storch, Uwe Wurlitzer, André Poggenburg, Hans-Thomas Tillschneider, Steffen König, and others.
The documentary delves into the interplay between social mood, overwhelmed institutions, and a party that filled the emerging vacuum with populism, in reference to the AfD. It discusses internal power struggles and upheavals within the party, and how the refugee situation opened up a new topic that led to further radicalization of the AfD.
The rise of the AfD can be traced back to the massive refugee crisis of 2015, when a million people were fleeing from countries such as Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Albania. The federal government was initially indecisive about how to handle this challenge, and the overwhelmed bureaucracy provided an opportunity for the AfD to exploit the migration issue and gain political capital.
The documentary does not provide specific details about the radicalization of the AfD after 2017, nor does it discuss the peak of the AfD's success in the 2025 federal election. However, it does provide context for the mood of uncertainty and frustration in a part of the population that felt ignored by established politics, which was associated with the AfD's rise.
Victoria Rietig, a migration researcher, and journalists Robin Alexander, Justus Bender, and David Gebhard provide valuable context in the documentary. The film is a 45-minute long documentary, genre: Documentary, and can be watched here.
Angela Merkel's now-iconic words, "We can do it," at her summer press conference on August 31, 2015, increasingly provoked opponents of her refugee policy. The peak of the AfD's success was reached in the 2025 federal election result, marking their entry into the Bundestag in 2017.
However, the documentary does not discuss the peak of the AfD's success in the 2025 federal election, nor does it provide insight into the radicalization of the AfD after 2017. Sebastian Muschter, the then-head of the Berlin LAGeSo, views the events as a crisis of administration and a testament to the structural weaknesses of the German bureaucracy.
In conclusion, the documentary offers a comprehensive exploration of the AfD's shift in 2015 and the factors that contributed to their rise. It provides valuable context for understanding the political landscape of the time and the role of populism in German politics.
