Date of Award

2018

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Harvey, David

Area of Concentration

German Studies

Abstract

This work investigates why and how the Alternative für Deutschland was able to achieve electoral success in the 2017 Bundestagswahl as well as the implications of this election. The factors that contributed to the AfD’s success were the issues of the East-West divide, xenophobia and integration, Euroscepticism, and dissatisfaction with the German and European political elite. The historical background provided in the first chapter and the election results reported in the second were used to make sense of why the AfD was able to perform so well in the election. From there, the study ties the AfD’s party platform to the issues raised above and explains how they used their platform to gain vote share. Finally, the post-election proceedings, struggle to form a new coalition, and eventual coalition agreement are discussed, followed by the implications of the 2017 election. The study found that the internal divide and concern regarding the European Union and immigration contributed to the success of an emboldened right-wing, which bodes ill for German parliamentary procedures.

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