Date of Graduation

5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

International and Global Studies

Advisor/Mentor

Alexandra Hagen

Committee Member

J. Laurence Hare

Second Committee Member

Jennifer Hoyer

Third Committee Member

Spencer Allen

Abstract

I examine the rise of the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) within the broader historical and ideological course of German nationalism. In doing so, I argue that following the Prussian-led unification of Germany in 1871, nationalism became entrenched as a constitutive feature of the German identity, not only as a political ideology, but also as a foundational sociocultural framework. Rather than emerging sporadically, nationalism persisted in a latent form throughout Germany’s modern history; latent in that nationalism could be reactivated and shaped through the intentional efforts of particular political parties during periods of sociopolitical and economic strain. To analyze this phenomenon, I integrate various historical, philosophical, and political frameworks along with Girja Mookerjee’s Four Principal Problems model. Moreover, the AfD’s recent electoral success reflects the historical continuity of nationalism. Through the use of strategic populist and nativist rhetoric, the AfD mobilizes narratives of cultural threat, political isolation, economic inequality, and fear centered around migration. Such narratives are especially pronounced in the former East German states, indicative of the persistent ideological clash between the East and the West. In virtue of these narratives, the AfD neither constructs a new national identity nor a unique nationalist ideology, but rather mobilizes historically embedded elements of the German identity. Ultimately, I conclude that the AfD’s rise is best understood as the contemporary manifestation of a deeply entrenched, yet politically malleable, sense of nationalism. If left unchecked, this phenomenon poses significant risks to Germany’s democratic foundations and involvement with the European Union.

Keywords

Alternative für Deutschland; nationalism; identity; populist; nativist; migration

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