It has been 65 years since the Berlin Wall abruptly divided a city and a nation. On August 13, 1961, over 10,000 police and military personnel initiated the construction of the wall, which physically separated East and West Germany, dividing streets, neighborhoods, families, and ideologies. Before its collapse 28 years later, at least 140 individuals lost their lives due to the wall, including escapees, bystanders, and border guards.
“No one could have foreseen that it would stand for 28 years,” remarked Hartmut Richter, whose family was stranded in the East on that fateful Sunday morning. Richter managed to flee to West Berlin in 1966 by swimming across a frigid river, later aiding 33 others to escape East Germany in the trunk of his car.
Today, Richter views his struggle for freedom as more than a memory; he sees it as a cautionary tale. “I am concerned for the freedom we enjoy here.”
This freedom could confront a significant challenge in the upcoming state elections, with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party poised for a breakthrough. Analysts suggest that the AfD has effectively exploited long-standing divisions between East and West Germany, portraying itself as the defender of East German identity while advocating for radical policies that challenge Germany’s post-war democratic principles.
Recent research, such as a study by the economic institute DIW Berlin, correlates the AfD’s rise with economic disparities, demographic shifts, and collective grievances in the eastern states of the country.
“It’s ironic that while we talk about reunification and becoming a unified nation, we now have a party that is actively dividing German society,” remarked Justus Bender, a Frankfurt-based journalist and political expert specializing in the AfD.
Sixty-five years after the Berlin Wall divided Germans between east and west, and over 30 years after its fall heralded reunification, Germany faces new divisions as the far right Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) party surges in popularity, especially in the formerly communist east.
Opinion polls indicate that the AfD is likely to secure a majority in the state election on September 6 in Saxony-Anhalt, eastern Germany.
If successful, this would mark the first instance since World War II of a far-right party holding such a position. “This is a party that is right-wing extremist, xenophobic, and has been deemed anti-constitutional by courts,” stated Sabine Sparwasser, Germany’s former ambassador to Canada. “The appeal of such a party in Germany