President Trump’s historic landslide victory over Kamala Harris in November made one thing abundantly clear to me: the United States had entered a new era of Conservatism. The republican party now has the majority of the House, Senate, and Supreme Court. Mandatory prayer in schools is being reinstated and stricter abortion laws are being put in place.  All in all the ‘MAGA’ movement is stronger than ever. But we are not the only country turning further and further away from the left, it’s actually happening just about everywhere. Most notably, in Germany. 

The ‘Alternative for Germany’ party, or AFD, has been around for over a decade now but has grown exponentially in the past year. They’re party identifies as a right-wing populist party that is Pro-russian and anti-immigration. More specifically, they’re anti-Muslim immigration. And after the German election that took place on Monday, they now are the second largest party in the country. 

What I find interesting is that their party is represented by Alice Weidel, a middle aged gay woman married to a woman born in Sri Lanka. These two details feel so contrasted to what everything her party stands for, due to their extreme thoughts on immigration and the “traditional family”. Their plan for mass deportation and the restoration of the Deutsche mark is a valid cause for panic, as it was quite well received, particularly in Eastern Germany where unemployment and crime has skyrocketed in recent years. Nearly one in three voters chose the AFD in this region. 

So why should Americans be concerned about this? It’s a complex issue but mostly because this is the most support that has been given to a far-right party in Germany since World War 2. And as history repeats itself again and again, we often see common links in the western world of politics. The rise of neo-Nazis’ presence in America during Trump’s first presidency had many minority groups living in fear. This election just goes to show that conservatism is growing exponentially not just on a national level, but a global one.