The Enlightenment Driven Away: Right-wing Radicalism in the United States and Germany

Within a span of four months, radical right-wing demonstrators clashed with law enforcement as they stormed the seats of two of the world's most powerful legislative bodies the U.S. Congress and the German Bundestag. These incidents are the latest manifestation of a phenomenon that has increasingly threatened American and German democracy alike: political extremism. Political divisions have been deepening in democracies the world over, but radical movements in Germany and the United States share many ideological and behavioral similarities. In both countries, right-wing extremist groups are driven by disdain for foreigners, suspicion of liberal government and globalism, tension between state and federal levels of government, and resentment over increasing racial diversity. Such groups in the United States and Germany have also made extensive efforts to radicalize and recruit members of military and law enforcement communities, taking advantage of their military training and access to weapons. Despite the parallels between German and American political extremism, implicit support for extremist activity among the public and elected officials is significantly less prominent in Germany than in the United States. My research will seek to explain this disparity by comparing elements of German and American society such as political parties, policies regarding political speech, national security structures, and popular political media that have generated different outcomes in the fight against political extremism. In drawing these comparisons, I will identify specific policies, strategies, structures, and behaviors that have led to Germany's relative success over the United States at curtailing political extremism within its populace.