We are the People

Recent years have seen a populist wave across the Western world, exposing the vulnerabilities of liberal democracy and driving the political agenda to the right. In 2017 the far-right populist party, the Alternative for Germany (AfD), swept into the Bundestag, positioning itself as the voice of the people against a corrupt liberal elite and making waves with a series of extremist statements and rejection of the post-war political consensus. "We are the People" examines the sudden growth and radicalisation of the AfD, from its eurosceptic beginnings in 2013 to its evolution into a far-right populist party with an influential extremist, ethno-pluralist wing. Their use of inflammatory, xenophobic and even Nazi-era language has raised fears that, once again, Germany has a right-extremist party in parliament. Bochum explains the group's ideology and programme - which, in common with populists in other countries, offers simplistic solutions and proposes no real alternative, but which has its own distinct character, based on German experiences and German history. Worldwide political and economic insecurity make it impossible to rule support for the AfD growing in years to come and Bochum examines ways in which experiences in both Germany and the UK illustrate how populism can be held back, warning against the absorbtion of the populist agenda by the political mainstream.