Germany's AfD: A New Face for the Working Class, or a Nationalist Disguise for Neoliberalism?

The political landscape in Germany is undergoing a significant transformation, with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) making unprecedented inroads into segments of the electorate traditionally aligned with the left. Once primarily known for its Euroscepticism and free-market leanings, the AfD has increasingly garnered support among working-class voters, prompting a critical examination of whether it has evolved into a "neoliberal workers' party" – a seemingly paradoxical label that challenges conventional political classifications. This shift raises profound questions about the party's evolving economic platform, the motivations of its new voter base, and the broader implications for German society and its established political order.

The Shifting Sands of AfD's Economic Platform

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) emerged in 2013, initially championed by free-market economists and critics of the euro and European integration. Its foundational economic platform was decidedly liberal, advocating for reduced state intervention, tax cuts, and a rejection of euro bailouts. Early proposals included resisting the introduction of a minimum wage, demanding cuts to social welfare, and advocating for tax reductions for businesses and inheritors. The party's economic vision, influenced by the concept of ordoliberalism, aimed for a "free market economy with a social perspective" reminiscent of Ludwig Erhard's post-war model, emphasizing a competitive order that could, by design, produce and justify social differences.

However, the AfD's economic rhetoric has evolved, particularly after a leadership split in 2015 that saw many economically liberal members depart. The party began to incorporate more social-populist themes, though often through a nationalist lens. While still pushing for policies like abolishing wealth and inheritance taxes and opposing mandatory pension contributions, the AfD has strategically addressed social concerns. For instance, its "Blue Deal" stimulus program in 2021 projected substantial GDP growth and tax relief, framed as an ordoliberal return to prosperity. Despite these efforts, critics, including mainstream economists and industry leaders, warn that key AfD policies—such as exiting the euro and the EU, rejecting renewable energy expansion, and an anti-immigration stance—would severely damage the German economy, lead to job losses, and undermine the nation's innovation capacity.

The Blue-Collar Backlash: Why Workers Turn Right

A striking development in recent German elections is the AfD's burgeoning appeal among blue-collar workers and union members, a demographic traditionally loyal to the Social Democrats (SPD) or the Left Party. Recent exit polls reveal significant support, with one showing 38% of manual workers nationally voting for the AfD in February 2025. In once-unshakable SPD strongholds like Gelsenkirchen, a former coal-mining hub, the AfD has secured nearly a quarter of the votes, marking a profound shift in political allegiance. In the June 2024 EU elections, 33% of workers cast their ballot for the AfD, and in the 2021 federal election, 12.2% of union members supported the party.

This migration of working-class voters towards the far-right is driven by a complex interplay of factors. Many workers view their vote for the AfD as a protest against established parties, expressing a deep sense of alienation and disappointment with the political mainstream. A pervasive fear of social decline, alongside concerns about rising living costs and the ability to maintain their standard of living, resonates strongly with AfD voters, with 75% of them citing such financial anxieties. Beyond economic grievances, cultural issues, particularly immigration and domestic security, serve as powerful mobilization factors for the AfD, often overshadowing purely economic considerations. The party effectively links perceived social inequality with immigration, capitalizing on existing anxieties. This "social populist" approach, which combines social concerns with nationalist sentiments and prioritizes benefits for "Germans first," has proved potent in attracting working-class support, despite potential contradictions with the party's underlying economic principles.

Neoliberalism with a Nationalist Twist? Deconstructing the Label

The assertion that the AfD is a "neoliberal workers' party" presents a paradox. On one hand, its economic tenets clearly align with neoliberalism: a commitment to deregulation, reduced state spending, privatization, and significant tax cuts for corporations and high earners. This foundational adherence to market-radical principles is particularly evident in its advocacy for ordoliberalism, an economic philosophy that champions competition and limited state intervention, even if it leads to social disparities.

Yet, the "workers' party" aspect is more complex. While the AfD actively woos the working class, its economic policies are often demonstrably against the material interests of its less affluent supporters. Academic analyses indicate that the AfD's anti-redistribution policies would disproportionately benefit higher-income groups. The party's "winning formula" is described not as an economic platform tailored for workers, but as a blend of "extreme authoritarian cultural policies" spiced with anti-establishment rhetoric and a general opposition to redistribution. This suggests that the AfD appeals less through direct economic benefits for the working class and more through a nationalist framing of economic anxieties and cultural grievances, offering a sense of protest and identity. The concept of "social patriotism" advanced by some within the party, which addresses real social grievances but frames solutions within a nationalist context, exemplifies this approach.

Alarming Implications and Mainstream Reaction

The AfD's rising influence, particularly its appeal to working-class voters, carries significant implications for Germany's economic future and its democratic institutions. Industry leaders and economic experts have voiced serious concerns, warning that the party's policies, such as a potential "Dexit" (Germany leaving the EU) and opposition to renewable energies, could lead to economic decline, job losses, and undermine the country's competitiveness. Furthermore, the AfD's strong anti-immigration stance poses a direct threat to Germany's need for skilled foreign workers amid demographic challenges, potentially deterring talent and investment.

Traditional trade unions, historically guardians of workers' rights, find themselves in a precarious position. They consistently oppose the AfD, citing its anti-employee policies, xenophobic ideologies, and the risk of cultural divisions within the workforce. However, unions face the challenge of a growing number of their own members voting for the AfD, with some reports even indicating membership losses due to the unions' explicit anti-AfD stance. This reflects a broader crisis for mainstream parties and institutions that are struggling to understand and address the deep-seated frustrations driving working-class voters towards the far-right.

Conclusion

The Alternative for Germany's evolving trajectory highlights a complex phenomenon in modern German politics. While the party's economic platform retains significant neoliberal characteristics—advocating for limited state intervention, tax cuts, and anti-redistribution policies—its increasing appeal to working-class voters is not solely, or even primarily, driven by shared economic interests. Instead, the AfD leverages a potent mix of anti-establishment sentiment, anxieties about economic security, and, critically, cultural issues like immigration and national identity, framing its policy proposals within a nationalist narrative. It is not a traditional "workers' party" in the historical sense, nor a pure neoliberal party, but rather a hybrid that uses social-populist rhetoric to attract a disillusioned working class, while maintaining economic principles that, for many, run counter to their material well-being. This multifaceted appeal, often characterized as authoritarian neoliberalism or ordoliberalism combined with right-wing populism, underscores a profound realignment in German politics, forcing a re-evaluation of how economic anxieties and cultural grievances interact to reshape electoral landscapes.