ABSTRACT
In line with the “localist” turn in populism studies, this chapter emphasises the importance of subnational politics for understanding far-right strength. As a critical case, our focus on the federal state of Germany reveals that it is essential to consider the country's long-lasting East-West divide and the far right's regional stronghold of eastern Germany. First, we outline the key far-right players in party competition, protest politics, and subcultural milieus in (eastern) Germany. Second, we explain the far right's strength in the East, pointing to the importance of both the heritage of state socialism and the transformation policies after “reunification.” Third, we analyse the often-neglected role of far-right subnational politics in eastern Germany, underscoring their discursive appeal to subnational belonging, community, and identity as well as their seeking for subnational organisational strength and societal embeddedness. We conclude by contextualising the strength of Germany's far right in the East and by highlighting broader lessons for scholarship on the far right.
