“Alternative for Germany” against German trade unions: A political “right hook”

The study examines the problems of German trade unions related to the ongoing confrontation with the young party of the right-wing spectrum “Alternative for Germany” for several years. Despite the fact that the AfD is an irreconcilable ideological opponent of trade unions, their members show sympath...

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Main Authors: Oleg E. Grishin, Alexander V. Kanushkin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University) 2024-11-01
Series:RUDN Journal of Public Administration
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.rudn.ru/public-administration/article/viewFile/41644/24070
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author Oleg E. Grishin
Alexander V. Kanushkin
author_facet Oleg E. Grishin
Alexander V. Kanushkin
author_sort Oleg E. Grishin
collection DOAJ
description The study examines the problems of German trade unions related to the ongoing confrontation with the young party of the right-wing spectrum “Alternative for Germany” for several years. Despite the fact that the AfD is an irreconcilable ideological opponent of trade unions, their members show sympathy for the party. The severity of the situation is due not only to the fact that more than a tenth of supporters of professional associations support the AfD in elections, but also to the fact that, as a percentage, trade union members vote more actively for this party than the average German voter. The reasons for the growth of right-wing sentiments among the class of employees are considered. The methods used by trade unions in the ideological struggle are shown, up to direct prohibitions for their supporters on parallel membership in the AfD. In this situation, the trade unions have clearly demonstrated themselves as an independent political actor, but, in our opinion, they have become the losing side in the fight against the AfD. The authors complement existing approaches to the study of the problems of the functioning of German trade unions in the political process in Germany.
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publisher Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University)
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spelling doaj-art-17f3e4d7b8564f5299d5ac73d1bffcea2025-08-20T02:23:05ZengPeoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University)RUDN Journal of Public Administration2312-83132411-12282024-11-0111338239410.22363/2312-8313-2024-11-3-382-39421202“Alternative for Germany” against German trade unions: A political “right hook”Oleg E. Grishin0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0669-1012Alexander V. Kanushkin1RUDN UniversityRUDN UniversityThe study examines the problems of German trade unions related to the ongoing confrontation with the young party of the right-wing spectrum “Alternative for Germany” for several years. Despite the fact that the AfD is an irreconcilable ideological opponent of trade unions, their members show sympathy for the party. The severity of the situation is due not only to the fact that more than a tenth of supporters of professional associations support the AfD in elections, but also to the fact that, as a percentage, trade union members vote more actively for this party than the average German voter. The reasons for the growth of right-wing sentiments among the class of employees are considered. The methods used by trade unions in the ideological struggle are shown, up to direct prohibitions for their supporters on parallel membership in the AfD. In this situation, the trade unions have clearly demonstrated themselves as an independent political actor, but, in our opinion, they have become the losing side in the fight against the AfD. The authors complement existing approaches to the study of the problems of the functioning of German trade unions in the political process in Germany.https://journals.rudn.ru/public-administration/article/viewFile/41644/24070german trade unionspolitical actorspolitical struggleright-wing populism
spellingShingle Oleg E. Grishin
Alexander V. Kanushkin
“Alternative for Germany” against German trade unions: A political “right hook”
RUDN Journal of Public Administration
german trade unions
political actors
political struggle
right-wing populism
title “Alternative for Germany” against German trade unions: A political “right hook”
title_full “Alternative for Germany” against German trade unions: A political “right hook”
title_fullStr “Alternative for Germany” against German trade unions: A political “right hook”
title_full_unstemmed “Alternative for Germany” against German trade unions: A political “right hook”
title_short “Alternative for Germany” against German trade unions: A political “right hook”
title_sort alternative for germany against german trade unions a political right hook
topic german trade unions
political actors
political struggle
right-wing populism
url https://journals.rudn.ru/public-administration/article/viewFile/41644/24070
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AT alexandervkanushkin alternativeforgermanyagainstgermantradeunionsapoliticalrighthook