This 2020 article in PQ by Manes Weisskircher reviews the research on why the far right is strong in eastern Germany.
The answer is multi-faceted. There is the reality of economic decline, particularly for those of working age since the welfare state gives people past retirement age an income on which they can live easily -worth noting that in the Saxony-Anhalt results yesterday, the older voter cohorts, past retirement age, were more likely to vote CDU than AfD, despite the CDU’s terrible showing in the region.
There is also a sense of being looked down upon, particularly by AfD voters – the idea that the western Germans don’t think that they are worth helping.
Immigration narratives (rather than immigration realities) also play their part, as does the flight of younger people away from areas where they see no prospect of work
What does it mean for democracy?
First, that economic well-being matters but so does the sense of being an equal citizen, not a burden on the state. Restarting economic growth in eastern German towns may not be something that can be done with a wave of the hand, but understanding how they need support as the economy continues to transition is part of it. Also, the solidarity between East and West is under pressure in Germany – in a time of fiscal problems for the country as a whole, what can be done to reinforce that as a collective right not a burden on the wessis?
Second, social and democratic cohesion (or re-integration, in the term the article uses) is essential. That has to start at local level is needed to give voice to local communities and to stand against disinformation-driven radicalisation. Jochen Wegner in Die Zeit calls for this sort of democratic mobilisation, but it can’t come just from Berlin and the media sphere, it has to be built locally.
Third, the defences at national level against the far-right also need to be stronger. This isn’t just about maintaining the firewall against engaging with the AfD, but also finding means to counter the huge PR boost they acknowledge they are getting from far-right foreign forces, whether Muskite or Putinite.