There are few countries in the world more conscious of the fragility of democracy than Germany. After the horrors of Nazism, the country vowed never again and, in August 1948, a constitution was drafted for West Germany that was designed to build a stable democracy and defend it. 75 years later, the same legal framework continues to uphold the same values, but the challenges mounted by increasing fanaticism are keenly felt. The temptation to use the constitution’s own heavy-handed tools to defend democracy is great, but politicians must resist it.
Many AfD voters have turned to the party because they have lost trust in the established political parties and public institutions
When the German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier led the celebrations for the 75th anniversary of his country’s political inception last week, he warned the German people that ‘in the fight against extremism, there is a historical lesson that runs like a thread through the draft constitution… and that is still relevant today: a democracy has to be able to defend itself against its enemies.
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