Since the end of the Cold War, there has been a rising threat across central Europe; most prominently in Germany due to crises like the energy crisis, and the war in Ukraine which have promoted Nationalism.  Some of the said nationalists go to far-right groups and ideologies. Since the ’90s, there have been multiple far-right parties that have popped up and even more far-right groups. Such groups can range from political groups to militant and terrorist groups.

There have been many far-right political parties and Neo-Nazi groups that have been growing in popularity in recent years. Currently, the main political party and the most popular far-right party since the Nazis is the AfD (Alternative for Deutschland) which has seen growing support in states formerly under Soviet control and in the province of Bavaria where the ideology of Nazism was first founded.

The AfD gained a very large following in 2017 where according to The Bundestag (German government) they went from having no seats in the German parliament to 87 out of 709. Much more recently in 2021, their popularity went down by a small fraction and has stayed down. However, the party is still very much a threat as a political party following Fascist ideas. Especially in a country that already has such an ideology ruling it and most people still haven’t gotten over it.

There have also been many Neo-Nazi groups that have formed, the biggest one being the Reichsbürger. The goal of the Reichsbürger members will differ from person to person but all of them want to restore Germany either back to the days of the Third Reich under the leadership of an entity similar to the Nazi party or back to the days of the German Empire with the same borders. Restoring Germany to such borders would require conflicts with most of the bordering nations.

At its current state, Germany could not sustain such a major conflict, however, Germany has become an economic powerhouse and with some of the best military equipment in the world, the nation has the potential to become a global superpower. Such a powerful nation under the command of Neo-Nazis or other far-right extremist groups would likely end with tens of thousands of dead one way or another.

“I think the growing fascist support in Germany could lead to disastrous effects,” senior Daniel Marquez said.

On Dec. 7, 2022, one of the biggest police raids in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany took place in response to Reichsbürger member terrorists planning to overthrow the government and replace it with a monarchy to be led by who they wanted to be the new Kaiser, Prince Reuss Heinrich XIII of one of the many royal houses which currently hold no power, of the German state of Thuringia. 25 people were arrested and another 29 were under investigation.

Former Elite Paratrooper commander Rüdiger von Pescatore was convicted and was leading the terrorist military arm. On Jan. 16, 2023, four men and a woman were arrested for another plot to not just overthrow the government but, according to The Guardian, trigger civil war-like conditions in Germany by means of violence.

A violent overthrow of the German government by the far right could be disastrous for the world. Similar groups in countries like Austria, Switzerland, Hungary, Denmark, and Italy which all also have very prominent far-right groups could also start their own coup and a domino effect could begin with many European nations falling to Fascism. The domino effect could also, although much less likely extend to the United States which has a growing Fascist movement as well.

The far-right gained popularity in Germany especially during COVID and when Donald Trump was President of the United States. Nationalism and Fascism saw an increase in popularity when Russia invaded Ukraine. The future of Germany is uncertain. The popularity gains haven’t been much when compared to other ideologies. However, the fact is, these groups are gaining popularity by taking voters from our current main groups and may have the ability to overthrow the German government, so now the question remains, will they keep growing? The answer to that question could decide the fate of this rapidly growing power in the coming century.