Why socialism is making a surprise comeback in Germany | Berlin Briefing Podcast

While the far-right AfD has seized global attention, the far left of German politics is also making gains. The Left Party was the #1 choice for first-time voters in the recent elections, gaining support with a bold program of tax increases for the rich, a pacifist foreign policy, and the most pro-immigration platform of any German party. Now an accident of history has given it a crucial role in shaping the country’s political future. Why are so many young voters drawn to this agenda? How did the Left Party transform from its roots in communist East Germany to Gen Z magnet today? And why did it help its political nemesis Friedrich Merz
become chancellor? DW’s Richard Walker unpacks this party and its potential with Matthew Moore and Bernd Riegert from the DW politics team.

CHAPTERS:
0:00 Intro
1:30 “The workers’ party”
2:37 Left vs billionaires
4:46 Taxing the rich
6:32 Rent controls
7:53 Peace in Ukraine
9:00 Disarming Germany
10:44 Gaza
13:29 Immigration
17:06 Who votes Left?
19:21 Demographics
20:31 Left vs Greens
22:25 Communist roots
25:41 Fragmentation
28:02 Personalities
30:20 Merz hate figure
33:30 The Merz twist
37:42 Conservative dilemmas
39:56 Firewalls

LINKS
Matthew’s full interview with Left Co-Leader Ines Schwerdtner
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yD0Rw5pCDwU

Germany’s Left Party is flying high by DW’s Marcel Fürstenau
https://www.dw.com/en/germanys-socialist-left-party-is-flying-high/a-72474390

Guide to Germany’s political parties by DW’s Rina Goldenberg
https://www.dw.com/en/spd-green-party-fdp-cdu-left-party-afd/a-38085900

Matthew on political TikTok talents
https://x.com/dw_politics/status/1779823126521487362

Berlin Briefing on the BSW party, which broke away from the Left
https://youtu.be/g3AFjKERtZ4?si=j6QM0-acx3re8sBl

Berlin Briefing on the Greens
https://youtu.be/Qesds2RFi1c?si=ba0_qSZr0e0T_jxl

DW Berlin Briefing on
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dw-berlin-briefing-inside-german-politics/id1775699172
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/07Wp4c6w9qVIYmB7JIbFBZ

RSS feed DW Berlin Briefing: https://rss.dw.com/xml/podcast_Berlin_Briefing

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Post from DW News on May 16, 2025

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