In Germany the mood is dark. But the Weimar narrative is a far right trap
The final season of the TV epic Babylon Berlin is taking us back to 1933. Our confidence is falling apart, but that’s where the parallels end
TL;DR
- The final season of "Babylon Berlin" fictionalizes Germany's slide into Nazism in 1933, coinciding with the rise of the far-right AfD in present-day Germany.
- While there are societal problems in Germany today, direct comparisons to the collapse of Weimar Germany are misleading; current democratic institutions and strengths exist.
- A prevailing national narrative of decline and terminal failure in Germany, amplified by media and public discourse, is a self-fulfilling prophecy that benefits the extreme right by fostering cynicism and a desire for destructive change.
- The extreme right offers simplistic solutions to complex problems, exploiting societal fear and exhaustion to promote a "Germany first" agenda.
- Despite current challenges, Germany possesses resilience and strengths, including a strong constitutional court, federal states, European integration, and a democratic culture shaped by lessons from history.