Authoritarianism study: questioning neoliberal beliefs

Studies at the University of Leipzig have long demonstrated authoritarian attitudes, not just on the so-called margins. In the wake of current crises, chauvinistic attitudes and the desire for disruption are at an all-time high. Only one in three people nationwide are satisfied with the democracy they actually experience. The AfD election results show that nationalist attitudes have once again found a party political home.

But social research from Leipzig has long shown that they were always latent. Critics who previously accused the study authors of alarmism and an “unreasonable expansion of the potential for right-wing extremism” must now learn better in view of the current shift to the right. The guru of extremism research, Eckhard Jesse, was never able to properly anticipate the potential for authoritarian attitudes.

The authoritarianism studies were right – unfortunately. It would be all the more important, not only after the extreme right-wing AfD has threatened to seize power in Saxony-Anhalt, that authoritarianism is taken seriously and effective countermeasures are taken. And this is not isolation, the normalization of right-wing culture wars through conservative milieus and racist cityscape debates, but rather a return to human rights and common values.

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Fact-based debates about democratic alternatives are needed. Approaches for solutions can also be found in the new authoritarianism study itself: According to the study authors, basic support for solidarity remains high - this can definitely be seen as a sign: social policy that questions neoliberal beliefs about the supposed lack of alternatives can lead to success. With a positive vision of the future you can win against the apocalyptic narratives of decline.

This was evident in Berlin: Here the election campaign revolved around the cost of living, social problems and the housing issue - and democratic alternatives to solve these problems.