Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance: Difference between revisions

The BSW has been variously described as [[Populism|populist]],<ref name="Reuters 2023"/><ref name="Scuetze 2023">{{cite news|last=Schuetze|first=Christopher F.|date=23 October 2023|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/23/world/europe/germany-leftist-populist-party-wagenknecht.html|title=Leftist Upstart Threatens to Shake up German Politics With Her Own|work=The New York Times|issn=1553-8095|access-date=24 October 2023|archive-date=24 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231024012423/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/23/world/europe/germany-leftist-populist-party-wagenknecht.html|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Socialism|socialist]],<ref name="list">{{bulleted list |{{cite web |url=https://www.euractiv.de/section/europa-kompakt/news/ziel-europawahl-wagenknechts-neue-partei-will-mit-eu-kritik-triumphieren/ |title=Ziel Europawahl: Wagenknechts neue Partei will mit EU-Kritik triumphieren |language=de |first=Nick |last=Alipour |website=[[EURACTIV]] |translator=Carmen Diaz Rodriguez |date=24 October 2023 |quote="Ihre Mischung aus sozialkonservativer und sozialistisch orientierter Wirtschaftspolitik sei bei Anti-Establishment- und rechten Wählern beliebt, sagte der Politikwissenschaftler Constantin Wurthmann kürzlich in einem Interview mit Euractiv." |trans-title=Aiming for the European elections: Wagenknecht's new party wants to triumph with EU criticism |trans-quote="Its mixture of socially conservative and socialist-oriented economic policy is popular with anti-establishment and right-wing voters, said political scientist Constantin Wurthmann in a recent interview with Euractiv."}}|{{cite web |url=https://www.staatsanzeiger.de/nachrichten/politik-und-verwaltung/wagenknechts-partei-wird-vom-land-aus-gegruendet/ |title=Wagenknechts Partei wird vom Land aus gegründet |website=Staatsanzeiger |language=de |date=25 October 2023 |first=Rafael |last=Binkowski |trans-title=Wagenknecht's party is founded from the countryside |quote="Wagenknechts wirtschafts- und sozialpolitische Ansätze sind im Kern sozialistisch." |trans-quote="Wagenknecht's economic and social policy approaches are essentially socialist."}}|{{cite web |title=Analyse von Hugo Müller-Vogg: Wagenknecht-Partei verschleiert mit schönen Worten, was sie wirklich mit uns vorhat |website=[[Focus (German magazine)|Focus]] |language=de |url=https://www.focus.de/politik/meinung/analyse-von-hugo-mueller-vogg-wagenknecht-partei-verschleiert-mit-schoenen-worten-was-sie-wirklich-mit-uns-vorhat_id_259556292.html |date=8 January 2024 |first=Hugo |last=Müller-Vogg |quote="Der neuen Partei das passende Etikett zu verpassen, ist nicht einfach. Man kann sie als linkskonservativ einstufen, ebenso als national und sozialistisch." |trans-title=Analysis by Hugo Müller-Vogg: Wagenknecht's party uses fine words to disguise what it really wants to do to us |trans-quote="It is not easy to give the new party the right label. It can be categorised as left-wing conservative, nationalist or socialist."}}|{{cite news|last=Schaller|first=Erwin|date=24 October 2023|url=https://www.merkur.de/lokales/leserbriefe/politik/stimmen-zur-neuen-wagenknecht-partei-92598902.html|title=Stimmen zur neuen Wagenknecht-Partei|work=[[Münchner Merkur]] |language=de|access-date=29 October 2023|archive-date=30 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030214812/https://www.merkur.de/lokales/leserbriefe/politik/stimmen-zur-neuen-wagenknecht-partei-92598902.html|url-status=live|quote="Nationalismus scheint für Wagenknecht nicht mehr, wie bisher, der böse Gegner zu sein, sondern Mittel und Zweck, um Menschen für ihre Art von Sozialismus zu mobilisieren. National und sozialistisch, gepaart mit einer einzelnen Person als Dreh- und Angelpunkt, dazu noch eine Entourage aus im Bundestag bisher weitestgehend Ausgegrenzten, man könnte auch schreiben: Claqueuren, Spinnern und Querulanten."|trans-quote="For Wagenknecht, nationalism no longer seems to be the evil opponent, as before, but a means and an end to mobilise people for her kind of socialism. National and socialist, paired with a single person as the linchpin, plus an entourage of people who have so far been largely marginalised in the Bundestag: claqueurs, cranks and troublemakers."|trans-title=Voices on the new Wagenknecht party}}|{{cite web |title=Sahra Wagenknechts neue Partei ist ein Ein-Frau-Projekt. Ohne sie verpufft es rückstandslos. Kommt das gut? |trans-title=Sahra Wagenknecht's new party is a one-woman project. Without her, it will fizzle out without a trace. Will that work? |url=https://weltwoche.ch/daily/sahra-wagenknechts-neue-partei-ist-ein-ein-frau-projekt-ohne-sie-verpufft-es-rueckstandslos-kommt-das-gut/ |date=23 October 2023 |first=Wolfgang |last=Koydl |language=de |quote="Hier national, dort sozialistisch – kein Wunder, dass die Medien Sahras Bündnis verschreckt dann doch lieber «linkskonservativ» nennen." |trans-quote="Nationalist here, socialist there - no wonder the media prefer to call Sahra's alliance "left-wing conservative" after all." |website=[[Die Weltwoche]]}}|{{cite web |first=Cordula |last=Tutt |title=Die Kritikerin des Kapitalismus |trans-title=The critic of capitalism |language=de |website=[[Wirtschaftswoche]] |url=https://www.wiwo.de/politik/deutschland/sahra-wagenknecht-die-kritikerin-des-kapitalismus/29458346.html |date=23 October 2023 |quote="Die Wirtschaftspolitik der neuen Partei dürfte nach innen eher sozialistisch ausgerichtet sein. „Soziale Gerechtigkeit“ wollen zwar so ziemlich alle Parteien in Deutschland, doch verstehen sie Unterschiedliches." |trans-quote="The new party's economic policy is likely to be more socialist in nature. Although pretty much all parties in Germany want "social justice", they understand it differently."}}|{{cite web |url=https://thebattleground.eu/2023/11/03/when-left-is-right/ |title=When Left is Right: The Sahra Wagenknecht Experience |website=The Battleground |date=3 November 2023 |first=John |last=Foster |quote="To be fair, Wagenknecht is still a socialist. But what sort of socialism? The kind obsessively focused on questions of the national."}}|{{cite web |url=https://www.tagesspiegel.de/meinung/sahra-wagenknecht-grundet-ihre-partei-die-vergangenheit-lasst-grussen-11014282.html |title=Sahra Wagenknecht gründet ihre Partei: Die Vergangenheit lässt grüßen |date=8 January 2024 |first= Stephan-Andreas |last=Casdorff |trans-title=Sahra Wagenknecht founds her party: The past sends its regards |website=[[Der Tagesspiegel]] |language=de |quote="Dazu Wagenknecht mit ihrer Ausstrahlung, verbal-radikal sozialistisch, wenn es (ihr) passt, mit kühler Rhetorik gegen die da oben und die Ampel-Koalition – und es wird ungemütlich für Rechte und Linke." |trans-quote="Add to this Wagenknecht with her charisma, verbally radical socialist when it suits (her), with cool rhetoric against those up there and the traffic light coalition - and it gets uncomfortable for the right and the left."}}|{{cite web |title=Wagenknecht unter Zugzwang |trans-title=Wagenknecht under pressure to move |language=de |url=https://www.rnd.de/politik/moegliche-neue-partei-warum-sahra-wagenknecht-unter-zugzwang-steht-43K5XROGDZBJHBOCO2LOII564Q.html |website=[[RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland]] |first=Eva |last=Quadbeck |date=12 September 2023 |quote="Inhaltlich muss man sich eine solche Partei schillernd wie ihre Anführerin selbst vorstellen, wechselnd zwischen links- und rechtspopulistischen Tönen: national in der Außen- und Migrationspolitik, sozialistisch in der Sozial- und Wirtschaftspolitik, konservativ in der Gesellschaftspolitik und russlandfreundlich." |trans-quote="In terms of content, such a party must be as colourful as its leader herself, alternating between left-wing and right-wing populist tones: national in foreign and migration policy, socialist in social and economic policy, conservative in social policy and Russia-friendly."}}|{{cite web |url=https://www.nrz.de/niederrhein/article407151785/thueringen-ohne-wagenknecht-kaum-eine-chance-fuer-die-cdu.html |title=Ohne Wagenknecht kaum eine Chance für die CDU |date=1 September 2024 |language=de |website=[[Neue Ruhr Zeitung]] |first=Manfred |last=Lachniet |quote="Allein Sahra Wagenknechts nationalistische und sozialistische BSW scheint ein Partner für die CDU zu sein." |trans-quote="Only Sahra Wagenknecht's nationalist and socialist BSW seems to be a partner for the CDU."}}|{{cite web |url=https://jungefreiheit.de/politik/deutschland/2024/maassen-wahlergebnis-weit-hinter-den-erwartungen-zurueckgeblieben/ |title=Maaßen: "Wahlergebnis weit hinter den Erwartungen zurückgeblieben" |language=de |date=2 September 2024 |website=[[Junge Freiheit]] |quote="Die sozialistische Wagenknecht-Partei habe einen medialen Rückenwind genossen und verfüge über eine gänzlich andere organisatorische und finanzielle Ausgangssituation." |trans-quote="The socialist Wagenknecht party has enjoyed a media tailwind and has a completely different organisational and financial starting position."}}|{{cite web |url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/what-the-afds-historic-victory-means-for-germany/ |title=What the AfD's 'historic victory' means for Germany |date=2 September 2024 |first=Constantin |last=Eckner |website=[[The Spectator]] |quote="The party was handed a boost by Sahra Wagenknecht’s decision to quit the far-left party Die Linke and set up her own alliance. Wagenknecht’s newly-formed outfit has adopted anti-immigration policies and promoted a rather conservative worldview. At the same time, Wagenknecht still represents socialist positions in socio-economic matters."}}|{{cite web |publisher=[[European Council on Foreign Relations]] |url=https://ecfr.eu/article/war-peace-and-populism-how-germanys-extremist-parties-are-shaping-its-foreign-policy-debate/ |title=War, peace, and populism: How Germany's extremist parties are shaping its foreign policy debate |date=10 September 2024 |department=Note from Berlin |first1=Angela |last1=Mehrer |first2=Jana |last2=Puglierin |quote="The socialist and culturally conservative Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) – only founded in January this year – came third in both states, winning more votes combined than the parties of the governing “traffic-light” coalition."}}|{{cite web |url=https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/thuringia-saxony-elections-afd-sahra-wangenknecht-will-german-center-hold-by-helmut-k-anheier-2024-09 |title=Will the German Center Hold? |date=5 September 2024 |website=[[Project Syndicate]] |location=Berlin |first=Helmut K. |last=Anheier |quote="Such historical references probably carry little weight with AfD voters or those who cast ballots for the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), a pro-Russian, anti-American socialist movement that is willfully oblivious to the atrocities committed by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s army in Ukraine."}}|{{cite web |url=https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/harald-martenstein/plus253390130/Martenstein-Erster-Sinn-der-Brandmauer-ist-die-CDU-auf-ewig-in-Linkskoalitionen-zu-zwingen.html |first=Harald |last=Martenstein |date=9 September 2024 |title=Erster Sinn der „Brandmauer“ ist, die CDU auf ewig in Linkskoalitionen zu zwingen |language=de |author-link=Harald Martenstein |quote="Und bald könnte die CDU aus Not mit dem sozialistischen BSW koalieren, das viele AfD-Themen kopiert." |trans-quote="And soon, the CDU could be forced to form a coalition with the socialist BSW, which has adopted many of the AfD's policies." |website=[[Die Welt]]}}|{{cite web |url=https://ip-quarterly.com/en/self-declared-stability-anchor-looks-adrift |title=The Self-Declared "Stability Anchor" Looks Adrift |date=20 September 2024 |first=Henning |last=Hoff |issue=4 |website=[[Internationale Politik]] |location=Berlin |quote="The heated political situation, however, underpinned by strong showings in recent regional elections by the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) and, to a lesser extent, the new nationalist, pro-Russia, anti-immigration with socialist economic policies Sahra Wagenknecht Movement (BSW) has caused the government to act chaotically."}}|{{cite web |url=https://www.business-punk.com/2024/10/bunte-sozialistische-wundertuete-was-unternehmer-von-sahra-wagenknechts-wirtschaftsprogramm-halten/2/ |title="Bunte sozialistische Wundertüte": Was Unternehmer von Sahra Wagenknechts Wirtschaftsprogramm halten |date=14 October 2024 |language=de |website=[[:de:Business Punk|Business Punk]] |first=Oliver |last=Stock |quote="Wie jede sozialistische Partei möchte sich auch das BSW das Recht vorbehalten, selbst über Subventionen zu steuern, umzuverteilen und zu privilegieren." |trans-quote="Like every socialist party, the BSW also wants to reserve the right to control, redistribute and privilege through subsidies."}}|{{cite web |url=https://www.fr.de/politik/ergebnisse-der-bundestagswahl-reichen-nicht-was-macht-jetzt-sahra-wagenknecht-zr-93590479.html |title=Ergebnisse der Bundestagswahl reichen nicht: Was macht jetzt Sahra Wagenknecht? |date=24 February 2025 |language=de |first=Anne-Christine |last=Merholz |website=[[Frankfurter Rundschau]] |quote=„Das BSW ist keine reine Protestpartei. Das ist eine Partei, die eine Angebotslücke entdeckt hat“, sagte der Politikwissenschaftler von der Uni Mainz der Frankfurter Rundschau. „Nämlich eine konservative Gesellschaftspolitik, insbesondere was Migration und Sicherheitsfragen angeht, verbunden mit einer dezidierte linken Sozialpolitik. Sie ist nationalistisch und sozialistisch in einem. Das kommt durchaus bei einer Reihe von Wählern an.“ |trans-quote="‘The BSW is not purely a protest party. It is a party that has discovered a gap in the political market,’ the political scientist from the University of Mainz told the Frankfurter Rundschau. ’Namely, a conservative social policy, particularly with regard to migration and security issues, combined with a decidedly left-wing social policy. It is nationalist and socialist in one. That certainly appeals to a number of voters.’"}}|{{cite web |url=https://weltwoche.de/daily/die-ost-cdu-klammert-sich-an-das-sozialistische-bsw-um-die-afd-draussen-zu-halten-stattdessen-muesste-sie-jetzt-ein-experiment-wagen/ |title=Die Ost-CDU klammert sich an das sozialistische BSW, um die AfD draussen zu halten. Stattdessen müsste sie jetzt ein Experiment wagen |first=Alexander |last=Wendt |date=21 October 2024 |language=de |website=[[Die Weltwoche]] |quote="In einer festen Allianz mit einer ohnehin linken SPD und dem sozialistischen BSW droht sich die Identität der bürgerlichen Partei dagegen aufzulösen wie ein Zuckerstück im Tee." |trans-quote="In a firm alliance with a left-wing SPD and the socialist BSW, the identity of the bourgeois party is in danger of dissolving like a lump of sugar in tea."}}|{{cite web |url=https://www.cityam.com/how-german-politics-went-kaput/ |title=How German politics went kaput |date=12 November 2024 |website=[[City A.M.]] |first=Rainer |last=Zitelmann |quote="And most recently, the CDU made a fool of itself by cosying up to the socialist Sahra Wagenknecht and her new party BSW." |author-link=Rainer Zitelmann}}|{{cite journal |url=https://portalcris.vdu.lt/server/api/core/bitstreams/44cfa992-6312-4fb4-8e61-794c888edcd8/content |first1=Mucahit |last1=Sahin |title=Populism in Europe: Discourse Analysis of the Alternative Für Deutschland (AfD) in 2023-2024 |location=Kaunas |year=2025 |journal=VDU |publisher=Vytautas Magnus University |page=31 |quote="Having left leaning and socialist economic thoughts, Sahra Wagenknecht established a political party called the "Sarah Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) Reason and Fairness, she stated to journalists that the party intends to position itself as a people's party and aims to participate in its first EU and German federal elections this year (Deutsche Welle, 2024)."}}|{{cite web |language=sv |website=Smedjan |title=Den nya populismen är både vänster och höger |first=Elisabeth |last=Braw |author-link=Elisabeth Braw |date=19 February 2025 |url=https://timbro.se/smedjan/den-nya-populismen-ar-bade-vanster-och-hoger/ |quote="BSW, som Wagenknecht och ett antal andra Die Linke-politiker grundade i januari förra året, försöker återgå till traditionell socialism – men det står också för konservativa värderingar." |trans-quote="BSW, which Wagenknecht and a number of other Die Linke politicians founded last January, seeks to return to traditional socialism - but it also stands for conservative values."}}|{{cite web |date=19 February 2025 |url=https://www.agenzianova.com/en/news/elections-in-germany-afd-and-bsw-aim-to-overturn-the-traditional-balance-of-german-politics/ |title=German Elections: AfD and BSW Aim to Overturn Traditional Balance of German Politics |location=Berlin |website=Agenzia Nova |quote="The party's program combines extreme left-wing demands with typical requests of extreme right-wing groups, so much so that the German newspaper "Des Tageszeitung" has defined it as "a socialist political force that uses right-wing codes"."}}|{{cite web |title=Sahra Wagenknecht |url=https://www.dw.com/de/sahra-wagenknecht/t-69978604/page-1 |website=[[Deutsche Welle]] |language=de |quote="Sahra Wagenknecht, 1969 in Jena als Tochter einer deutschen Mutter und eines iranischen Vaters geboren, gründete 2024 eine Partei, die konservative soziale Werte mit sozialistischen Wirtschaftswerten verbindet: das BSW." |trans-quote="Sahra Wagenknecht, born in Jena in 1969, the daughter of a German mother and an Iranian father, founded a party in 2024 that combines conservative social values with socialist economic values: the BSW." |archive-date=9 March 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250309135803/https://www.dw.com/de/sahra-wagenknecht/t-69978604/page-1}}}}</ref> [[Socialist economics|economically socialist]],<ref name="Knight 2023"/> [[Anti-capitalism|anti-capitalist]],<ref>{{bulleted list|{{Cite web |title=Germany's European Election Results: Key Takeaways |url=https://www.martenscentre.eu/blog/germanys-european-election-results-key-takeaways/ |access-date=2024-08-31 |website=[[Martens Centre]] |language=en-US |quote=Nothing could be further away from the political programme if one carefully reads the BSW programme, which is pro-Russian, anti-capitalist, and anti-Western}}|{{Cite journal |last=Thomeczek |first=J. Philipp |date=2024-09-01 |title=Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW): Left-Wing Authoritarian—and Populist? An Empirical Analysis |journal=Politische Vierteljahresschrift |language=en |volume=65 |issue=3 |pages=535–552 |doi=10.1007/s11615-024-00544-z |issn=1862-2860 |quote=In the text, Wagenknecht shows strong anti-capitalist stances and describes the behaviour of economic elites (Wirtschaftseliten) as “irresponsible and immoral.”|doi-access=free}}|{{Cite web |author1=The Week UK |date=2023-11-11 |title=Sahra Wagenknecht: changing the face of German politics |url=https://theweek.com/politics/sahra-wagenknecht-changing-the-face-of-german-politics |access-date=2024-08-31 |website=[[TheWeek]] |language=en |quote=Wagenknecht is a true anti-capitalist who wants to soak the rich and expand the welfare state.}}|{{Cite web |last=Eckner |first=Constantin |date=2023-10-23 |title=Will Germany's new left-wing party challenge the AfD? |url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/will-germanys-new-left-wing-party-challenge-the-afd/ |access-date=2024-08-31 |website=[[The Spectator]] |language=en-GB |quote=Over the past decade, Wagenknecht has become one of the most well-known left-wing politicians in Germany, regularly assuming anti-capitalist positions and thereby becoming an icon of the extreme left}}|{{Cite web |date=2024-08-09 |title=Oferte electorale est-germane - între putinofilie, anti-capitalism şi xenofobie |trans-title="East German electoral offers - between putinophilia, anti-capitalism and xenophobia" |url=https://www.rfi.fr/ro/europa/20240809-oferte-electorale-est-germane-%C3%AEntre-putinofilie-anti-capitalism-%C5%9Fi-xenofobie |access-date=2024-08-31 |website=[[Radio France Internationale|RFI]] |language=ro |quote=În plină ascensiune se află şi formaţiunea naţional-populistă şi anti-capitalistă, Uniunea Sarah Wagenknecht (BSW). |trans-quote=The national-populist and anti-capitalist formation, the Sarah Wagenknecht Union (BSW), is also on the rise.}}|{{Cite web |last=Moreau |first=Patrick |date=February 2024 |title=The emergence of a conservative left in Germany: the Sahra Wagenknecht alliance – reason and justice (BSW) |url=https://www.fondapol.org/en/study/the-emergence-of-a-conservative-left-in-germany-the-sahra-wagenknecht-alliance-reason-and-justice-bsw/ |access-date=2024-09-04 |website=[[Fondapol]] |quote=For historians of the Weimar period, the Wagenknecht programme is reminiscent of National-Bolshevism in Germany in the 1930s, a thesis defended by the political scientist Peter R. Neumann49. The comparison is tempting: the fascination with Russia, the desire to break away from the capitalist system, the “anti-imperialist” nationalism, the redistribution of wealth and economic interventionist socialism, an ideological straddle between the nationalist right and communism…}}|{{Cite web |last=Baszak |first=Gregor |date=2023-10-09 |title=The Left-wing maverick who could stop the AfD |url=https://unherd.com/2023/10/the-left-wing-maverick-who-could-stop-the-afd/ |access-date=2024-09-15 |website=[[UnHerd]] |language=en-GB |quote=Still, she continues to appeal to popular anti-capitalist sentiments.}}}}</ref> [[Cultural conservatism|cultural conservative]],<ref name="cult_con">{{bulleted list|{{cite journal |first=Jan Philipp |last=Thomeczek |year=2024 |title=The Voting Potential of Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht |journal=Political Studies Review |doi=10.1177/14789299241264975 |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/14789299241264975 |page=1 |quote="A new challenger seeks to enter the German party system: Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht. With her new party, former Die Linke politician Sahra Wagenknecht combines a left-authoritarian profile (economically left-leaning, but culturally conservative) with anti-US, pro-Russia and anti-elitist stances."}}|{{cite journal |first1=Maik |last1=Herold |first2=Otteni |last2=Cyrill |title=A New Left-conservative Competitor in the German Party System? the Supporters of 'bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht' (BSW) and Their Ideological Positions |journal=OSF Preprints |year=2024 |doi=10.17605/OSF.IO/8EZQW |page=1 |quote="With a unique blend of economically left and culturally conservative positions, the BSW appeals to a substantial proportion of the electorate, particularly in eastern Germany." |url=https://osf.io/preprints/osf/7agyu}}|{{cite web |url=https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay?newsID=1222954 |title='Extreme resurgence': Is polarised Europe getting ungovernable as centrist space shrinks? |date=3 September 2024 |website=Daiji World |quote="It had previously eschewed an alliance with the left-wing Die Linke, which has 12 seats, and the only other alternative is the 15 members of the Sara Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), formed this year by former Die Linke members and politically further to the left, though culturally conservative. The CDU is unlikely to be keen on them too."}}|{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c05jvve89g3o |title=Far right eyes political earthquake as Germans head to the polls |first=Jessica |last=Parker |date=31 August 2024 |quote="Meanwhile another insurgent party – the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) – has catapulted itself in the polls up to third place in this state. Ms Wagenknecht, a former communist and long one of the most prominent politicians in eastern Germany, has had success in blending cultural conservatism with economically left-wing policies." |website=[[BBC]]}}|{{cite web |url=https://unherd.com/2024/08/whos-afraid-of-sahra-wagenknecht/ |title=Who's afraid of Sahra Wagenknecht? Germany's 'left-conservative' has redefined populism |date=31 August 2024 |first=Thomas |last=Fazi |quote="In short, this means it mixes demands that would once have been associated with the socialist-labour Left — interventionist and redistributive government policies to regulate capitalist market forces, higher pensions and minimum wages, generous welfare and social security policies, taxes on wealth — with positions that today would be characterised as culturally conservative: first and foremost, a recognition of the importance of preserving and fostering traditions, stability, security and a sense of community." |website=[[UnHerd]]}}|{{cite web |publisher=[[European Council on Foreign Relations]] |url=https://ecfr.eu/article/war-peace-and-populism-how-germanys-extremist-parties-are-shaping-its-foreign-policy-debate/ |title=War, peace, and populism: How Germany's extremist parties are shaping its foreign policy debate |date=10 September 2024 |department=Note from Berlin |first1=Angela |last1=Mehrer |first2=Jana |last2=Puglierin |quote="The socialist and culturally conservative Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) – only founded in January this year – came third in both states, winning more votes combined than the parties of the governing “traffic-light” coalition."}}|{{cite web |url=https://www.dws.com/de-de/insights/cio-view/cio-flash/cwf-2025/kein-umfassendes-mandat/ |title=Bundestagswahl 2025: Kein umfassendes Mandat |language=de |date=24 February 2025 |quote="Das „Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht“ (BSW), das linken Populismus in Wirtschaftsfragen mit kulturellem Konservatismus verbindet, wird nach vorläufigem offizielen Wahlergebnissen der Bundeswahlleiterin ebenfalls nicht in den Bundestag einziehen." |trans-quote="According to the Federal Returning Officer's provisional official election results, the Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW), which combines left-wing populism on economic issues with cultural conservatism, will also not enter the Bundestag."}}}}</ref> [[Social conservatism|social-conservative]],<ref name="soc_con">{{bulleted list|{{cite web |url=https://www.welt.de/politik/ausland/plus248228326/Europa-Vergleich-Hier-finden-sich-Hinweise-auf-Wagenknechts-Erfolgschancen.html |title=Hier finden sich Hinweise auf Wagenknechts Erfolgschancen |trans-title=Here are some indications of Wagenknecht's chances of success |language=de |author1=Philipp Fritz |author2=Klaus Geiger |author3=Virginia Kirst |author4=Martina Meister |author5=Mandoline Rutkowski |website=[[Die Welt]] |date=27 October 2023 |quote="Auch hier zeigt sich eine Parallele zu Wagenknecht, die ihre Partei explizit sozialkonservativ ausrichtet und sich gegen von ihr als „woke"... |trans-quote="Here, too, there is a parallel to Wagenknecht, who explicitly aligns her party with social conservatism and opposes what she calls "woke"..."}}|{{cite news |title=Vom Planeten Wagenknecht |url=https://www.zeit.de/politik/deutschland/2023-12/buendnis-sahra-wagenknecht-parteigruendung-waehler-typologie/komplettansicht |trans-title=From planet Wagenknecht |language=de |first=Ann-Kristin |last=Tlusty |date=8 January 2024 |quote="Neben Wagenknechts Haltungen zu Migration, Pandemie, Russland, Sozial- und Wirtschaftspolitik gibt es einen weiteren Aspekt, den ihre Anhängerinnen oft als Grund ihrer Sympathie nennen: Wagenknechts gesellschaftspolitischen Konservatismus, ihre Kritik an den sogenannten Lifestyle-Linken." |trans-quote="In addition to Wagenknecht's stances on migration, the pandemic, Russia, social and economic policy, there is another aspect that her supporters often cite as a reason for their sympathy: Wagenknecht's socio-political conservatism, her criticism of the so-called lifestyle left."|website=[[Die Zeit]]}}|{{cite web |title=Germany's left-wing rebel launches populist party to run in EU elections |url=https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/news/germanys-left-wing-rebel-launches-populist-party-to-run-in-eu-elections/ |date=23 October 2023 |first=Nick |last=Alipour |website=[[EURACTIV]] |quote="Her mix of socially conservative and socialist-leaning economic policies is popular among anti-establishment and right-leaning voters, political scientist Constantin Wurthmann told Euractiv in a recent interview."}}|{{cite web |title=Germany Has a New Player in Left-Wing Politics. Where Does It Stand on China? |url=https://thediplomat.com/2023/11/germany-has-a-new-player-in-left-wing-politics-where-does-it-stand-on-china/ |date=3 November 2023 |first=Tim |last=Hildebrandt |website=[[The Diplomat (magazine)|The Diplomat]] |quote="In contrast, Wagenknecht and the BSW embody a distinct strain of left-wing politics, marked by a leaning towards social conservatism which could lead to a closer alignment with entities like the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Wagenknecht, who earned a Ph.D. in economics, has previously lauded the CCP’s economic and industrial policies, holding China as an exemplary model for how to manage a national economy."}}|{{cite web|last=Knight|first=Ben|date=23 October 2023|url=https://www.dw.com/en/wagenknecht-a-far-left-challenge-to-germanys-far-right-afd/a-66470345|title=Wagenknecht: A far-left challenge to Germany's far-right AfD<!--– DW – 10/23/2023-->|website=Deutsche Welle|access-date=24 October 2023|archive-date=24 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231024003600/https://www.dw.com/en/wagenknecht-a-far-left-challenge-to-germanys-far-right-afd/a-66470345|url-status=live|quote="Some analysts say Wagenknecht is offering something that has never been seen before in Germany: Conservative social values allied with socialist economic values."}}}}</ref> [[Opposition to immigration|anti-immigration]],{{Refn|<ref>{{cite news |last= Gwyn Jones |first= Mared |date= 4 June 2024 |title= Élections européennes : ce qu'il faut savoir sur les principaux enjeux nationaux |url= https://fr.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/06/04/elections-europeennes-ce-quil-faut-savoir-sur-les-principaux-enjeux-nationaux |work= Euronews |access-date= 21 September 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/what-the-afds-historic-victory-means-for-germany/ |title=What the AfD's 'historic victory' means for Germany |date=2 September 2024 |first=Constantin |last=Eckner |website=[[The Spectator]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/what-watch-germanys-upcoming-state-elections-2024-08-23/ |title=Germany's upcoming state elections: what to watch for |first=Sarah |last=Marsh |work=Reuters |date= 30 August 2024 |access-date= 21 September 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |website=[[Channel 4 News]] |url=https://www.channel4.com/news/far-right-win-german-state-election |date=2 September 2024 |title=Far-right win German state election for the first time |first=Georg |last=von Harrach}}</ref>}} [[Left-wing populism|left-wing populist]],<ref name="left_pop">{{bulleted list|{{cite web |title=Ex-AfD members joining new German left-wing populists' party 'unimaginable', says its chairwoman |date=25 October 2023 |url=https://brusselssignal.eu/2023/10/ex-afd-members-joining-new-german-left-wing-populists-party-unimaginable-says-its-chairwoman/ |website=Brussels Signal |first=Peter |last=Caddle}}|{{cite news |title=Linkspopulistische "BSW"-Partei formiert sich |trans-title=Left-wing populist "BSW" party forms |language=de |date=9 January 2024 |url=https://eulerpool.com/news/eulerpool-afx/linkspopulistische-bsw-partei-formiert-sich |newspaper=Eulerpool Research Systems |last1=Systems |first1=Eulerpool Research }}|{{cite web |title=Wagenknecht-Partei laut erster Umfrage bei zwölf Prozent – Koalitionen schwierig |trans-title=Wagenknecht party at twelve per cent according to first poll - coalitions difficult |date=24 October 2023 |language=de |quote="Die Umfrage bestätigt allerdings, was bisherige Befragungen schon deutlich gemacht hatten: dass eine linkspopulistische Bewegung unter Sahra Wagenknecht das Potenzial hat, die Parteienlandschaft in Deutschland massiv aufzumischen." |trans-quote="However, the survey confirms what previous surveys had already made clear: that the left-wing populist movement under Sahra Wagenknecht has the potential to massively shake up the party landscape in Germany." |url=https://www.derstandard.de/story/3000000192428/wagenknecht-partei-laut-erster-umfrage-bei-zwoelf-prozent-koalitionen-schwierig |website=[[Der Standard]]}}|{{cite web |title=Sahra Wagenknecht's new left-populist party should be taken seriously |date=25 October 2023 |first=Wolfgang |last=Münchau |website=[[New Statesman]] |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/comment/2023/10/sahra-wagenknechts-new-left-populist-party-should-be-taken-seriously}}|{{cite news |title=German Linke rebel walks out to form new left-wing populist party |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/world/europe/2023/10/23/german-linke-rebel-walks-out-for-new-leftists-populist-party/ |date=23 October 2023 |first=Derek |last=Scally |newspaper=[[The Irish Times]]}}}}</ref> [[Left-wing nationalism|left-wing nationalist]],<ref name="left_nat">{{bulleted list|{{cite web |url=https://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/vermogenssteuer-statt-zuwanderung-so-sieht-wagenknechts-links-nationales-angebot-aus-10669969.html |title=Vermögenssteuer statt Zuwanderung: So sieht Wagenknechts links-nationales Angebot aus |trans-title=Wealth tax instead of immigration: this is what Wagenknecht's left-wing nationalist offer looks like |date=21 January 2024 |first=Christopher |last=Ziedler |website=[[Der Tagesspiegel]] |language=de}}|{{cite web |url=https://political.party/the-rise-of-left-nationalism-sahra-wagenknecht/ |title=How the nationalist left could succeed in Germany: Sahra Wagenknecht's breakthrough |date=19 October 2023 |first=Josef |last=Lentsch |website=PartyParty}}|{{cite web |url=https://nieuwrechts.nl/94912-nieuwe-anti-woke-partij-in-duitsland-kan-rekenen-op-veel-stemmen |title=Nieuwe 'anti-woke' partij in Duitsland kan rekenen op veel stemmen |trans-title=New 'anti-woke' party in Germany can count on many votes |language=nl |quote="Met haar links-nationalistische focus kan Wagenknecht stemmen winnen bij zowel linkse als rechtse kiezers die ontevreden zijn over de huidige politiek in Duitsland." |trans-quote="With her left-nationalist focus, Wagenknecht can win votes from both left-wing and right-wing voters dissatisfied with current politics in Germany." |website=Nieuw Rechts}}|{{cite web |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2023/10/vladimir-putin-russia-ukraine-germany-far-right/675838/ |title=Why Vladimir Putin Is Embracing Germany's Far Right |first1=Liana |last1=Fix |first2=Caroline |last2=Kapp |date=31 October 2023 |website=[[The Atlantic]] |quote="To make things worse, a new nationalist left-wing party just launched by the charismatic politician Sahra Wagenknecht echoes some of the AfD’s positions on Russia."}}|{{cite web |title=New Left-Wing Nationalist Party May Not Run in German State Elections |url=https://europeanconservative.com/articles/news/wagenknechts-party-may-not-run-in-german-state-elections/ |date=29 December 2023 |first=Chris |last=Tomlinson |website=[[The European Conservative]] |author-link=Chris Tomlinson (journalist)}}}}</ref> [[Euroscepticism|Eurosceptic]],<ref name="euro_scep">{{bulleted list|{{cite web |date=28 May 2024 |url=https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/news/the-mystery-of-europes-new-left-conservative-group/ |title=The mystery of Europe's new 'left conservative' group |first=Nick |last=Alipour |website=[[Euractiv]] |quote="Manuel Müller, a European politics expert at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA), told Euractiv that BSW represents “Eurosceptic left-conservatism”."}}|{{cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/what-watch-germanys-upcoming-state-elections-2024-08-23/ |title=Germany's upcoming state elections: what to watch for |first=Sarah |last=Marsh |quote="Both the AfD and the BSW are eurosceptic, anti-immigration, Russia-friendly and against military support for Ukraine." |website=[[Reuters]] |date=30 August 2024}}|{{cite web |url=https://brusselssignal.eu/2024/01/germanys-new-party-bsw-comes-out-all-guns-blazing/ |date=17 January 2024 |title=Germany's new party BSW comes out all guns blazing |first=Carl |last=Deconinck |quote="The title of “biggest Eurosceptic party in Germany” can go to BSW, observers say, with a programme that would likely make left-liberal progressives faint if its policies were to become reality." |website=Brussels Signal}}|{{cite journal |title=Germany: A More Polarised, Politicised, But Also Potentially More National-Focused Election Campaign |journal=CIDOB Monographs |pages=69–73 |isbn=978-84-18977-22-0 |volume=88 |year=2024 |first1=Max |last1=Becker |first2=Nicolai |last2=von Ondarza |quote="In addition, the weakness of the traffic light coalition went together with a rise of the AfD, but also of a new populist party from the left (Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht, BSW), which also has a clear Eurosceptic programme." |url=https://www.cidob.org/sites/default/files/2024-05/67-74_MAX%20BECKER%20%26%20NICOLAI%20VON%20ONDARZA_ANG.pdf |publisher=[[Barcelona Centre for International Affairs]]}}|{{cite web |website=[[Channel 4 News]] |url=https://www.channel4.com/news/far-right-win-german-state-election |date=2 September 2024 |title=Far-right win German state election for the first time |first=Georg |last=von Harrach |quote="Although BSW is at the other end of the political spectrum, the two parties share a Eurosceptic, anti-immigration, populist stance. Both also advocate cutting off military aid to Ukraine."}}}}</ref>, pro-Russia<ref name="list"/> and left-conservative.<ref name="Knight 2023"/> The latter label is used in part due to its far-left economic positions and [[Right-wing politics|right-wing]] stances on some social issues,<ref name="dpa">{{cite web |url=https://nordot.app/1203259216182722642 |title=Head of German state of Saxony says deal with populist BSW 'possible' |date=2 September 2024 |website=[[Deutsche Presse-Agentur]] |quote="That makes the BSW, which finished third with 11.8% of the vote, a crucial potential partner. The party has campaigned on a mix of opposition to immigration, far-left economic policies and right-wing stances on some social issues such as gender policy."}}</ref> which have been described by Wurthmann as being popular among anti-establishment and right-leaning voters.<ref name="Alipour 2023">{{cite web|last=Alipour|first=Nick|date=23 October 2023|url=https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/news/germanys-left-wing-rebel-launches-populist-party-to-run-in-eu-elections/|title=Germany's left-wing rebel launches populist party to run in EU elections|website=Euractiv.com|access-date=24 October 2023|archive-date=24 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231024015742/https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/news/germanys-left-wing-rebel-launches-populist-party-to-run-in-eu-elections/|url-status=live}}</ref> Research by Wondreys, March, and Pytlas, published in the ''[[British Journal of Politics and International Relations]]'', classified BSW as a part of the European radical left, and noted that the party originates from the "reform communist" faction within Die Linke led by Wagenknecht, which was in conflict with the democratic socialist majority faction.<ref name="friend"/>