EU Scream Ep. 113: Germany, Gramsci, and the Rise of the AfD

Date: February 20, 2025
Host: James Kanter
Main Guest: Philipp Adorf (University of Bonn, author and analyst of German and US far right movements)
Theme: Exploration of the rise of the German far right—especially the AfD—through the lenses of cultural strategy, Antonio Gramsci’s theories, and the international cross-pollination of far right thinking.

Episode Overview

This episode investigates the roots and advance of the far right in Germany, focusing on the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. Through a conversation with expert Philipp Adorf, the show delves into how ideas from the Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci have informed far right strategies, the evolving meta-political tactics of far right actors, and the transatlantic flow of ideas fueling rising extremism. The discussion places German developments in a broader European and global context, highlighting the roles of vanguard organizations, media, and shifting cultural "climates."

Key Discussion Points

1. The Challenge of "Big Culture" vs. the Far Right (00:04–05:10)

• The episode opens at a Brussels culture conference, where EU-backed cultural organizations confront the "retreating" vision of a tolerant, united Europe amid the rise of nationalist, xenophobic sentiment.
• Despite efforts to strengthen European belonging, results have been lackluster in countering cultural-political backsliding.
• Nicholas Schmidt (former EU Commissioner) warns that the culture war is being won by those "who have read Gramsci," using his "culture first, politics later" philosophy on the right.

"The battle over culture...is with those who have read Gramsci."
— Nicholas Schmidt, quoted by Host (03:32)

• The host introduces Philipp Adorf, whose work explores Gramscian tactics among the AfD and their normalization of once-taboo ideas, such as mass deportations.

2. The AfD’s Evolution and "Welfare Chauvinism" (05:10–10:56)

• Brief history of the AfD: formed in 2013 as a Euro-skeptic, economically-focused party, initially targeting the center-right Free Democrats as competitors.
• The migration crisis of 2015 marks the party’s turn toward cultural and national identity issues.

"From the get-go, you already saw a certain kind of nationalism."
— Philipp Adorf (08:38)

• The idea of "welfare chauvinism"—the argument that social benefits should be reserved for native ("deserving") Germans.

"And that is welfare chauvinism, basically for white Germans."
— Host (09:36)

• Post-2015, the AfD’s recovery and rise are tightly entwined with anti-immigrant sentiment.

3. The Meta-Political "Vanguard": Ideological Foundations and the Voorfeld (10:56–16:23)

• AfD voters overwhelmingly prioritize culture and immigration over economics.
• Key to AfD success is a "parallel," external network of activists, think tanks, and publishing houses—collectively the Voorfeld (vanguard)—which shapes acceptability and shifts public discourse (the "Overton window").

"There are plenty of different networks, far right networks, think tanks...that have really tried to change cultural attitudes."
— Philipp Adorf (12:54)

• This meta-political work bypasses party constraints, normalizing the once-radical.

4. Strategies and Targets of the Voorfeld (16:23–20:22)

• The Voorfeld uses protests, academic conferences, think tanks, and friendly publishing houses to advance normalization and make young activists feel emboldened.
• Objective: get voters to shift from centrist or mildly conservative parties (e.g., CDU) to the AfD, following the model seen in France (where Marine Le Pen’s party has subsumed the center-right space).

5. "Remigration": From Fringe to Mainstream (20:22–23:54)

• The term "remigration" is traced from fringe concept to AfD talking point, facilitated by Voorfeld work, and popularized following a 2024 exposé linking AfD officials to plans for mass deportations—including naturalized citizens.

"The fact that a term which sort of originated within the far right has become or has been adopted by the AFD...really illustrates how successful the work of the Forefeld...has been."
— Philipp Adorf (21:53)

• Despite mass protests, AfD polling remains robust—showing normalization of their core positions.

6. The Role of Meta-Politics, Sellner, and "Meinungsklimaanlage" (Climate Control System for Public Opinion) (23:54–28:16)

• Martin Sellner (Austrian Identitarian leader) develops the concept of a "Meinungsklimaanlage," or opinion climate system, arguing that the political left uses institutional power (media, NGOs, universities) to suppress right-wing sentiment after crises.
• The far right views social media, especially under Elon Musk’s X, as a weapon to bypass or destroy this "climate control," amplifying anti-immigrant outrage.

"The temperature of a thermostat can be adjusted by an all powerful...enemy."
— Philipp Adorf (27:12)

• AfD leader Alice Weidel credits Musk for removing media "reframing" and giving direct access to supporters.

7. Gramsci, Cultural Hegemony, and Far Right Ironies (29:13–36:42)

• The far right openly acknowledges Gramsci’s influence: culture precedes politics; society’s beliefs must be transformed before seizing political power.
• Philipp Adorf traces this lineage through the French New Right and Alain de Benoist’s ethno-pluralist repositioning—eschewing overt racism for a palatable, pseudo-defensive posture ("defenders of diversity" as territorial separation).

"We all have to be in our own separate, different countries."
— Philipp Adorf (33:33)

• These strategies are echoed by right-wing actors in Hungary (Orban), Italy (Meloni), and France (Le Pen), who build media/think tank infrastructure for meta-political battles across Europe.

8. Transatlantic Far Right Exchange: From Gramsci to Breitbart, Yarvin, and Vance (37:44–46:34)

• Adorf details growing overlap and cross-pollination between US/European far right networks; strategies migrate across the Atlantic, facilitated by figures like Andrew Breitbart and Curtis Yarvin.
• Yarvin’s idea of "the Cathedral" closely mirrors Sellner’s "Meinungsklimaanlage."
• High-profile right-wing funders and influencers (Peter Thiel, Marc Andreessen) support or echo these meta-political philosophies.

"Only sort of semi authoritarian rule can actually deliver libertarian promises of free speech and free markets."
— Philipp Adorf (41:21)

• JD Vance (now US Vice President) openly draws on Yarvin; at the 2025 Munich Security Conference, he foregrounded culture war narratives and AfD normalization, bolstering far right legitimacy in Europe.

9. Have Liberals and Centrists Lost the Culture War? (48:08–52:58)

• The techniques that brought decades of centrist and progressive dominance may no longer suffice; centrist parties have grown complacent and are less equipped to fight new, meta-political battles outside traditional electoral arenas.

"Sentiments appear to have changed and shifted. They can’t take their own position within society as granted anymore."
— Philipp Adorf (48:19)

• Younger voters are turning to the far right, a reversal from historical trends.
• The centrist "grand coalition" model, especially pronounced in the EU, creates a lack of "credible opposition" space, enabling the narrative of only one "real alternative": the far right.

10. Democracy and the Future: Grand Coalitions or Inclusion? (52:58–end)

• The tendency for continual grand coalitions at European and national levels inadvertently feeds AfD narratives of being the sole outsiders.
• There is no clear solution: firewall policies haven’t stunted AfD growth, and their continued success is leading to prospects where, sooner or later, they may govern.

"We're just faced with a bunch of really poor options and there is no real blueprint for preserving democracy."
— Philipp Adorf (57:24)

Memorable Quotes & Timestamps

• "The battle over culture...is with those who have read Gramsci." – Nicholas Schmidt, quoted (03:32)
• "Pluralism is never there." – Host (07:28)
• "Younger voters...in Germany, the AfD has in recent elections done incredibly well among younger voters, which is completely different from what happened even 10 years ago." – Philipp Adorf (48:19)
• "This is the sort of war of attrition, where bit by bit you need to try and change society, you need to popularize certain terms, you need to try and win over different pieces of society before you can actually obtain political power." – Philipp Adorf on Gramsci’s theory (31:22)
• "If meta political activists from today’s European far right had been asked to draft a speech for JD Vance, it couldn’t have looked much different." – Philipp Adorf (47:50)
• "We're just faced with a bunch of really poor options and there is no real blueprint for preserving democracy." – Philipp Adorf (57:24)

Key Segments & Timestamps

• [00:04]—[05:10]: Setting the stage—culture vs. the rise of far right; Gramsci’s influence
• [05:10]—[10:56]: AfD history, welfare chauvinism, pivot to nativism
• [10:56]—[16:23]: Outside vanguard (Voorfeld), meta-political strategies
• [20:22]—[23:54]: Remigration: from fringe to mainstream, protests, normalization
• [23:54]—[28:16]: Sellner’s Meinungsklimaanlage and the digital climate war
• [29:13]—[36:42]: Gramsci, French New Right, pan-European meta-politics
• [37:44]—[46:34]: US–EU far right connections, Yarvin, JD Vance, Munich Security Conf.
• [48:08]—[52:58]: Culture war, disarray of centrists/progressives
• [52:58]—end: Grand coalitions, future options for democracy, and the unsatisfactory menu of responses to the new far right normal.

Notable Moments

• [10:56] Host recalls Beatrix von Storch’s 2016 call for border guards to shoot irregular migrants, linking personal/family Nazi-era history to AfD and right-wing activist networks.
• [23:54–27:12] Detailed breakdown of Martin Sellner’s "opinion climate control system" and the far right’s critique of mainstream control.
• [43:43–47:50] Unexpected culture-war focus of US Vice President JD Vance at Munich, formatted as meta-political outreach to European far right.

Tone

The episode is urgent and critical, deeply analytical but accessible, and occasionally alarmed by the entrenchment and normalization of far right ideology. Both host and guest operate with a tone of informed concern, emphasizing ironies (the right’s Gramscian inheritance) and dilemmas (grand coalitions as a possible trap) with clarity and nuance.