German Far Right Ideology in the Decade of German Unification

This thesis analyses changes and continuities in the political programme and worldview of the German far right's two major political parties, the Republikaner and the Deutsche Volksunion, during the period before and after German unification in 1990. During this time, both parties scored significant political victories and developed elaborate positions on nation and society, historical identity, and Germany's position in international politics. The thesis finds that the far right's political vision based on conservative values, ethnic exclusion, traditional gender roles, and a rehabilitated notion of historical identity evolved to attract a German electorate longing for national identity and security in face of the tumultuous social changes brought about by unification. Moreover, the far right's foreign political position changed from staunch anti-Russian anti-communism to an anti-American, anti-global vision of the world in which Germany would play a new leading role.