Political »classics« of the New Right. Anti-democratic thinkers from the Weimar Republic

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In focus: FALSE PATRIOTS - THE OPEN SOCIETY AND ITS ENEMIES

There were already influential anti-democratic thinkers during the Weimar Republic. These included Edgar Julius Jung and Ernst Jünger, Arthur Moeller van den Bruck and Ernst Niekisch, Carl Schmitt and Oswald Spengler. Despite certain ideological differences, they all campaigned against liberal democracy. They rejected the Enlightenment and individuality, human rights and pluralism with great eloquence. Even today, there are still followers of these »classics«, particularly amongst the intellectual right-wing extremists of the New Right. A closer look at these authors reveals anti-democratic sentiments, in keeping with the saying: »Tell me who you cite, and I’ll tell you where you stand.«

The »classics« mentioned above also influence the AfD, where they find ideological and political support. Their authoritarian ideology can thus continue to exert its anti-democratic influence even a hundred years later. One should therefore be aware of these ideological views and subject them to critical reflection.

Armin Pfhal-Traughber, born in 1963, Prof. Dr. phil., political scientist and sociologist, is a full-time lecturer at the Federal University of Public Administration in Brühl and a visiting lecturer at the University of Bonn. He edits the *Yearbook of Extremism and Terrorism Research*. His most recent publication with Dietz is: »Intellectual Right-Wing Extremists: The Potential Threat of the New Right« (2022).

Moderation
Robert Misik, Author and journalist

Armin Pfahl-Traughber:
Political classics of the New Right.
Dietz Verlag, October 2025, €20