@article{Podgorski, author = {Podgorski, Michael A.}, title = {The Authoritarian Roots of Contemporary Populist Movements: Explaining the Rise of the Alternative f{\"u}r Deutschland}, series = {Concept: Interdisciplinary Journal of Graduate Studies, Vol. 44 (2021), pp. 1-28. [concept.journals.villanova.edu/index.php/concept/article/view/2605/2549]}, journal = {Concept: Interdisciplinary Journal of Graduate Studies, Vol. 44 (2021), pp. 1-28. [concept.journals.villanova.edu/index.php/concept/article/view/2605/2549]}, abstract = {[Introduction] There is no single variable that satisfactorily explains the rise in support for the Alternative f{\"u}r Deutschland (AfD) as an emergent far-right political party in Germany. However there are individual explanatory variables that if taken together, represent a whole that is greater than the sum of their parts. Like the parable of the blind men and the elephant, the perspective of each variable provides a different explanation that holds its own truth, and yet yields an unsatisfactory explanation of the whole. A more holistic approach that illustrates their interconnected nature yields a more contextualized view of AfD's success, but such an approach necessitates a theory than can unify the parts by situating the AfD's rise within wider historical and political dynamics. Drawing primarily from Erich Fromm's work, I employ the theory of Existential Insecurity to bind these parts into a cohesive whole. In its simplest sense, Existential Insecurity is as psychological state of mind of modern man deriving from threats to both cultural identity and economic security. According to Fromm, the Authoritarian Personality is a psychological response to the condition of Existential Insecurity, predisposing its adherents to relinquish their freedom to authoritarian styled systems of political organization. Although there are worthy contours of exploration in the relationship between authoritarianism and populism, some of which will be explored in this paper, for the sake of my premise and as most authors would agree, within the Euro-American context, most manifestations of populism are characterized by far-right, authoritarian tendencies. This paper will argue that the adherents of these populist movements are characterized by the Authoritarian Personality as a response to Existential Insecurity. This paper endeavors then to build a bridge between these wider historical events and the more contemporary explanations for the AfD's rise, diagnosing these particularized explanations as symptoms of dynamics taking place on a longer scale of time, within a wider context. An explanation of Fromm's theory will be followed by a discussion of theories of populism and its relationship to authoritarianism. The proposed explanatory theory will be illustrated within an historical context of political dynamics in Europe, which will be considerably robust. This section will be followed by a discussion of specific theories proposed to explain the rise of the AfD with an application of the paper's primary theory, and finally a brief conclusion.}, language = {en} }