Germany's Soviet past looms over high-stakes election in Saxony-Anhalt: 'I do not consider Russians to be enemies'

The election chooses Saxony-Anhalt’s regional parliament and, indirectly, the state government. It matters because state governments control important areas such as education, policing, culture, and parts of administration. A result in one state can also signal wider changes in German politics.

The article says the far-right Alternative for Germany could win in this former East German region. That would be significant because the AfD would not merely gain seats; it could become the strongest party or make governing without it more difficult. Other parties might need to form an unusual coalition to keep it out of government.

The result would not decide Germany’s national government. Still, it could strengthen the AfD’s influence, attract more attention to eastern Germany’s political mood, and pressure other parties to respond. It would also make the region’s history, including its former Soviet military presence, especially relevant to political debate.

The Alternative for Germany, or AfD, is a German political party founded in 2013. It began with a strong focus on opposition to the euro and later became known for nationalist positions, restrictive immigration policies, and criticism of established political parties. It is especially strong in parts of eastern Germany.

Calling a party “far right” places it beyond ordinary conservative politics. The label commonly refers to intense nationalism, hostility toward immigration, suspicion of pluralist institutions, and a willingness to challenge liberal democratic norms. The exact policies vary, but the term signals a more radical position on the political right.

The label matters because an AfD victory would carry more than ordinary party competition. It could normalize far-right leadership in a German state and force other parties to decide whether to cooperate, govern in minority, or build a broad coalition against it. The article presents this possibility alongside the region’s distinctive history with Russia.

Stendal hosted about 10,000 Red Army soldiers during the Cold War, according to the article. That figure describes a major military presence in one city, not a small visiting unit. It helps show how deeply Soviet power was built into daily life across the former German Democratic Republic.

The soldiers were part of the Soviet forces stationed in East Germany. Their role was tied to the wider confrontation between the Soviet-led Eastern bloc and the United States-led Western alliance. Bases, barracks, training areas, and military families connected local communities to that international conflict.

The presence left a historical and personal legacy. Residents could remember Soviet soldiers as neighbors, occupiers, protectors, or symbols of imposed rule, depending on their experiences. Today, Stendal’s history helps explain why attitudes toward Russia can differ between eastern and western Germany, even after German reunification.

The German Democratic Republic was the communist state created in eastern Germany after World War II. Commonly called East Germany or the GDR, it existed from 1949 until German reunification in 1990. Its ruling Socialist Unity Party dominated politics, while state institutions followed a socialist model.

The GDR was closely connected to the Soviet Union through the Warsaw Pact, the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance, and shared communist politics. Soviet troops were stationed on its territory, including about 10,000 soldiers in Stendal during the Cold War. Moscow strongly influenced East Germany’s security and foreign policy.

This connection shaped how people experienced both government and international affairs. Some saw the Soviet Union as a powerful ally against the West; others experienced Soviet influence as control backed by military force. After reunification, those memories remained unevenly distributed, helping explain different political and social attitudes in eastern and western Germany.

The Cold War was a global political, military, and ideological struggle between the Soviet Union and the United States and their allies. It lasted roughly from the late 1940s until the collapse of communist regimes in Europe around 1989–91. The rivals usually avoided direct war with each other, but they competed through alliances, weapons, propaganda, and conflicts elsewhere.

East Germany stood on the front line. It bordered West Germany, which was tied to the United States and NATO. The Soviet Union therefore stationed the Red Army in the GDR to deter Western attack, support the East German government, and protect the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact. Stendal’s roughly 10,000 Soviet soldiers were part of that larger system.

Their presence made the Cold War visible in ordinary communities. It also reinforced Soviet authority over East Germany. The legacy remains politically important because memories of military occupation, alliance, and communist rule can shape how eastern Germans interpret Russia differently from many western Germans.

German state governments, known as Länder governments, run important parts of everyday public life. Their responsibilities include schools, universities, police, culture, regional planning, and much of public administration. They also help shape national laws through the Bundesrat, Germany’s federal chamber representing the states.

If the AfD wins the regional election, the practical effect depends on its seats and whether it can find coalition partners. It might lead a government, supply a minister-president, influence legislation from opposition, or become central to negotiations. Other parties may refuse cooperation because of its far-right positions, making a stable coalition harder.

The result would not give the AfD control over Germany as a whole. But it could change regional priorities, appointments, public debate, and the political boundaries around cooperation with the party. It could also provide the AfD with governing experience and national visibility, while testing whether other parties can offer an effective alternative.

Lived history shapes political attitudes because people judge countries through personal and family experience. In eastern Germany, Soviet soldiers, military bases, communist rule, and Moscow’s influence were part of everyday life. Some people remember security or social ties; others remember restriction, surveillance, and foreign control. Western Germans more often experienced the Soviet Union as a distant rival across the border.

Stendal illustrates the eastern experience. About 10,000 Red Army soldiers were stationed there during the Cold War. That presence created direct contact with Soviet power, whether through housing, work, military areas, or local encounters. The GDR’s political dependence on the Soviet Union added another layer to those memories.

These experiences do not produce one uniform eastern or western opinion. People differ by age, family history, and politics. Still, they can influence views of Russia, NATO, and foreign policy. As the AfD competes for power in Saxony-Anhalt, these memories may continue shaping arguments about Germany’s relationship with Moscow.