Stadt, Land, Frust

In the organizer's words:

Lecture and discussion

Lukas Haffert (political scientist, Bremen)

Although in many areas there has been an equalization of living conditions between urban and rural areas, on the other hand there are increasing contrasts in life plans and political preferences. These political lines of conflict are now also shaking up the federal consensus democracy of the Federal Republic of Germany. Parties are increasingly trying to mobilize the local identities of citizens politically in their own interests. The latest elections and forecasts point to a worrying urban-rural divide.

The greater popularity of right-wing populism in rural areas clashes with red-green preferences in the big cities. In his book, Lukas Haffert argues that urban-rural conflicts always become particularly acute when the economic structure and lifestyles in large cities differ particularly strongly from those in the countryside.