Left-wing Extremism in the Federal Republic of Germany Thirty Years After Unification

Sa？etak Due to its historical burden, the Federal Republic of Germany has paid a great deal of attention to prevention and suppression of all extremist aspirations, including the left-wing extremism. The prerequisite for the analysis of the left-wing extremist tendencies in Germany is a clear definition of the very concept of political or left-wing extremism. Subsequently, after an overview of the ideological foundations of the left-wing extremism, the analysis is given of parties i.e. organizations within the left-wing extremist spectrum operating in the Federal Republic of Germany, their membership, actions, strategies and thematic areas of activity, with a goal to determine whether the left-wing extremism in that segment has increased since the German unification to date. The analysis concluded that the left-wing extremism in the Federal Republic of Germany, although, after the unification, has not at any point seriously compromised German democracy, is not negligible. Because of its overall potential, it burdens the democratic order of the Federal Republic of Germany in many segments, but simultaneously the layered measures implemented by the German state with a goal to suppress and prevent political extremism have been coping well with the phenomenon of left-wing extremism