So, somebody recently asked me to do a Marxist–Leninist reading of the conservative-left party Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) the party is currently still operating under that name, though a potential rebranding is expected. I am half German, so I figured I would write a short, factual overview of what the party is, where it comes from, and how it positions itself.
We can discuss theory and critique in the comments afterward.
Quick Summary
- The” BSW” was created as a splinter group from “Die Linke”.
- Die Linke” itself is also the product of earlier mergers and splits in German left politics.
- The party was initially founded and led by Sahra Wagenknecht, but this was or is about to change.
- Wagenknecht is married to Oskar Lafontaine, former SPD leader and prominent figure in Die Linke. She grew up in the GDR and is half-Iranian.
- In the European Parliament, BSW sits with the Unified European Left (UEL), not GUE/NGL.
Sahra Wagenknecht: Background & Profile
Sahra Wagenknecht is one of the most prominent figures in German politics, known for her mix of left-leaning economic positions and culturally conservative messaging.
- ** Early life & ideology:**
Born in the GDR to an East-German mother and Iranian father, she entered the PDS (the post-SED party) in the early 1990s. Her early writings were more traditionally Marxist, though her later positions diverge sharply from orthodox Marxism.
- Career in Die Linke:
Served as Bundestag representative, economic spokesperson, and co-chair of the parliamentary faction. She became known for criticizing neoliberal reforms and EU austerity.
- Internal conflicts:
Repeated disputes with other factions of Die Linke, especially over migration, cultural politics, and foreign policy, led to her eventual split.
- Public image:
Combines left-wing economic rhetoric with conservative cultural critiques. Highly media-savvy and frequently on talk shows. She also writes a lot of books.
- Personal ties:
Her marriage to Oskar Lafontaine further ties her to older social-democratic and post-communist political networks.
The BSW: Ideological & Policy Profile
The BSW positions itself as a party for “social justice, economic stability, and common sense,” blending social-democratic economics with socially conservative themes.
- Economic Policy
Strongly interventionist; supports state regulation and higher taxes on the wealthy. Critical of privatization; favours re-municipalization of key services. Focus on cost-of-living issues, housing, and industrial decline. Pro-industrial strategy but anti-corporate in rhetoric.
- Social & Cultural Policy
Rejects identity politics and “lifestyle leftism.” More restrictive migration stance than most European left parties. Emphasis on social cohesion, stability, and communitarian values.
- Foreign Policy
Critical of NATO and U.S. foreign policy. Opposes weapons deliveries to Ukraine, favours negotiations and sanctions relief. Seeks restoration of economic ties with Russia (while officially condemning the invasion). Sceptical of deeper EU integration.
- Environmental Policy
Supports climate goals but rejects consumption bans and “eco-austerity.” Emphasizes technological investment over regulatory restrictions.
Controversies, Local-Level Behaviour & Criticism
- Local gains but conservative cooperation:
While BSW has achieved notable success in eastern state elections, it often cooperates with conservative or centrist parties at the local/state level, which critics view as inconsistent with its left-economic message .
- Strong anti-“woke” stance:
The party sharply criticizes identity politics, gender policies, and cultural liberalism. This appeals to certain working-class voters but alienates much of the traditional left.
- Accusations of pro-Kremlin alignment:
Opponents argue its Ukraine and NATO positions echo Russian narratives. These are political allegations; the party denies them, and verified evidence of Kremlin funding is lacking.
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There was some suspicion on who funded the party , German news and donation watch list one family (listed as Thomas Stanger) that donated millions to the party.
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Backlash over Ukraine-related remarks:
Wagenknecht has faced criticism for comments perceived as overly sympathetic to Russia or dismissive of Ukrainian concerns, though some viral claims are unverified or misrepresented.
The BSW is not a Marxist–Leninist party, nor does it claim to be its program is reformist, populist, and firmly within the framework of capitalist parliamentary politics.
Anyways, if you find something that is incorrect pls feel free to correct me. Also leave your comments and thoughts below.
N.B: This is in no way to promote this party. This post is more about informing people about it and critically discussing issues arising from such parties.
why didn’t you just join “die linke”, the dkp or the mlpd? genuine question. because afaik the bsw is very apologetic about the afd and both parties talked about eventually forming a coalition government.
i know the parties i mentioned have their issues: die linke has the “antideutscher flügel” - a bunch of zionists who luckily get bullied out of their own party, the dkp and mlpd are very small. - but these problems are not as severe as a party that seems to get comfortable with neoliberal fascists.
Die Linke doesn’t just have a wing that is Zionist, the official position of the party is liberal Zionism.
The problem with the centrist liberal consensus “firewall” against the AfD is that it doesn’t work. Far from preventing the AfD from growing it has done the opposite. And the result has been that what used to once be exclusively AfD far-right positions on immigration are now being embraced and legitimized by the center-right CDU.
Die Linke has essentially ceased to be a mass working class party. At one point they were polling below 5% which is disastrous. Their very modest resurgence in the last elections was mainly due to courting voters away from the Greens, which they were able to do because they pivoted their base away from the traditional working class to the Greens’ base: left-leaning but financially comfortable, liberal, university educated urban professionals and intelligentsia.
The failure of the liberal-left to address the real material concerns of the working class has had visible consequences in electoral politics: Neither Die Linke nor any of the centrist parties, succeeded in reducing the AfD’s support, not even the CDU who tried to win back right wing voters by embracing right wing anti-migration policies. The AfD is now polling in first place. This is objectively catastrophic. They cannot be ignored or their supporters written off as entirely fascists.
Something needs to be done to win back those voters and the only party that has successfully courted voters away from the AfD is the BSW. And not because of their more conservative positions - the CDU tried that “pander to the right” strategy and failed. But because they represent a real alternative to the mainstream establishment on existential issues like the deindustrialization crisis, the establishment’s obsession with Russia, the corrupt and undemocratic Brussels bureaucracy, and the rapidly declining standards of living of the working class.
The only way to reduce the AfD’s support is to not allow them to monopolize these anti-establishment sentiments which more and more people support. You can’t reflexively just oppose everything that comes from the AfD, which is what Die Linke does. That just puts you in lockstep with the increasingly unpopular liberal establishment. That’s how you end up voting to arm Ukraine just becuse the AfD opposes it.
You need to recognize how the AfD cynically uses populist positions to win support for their reactionary agenda, and the only way to undercut that strategy is with left wing populism.
i agree with most of what you said actually.
despite that the bsw is demonizing members of the working class and hurting people with reactionary stances.
if we talk about actively helping members of the working class - die linke would actually actively improve things - and i am not advocating for them, i vote differently. my political involvement is outside of parliamentarism.
an afd government is gonna be like a cdu government, i am not alarmist about that. - the constant anti-afd rhetoric is wasted energy and counterproductive.
I agree that the BSW is highly problematic. For me supporting communist parties like the DKP is the way to go, even if they’re small. You have to start somewhere. You can’t rely on socdems and bourgeois electoral politics.
I don’t agree that supporting Die Linke is any better. I think they have a dead end political strategy and economic policies that are little more than socdem wishful thinking without a broader, systemic reorientation of the direction of the economy. And that economic reorientation won’t be possible without a complete reversal of the current foreign policy direction.
The deindustrialization crisis is directly tied into the failure of the energy policy and the sanctions policy. Die Linke completely refuses to see this and continues to insist on sanctions against Russia and a Russia-hostile foreign policy. They say they are for peace and oppose increasing the military budget but they lean into the “Russia threat” tropes which are used to justify the re-militarization. This is all money which is taken away from social programs that Die Linke claims to want to support and expand.
Their China policy is muddled and practically nonexistent, even though China is now the most important German trading partner and any serious national party needs to formulate a coherent position and strategy on such an important issue. Die Linke seems to prefer to not even engage with the topic since their members are either split or solely interested in domestic and European issues. This matters because Europe and Germany’s green transition is not possible without Chinese production, yet Europe continues to impose protectionist tariffs on Chinese EVs and green tech.
And finally, they refuse to see that the EU is headed toward a dead end and probably collapse. Die Linke lives in the 2010s. That time has passed and it’s not coming back. The utopian pan-European liberal project has failed. And Atlanticism is an anchor dragging Europe down into the abyss.
honestly after typing that i wanted to retract my statement lmao. my mind was fixated on their tax policy and completely forgot the reasons you mentioned
As i said, their economic and social policies are socdem wishful thinking. If you look at each individual policy, proposal and position in isolation they sound good.
They sound like something leftists, even communists, should support. It’s good to demand more worker protections, more social spending, higher taxes on the rich and on corporations, etc. Even if these are bandaid solutions that don’t solve the systemic problem of capitalism, harm reduction is still good, right?
The problem is that in the current situation not even these social democratic policies can be implemented. The direction we are going in is a dismantling of the social democratic welfare state, because in the current declining economic situation they can’t be supported simultaneously with a policy of rearmament and massive military and financial aid to Ukraine.
So when Die Linke calls for all of these things while pretending like it’s still 2012 and Germany has a strong economy, and everything in Europe is stable, without talking about the Nordstream sabotage, without talking about the European energy crisis, without a plan to reverse course on the Ukraine policies, it sounds i’m sorry to say like they are living in a fantasy world.
Die Linke because it’s neither a marxist party and is flooded with lifestyle leftists aka university students, social democrats and democratic socialists. Marxists are a minority platform and with the founding of the BSW most left. Also it’s been dying until recently.
As for the DKP and MLPD, because they’re tiny parties and not going anywhere. Communist parties will not revive themselves. As said previously in their current state they wouldn’t be able to become a vanguard for any revolution.
They also have their own issues. The MLPD is a bit suspect because leadership has always been in the hands of one family and their friends. And perplexingly enough they’re pro-Ukrainian or at least opposed to Russia in the Russo-Ukrainian war. The DKP had a revisionist streak, though since about 10 years ago turned away from revisionism towards more revolutionary politics again. At the same time rehabilitating Stalin. But again they’re still in no position to lead any revolution.
mldp is trot. And I would dispute the claim that the antideutsche flügel was bullied out, its still very active - Ramelow is very prominent for example, and liberal/soft zionism is still hegemonic in german left scene.
totally understandable, i used to be in die linke at the beginning of my political journey and noticed it heavily depends on which local group you´re part of. but aside from that: what about the other points i mentioned? maybe it´s just media brainrot - but (afaik) bsw and afd both didn´t rule out working together which is odd considering their anti-capitalist stance.
There´s also occasions where Sahra Wagenknecht called people who make use of the SBGG “cult members”, and she took part in the anti-trans panic. while i know wagenknecht says a LOT and sometimes it´s hit or miss - and one person doesn´t represent a party. - BUT in this instance we have a party named after one person… so y’know.
i´m genuinely asking and not coming at you with the intention of disrespecting you.
EDIT: i failed to realize you´re not the user my questions were directed at xD
dkp is the best of the bunch, mlpd are trots, my local branch is bascially just 5 old people who are pro-israel, yapping vaguely academically about x or y, are critically of everything, and are quite wealthy (the party) due to getting a lot of inheritances from old members which is primarly used to plaster their posters everywhere but they dont connect with the working class at all.