German Results Reflect European Unease Over Identity, Economy, by Marcus Walker.

Germany’s election result confirms the overriding trend of European politics in the past year: the crumbling of the Continent’s established parties in the face of voter anxiety over economics and identity. …

The future direction of the EU and its major nations is now up for grabs in a fluid contest between internationalists and nationalists, incumbents and insurgents. …

The AfD, which won close to 13% nationwide, thrived particularly in Germany’s economically disadvantaged east, where it was the most popular party among male voters. …

The election showed that Germany is becoming more like other European countries, where nationalist, antiestablishment parties are often significantly stronger than the AfD.

For decades, Germany’s taboos against nationalist rhetoric have kept far-right parties out of the national parliament. Support for the AfD rose during the campaign despite its controversial views on history. Leading candidate Alexander Gauland said Germans “have the right to be proud of the achievements of German soldiers in two world wars.”

The party’s program calls for less guilt about Germany’s past, including toning down Germany’s focus on remembering the Holocaust, a position that drew condemnation from Jewish groups. …

Most AfD voters appear to have backed the party as a reaction against what is widely viewed as stifling consensus of the grand coalition. Only 31% of AfD voters backed the party out of “conviction,” while 60% voted for it out of “disappointment” with other parties, according to an exit poll for state broadcaster ARD. …

The Social Democrats’ failed candidate for chancellor, Martin Schulz, denounced Ms. Merkel on state TV for erasing all policy differences between them. The consensus-seeking chancellor’s “systematic refusal of politics” alienated voters and boosted the AfD, Mr. Schulz said.