The recent election of the far-right party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) as the third-largest party in Germany's parliament was unprecedented in the country's post-war history. Michael Bröning will address key questions that the party's populist message poses for Germany's established political system. What lessons can be drawn from the party's ascent from the fringes of German politics to Parliament? What conditions facilitated its rise? What can be learned from the establishment's response to the populist challenge? How will the future of German politics be impacted?