Nostalgia paralyzes Germany. The consequences for Poland could be particularly severe

The AfD party in Germany effectively channels social frustrations into promises of restoring a lost order, particularly resonating in Eastern Germany by appealing to regional identity. They reinterpret the GDR past positively, using symbols like Trabants to enhance their political message. In contrast, Georgi Gospodinow's novel "Time Shelter" explores a fictional clinic where patients relive past decades, reflecting a desire to escape modern chaos by returning to a perceived better past, prompting nations to consider referendums on which era to return to.